Why walk the Fife Coastal Path?

There are many reasons to walk the Fife Coastal Path – the amazing views across the river Forth; the bracing sea air; the beautiful flowers and trees; and the lovely people you meet along the way. Oh, and the cosy café stops, of course.

I have been living in Fife most of my life and only discovered the Fife Coastal Path last year! While my daughter, Carys, was at a gymnastic club in Kirkcaldy I decided that the couple of hours I wasted wandering around Asda or drinking coffee in Costa could be put to better use. I knew the coast was nearby so I started to explore some of the little villages around the coast going eastwards from Kirkcaldy. And what a lovely surprise!

I started with Dysart –  with its lovely harbour and row of white washed cottages along the sea front with that foreboding tower looming behind them what’s not to love:

And of course, The Harbourmasters House where you can get a lovely coffee and a cake  (or two) as well as learn about the history of the Fife Coastal Path and things to see and do:

Visit Scotland – The Harbourmasters House, Dysart

I remember the first day I came to Dysart, the sun was shining over the still water and I sat on the rocks, reading a book, looking up every now and then at the perfection in front of me. How happy and content I felt sitting there in the sunshine. I took my grown-up son down one day and my not-so-grown-up daughter and they loved it too:

From that day on I was hooked. I discovered Ravenscraig park in Kirkcaldy led onto the Fife Coastal path and was only a mile from Dysart. The first time I walked through the park and down some steps to join the path I was met by this!

Ravenscraig Dovecot!

And then there was the fortified walls along the coast:

And lovely flowers and trees:

Not to mention the majestic sculpture just behind Dysart harbour where seagulls love to perch:

From my beginnings at Dysart I have since visited, West Wemyss, Buckhaven and Leven then started exploring closer to home in North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay Aberdour and Kinghorn. I also did the start of the Fife Coastal Path from Kincardine to Culross.

So, why am I writing this blog? Well, I decided I wanted to do something to raise money for two charities that I have used last year and this year. To give something back. How better a way to raise money than by doing something you love. So I plan to walk the entire 117 miles of the Fife Coastal Path over 6 or 7 days starting next Tuesday 5th July. I plan to record my journey every evening just in case someone else decides they might want to follow in my footsteps. Hopefully I can provide some tips on where to stay, where to eat and drink and where to pee:-) And some more lovely pictures!

Have you already walked the Fife Coastal Path? Do you have any advice for me? Or do you enjoy walking in any other parts of Fife? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment using the link below. Thanks for reading!