Fife and the Fife Coastal Tourist Route

Among Scots, Fife unfortunately gets a bit of a bad reputation. Covering around 1.4 square kilometres, just north of Edinburgh, it is often portrayed as home of the benefits claimants and teenage mothers. With the closure of the UK coal mining industry, many of its towns lost their raison d’être, causing them to be stuck by high levels of unemployment and poverty. Sadly, this reputation causes many to overlook some of the absolute gems that Fife has on offer.

One of these is the Fife Coastal Tourist Route, a roughly 85 mile driving route which hugs the rim of the region. If you were to stick to the motorways which cut through its middle, you could absolutely be forgiven for thinking that there wasn’t much to offer here, expect well, motorway. However, turn off on to the Fife Coastal Road and Fife becomes a destination all of its own.

West Section

The route officially starts in Kincardine, at the west end of Fife before heading east and then north. One of the highlights of the road is the historic village of Culross. I remember seeing pictures of this place on a Scotland Pinterest board or something like that a while back. I immediately went to investigate its location. My jaw dropped at the fact that this gorgeous former royal burgh was in Fife. With its cobbled streets and almost European appearance, visiting Culross feels like stepping back in time. Many of the buildings are maintained by the National Trust for Scotland who aim to preserve the town’s 16th and 17th century glory. Any fans of hit TV show Outlander are able to visit some of the show’s filming locations.

For your fix of Scottish history, Dunfermline Abbey is worth checking out. The abbey was built in honour of St Margaret. In my opinion, Margaret was a pretty cool lass. She is the only royal to ever be made a saint, built a ferry connecting South Queensferry and North Queensferry (for which the towns get their name) amongst multiple other charitable acts and gave birth to three (arguably four) Scottish Kings. Move over Mary Queen of Scots, Margaret’s got this empowering female figure thing sorted. Legendary freedom fighter and king of Scotland Robert the Bruce is also buried here. All in all, quite a cool place.

You should be able to get some stunning views of the Forth Bridges from this section of the road too. There are three bridges – the rustic red cantilever, gargantuan that is the rail bridge (deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the 1960s concrete monstrosity that is the deteriorating road bridge and the new sleek and modern road bridge, the Queensferry Crossing, which is due to be opened in May 2017.

East Neuk of Fife

The East Neuk (pronounced ‘nuke’) is where Fife really comes into its own. And unless you were sticking to the coastal road, you would probably entirely miss it. Passing through here you could, at times, be forgiven for thinking that you were somewhere completely different. Many of the small fishing towns boast the same multi-coloured, one storey houses found on Scotland’s western isles – think Portree on Skye or Tobermory on Mull.

Probably the most famous of these coastal fishing villages is Anstruther. It surprises me time and time again that people, not only from the rest of the UK, but the rest of the world have heard of this tiny village in an obscure part of the world. But it has rightfully earned its fame, having consistently been awarded the title of best fish ‘n’ chips in the UK. Although they may be somewhat riding on reputation now, you will not be disappointed. Grab yourself a portion of chips, or perhaps the local Pittenweem prawns, take a seat at the harbour, breathe in the salty sea air and enjoy.

There are a handful of villages of a similar nature in the area. Crail and Elie are both picturesque little towns worth a visit. Just outside Crail you will find Scotland’s Secret Bunker. This Cold War bunker was only taken off the official secrets list in 1993 and in the event of a nuclear attack would have been where Scotland was governed from. Who knew there was a bit of Cold War history hidden underground in Central Scotland? If you’d rather get outside then you can tackle the Elie Chain Walk. A serious of chains are set into a 0.5km stretch of cliffside, allowing you climb and scramble along by the sea.

Just beyond the East Neuk is Kingsbarns Distillery. Established in 2014, it is one of Scotland’s newest distilleries. So new in fact that they haven’t even started bottling their own whisky! To be legally sold as Scotch whisky, the spirit must be matured in an oak barrel for a minimum of three years before bottling. You can however find out about the whisky making process and try some of their new make spirit (unaged spirit, straight from the still). Take care, this stuff is potent.

St Andrews

As it continues northwards the road passes through the famous St. Andrews. St Andrews is only about half an hour away from my hometown by bus. Therefore a sunny day meant a trip to this university town – a chance to run around the expansive, white sandy beaches or to see the seals at the Sea Life Centre (now St Andrews Aquarium – if you don’t fancy golf or ruined castles then it is worth checking out).

Perhaps it is the childhood nostalgia, but I am rather fond of St Andrews. Although a little on the touristy side – expect to encounter endless golf players and people trying to find the location where Will and Kate met – the place has a laidback atmosphere. It is easily navigable on foot with enough to keep you entertained for a day or two. If you get the chance then visit on a Sunday. The world famous Old Course is closed to golfers and open to the public to take a stroll across and explore at their leisure. For a small fee you can climb to the top of the tower at the now ruined St Andrews Cathedral for some immense views of the town and the surrounding area. The grounds are pretty interesting to look around as well (and free to enter). The little known harbour is located behind the cathedral. There is often not a soul in sight down here, offering further tranquility from the already peaceful St Andrews.

Oh, and no trip to St Andrews is complete without a visit to Jannettas Gelateria . I could not put a figure on the number of different flavours they have on sale. Whatever you choose though, you will not be disappointed!

And the Rest…

The route is not all Blue Flag Beaches and ancient golf courses. There is reason for some of Fife’s reputation. The Methil, Leven and Buckhaven section of the road showcases some grittier parts of the region. Whilst I don’t blame you if you don’t want to stop and take a look around at these places, I do think it’s important that you are aware of them and accept them as part of the tartan weave that is Scotland. It is all too easy when we visit somewhere to stick to the comfortable postcard images and blind ourselves to the places that shatter our illusions of a country. Scotland is not just Edinburgh and Loch Ness – we have our own swathe of social problems.

But by seeing the reality of this, in Fife and elsewhere, you will come to understand Scotland more. Our self deprecating sense of humour might start to make sense and the run down council estates depicted on many Scottish TV shows such as Still Game and Burnistoun will become familiar (on a side note, check out these shows for a real Scottish education…).

All in all, Fife: come for the social lesson, stay for the award winning fish ‘n’ chips.

Practical information:The Fife Coastal Tourist Route runs from Kincardine in the west of Fife to the Tay Bridge in the north. You will get the most freedom exploring the route by car. Many of the roads are narrow and bendy, with some single track sections so do take care if you aren’t used to this type of driving. Many of the main sites can be easily accessed by public transport as well. Stagecoach buses operate in the region. You can purchase a Fife Megarider ticket for £8 which will give you unlimited travel around the region for day. Do note take buses are often slow, stopping at every stop along the way and can be infrequent so don’t expect to see everything in one day if relying on public transport. Scotrail operate trains direct from Edinburgh to Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy.

The Fife Coastal Tourist Route is not to be confused with the Fife Coastal Path. The Fife Coastal Path is a 117 mile (118km) walking route that follows close by the road route. It would take around a week to complete it in its entirety and would be a quirky alternative to some of the better known walking routes in Scotland such as the West Highland Way.

Check out Sabre Roads Wiki article which provides fantastic detail about navigating the route. Lonely Planet’s Scotland also has a great little section with suggestions of even more things to do along the way.

Has anyone ever visited Fife? What did you think? Are there parts of your countries that have a bad reputation but are actually home to some hidden gems?