Walking Holidays
Scotland

Fife Coastal Path

Our Fife Coastal path independent walking holiday links the Forth and Tay Estuaries in Scotland. The full length of the Fife Coastal Path runs for over 183km through varied landscapes and coastal scenery, but we have chosen the most interesting 6 days which link North Queensferry, directly north of Edinburgh and St Andrews on the North Sea coast.

The walk goes via some of Scotland's most picturesque villages, mainy containing small fishing ports such as the pretty coastal town of Anstruther. From village to village, harbour to harbour, enjoy the cool summer of Scotland and witness the marine wildlife of the North Sea around the Fife Peninsula. Indeed, this hike is the perfect occasion, for bird watchers, to attend a daily flying show of a great variety of birds.

Your walk starts immediately after crossing the Forth Estuary by train, and ends in St Andrews, the home of golf, with its ancient University. In between are miles of golden beaches, attractive woods and nature reserves as well as some more functional towns such as Leven. The Fife coast also has a rich history with castle and church ruins, industrial remnants such as pulleys from the former coalyards and the pictish and prehistoric carvings in the Wemyss caves.

Holiday Profile

7 nights, 6 nights linear walking between guest houses

Dates

Everday of week subject to availability during 1 April to 31 October

Walking Profile & Grade

Walking on tracks, paths and small roads with daily distances varying between 13 and 25km. The daily ascent varies from 100m to 220m.  Over the 6 days, the average daily distance is 18km and height gain is around 165m. Some paths along the coastline can be narrow at times with some uneven and sandy conditions underfoot. Suitable for regular walkers, as well as fit and healthy novices.

This walking holiday is graded moderate. You should have some experience of day walking and be in reasonable health. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

7 nights B&B in ensuite 2 person rooms (double or twin) in good quality Guest Houses or Hotels.  Some locations have very limited choice.

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking holiday on the Fife Coastal Path is available from April to October. The climate of Scotland is temperate and is influenced by the Gulf Stream and Atlantic weather systems. Summers are rarely hot with an average maximum of 19°C and the overall weather could be classed as changeable. Weather systems tend to pass through reasonably quickly. The weather can be very localised due to the effect of the mountains with areas in Eastern Scotland such as the Fife Coast remaining drier than in the west.

Summer average day time temperatures are about 19°C, with temperatures dropping to about 12°C overnight. Depending on the prevailing winds, temperatures could vary from the low teens to the mid twenties. You can expect an average of 4-6 hours of sunshine per day and on average you could expect some rain every other day. The above are just averages and you may experience conditions which are much colder, warmer, drier or wetter than these averages. Please ask your hosts to check the weather forecasts for you, so that you are prepared.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

Most of this walking holiday follows the long distance Fife Coastal Path which is signposted along its entire length. The symbol for the trail are several wavy lines and these are often shown on signposts ccompanied by direction and the distance. The walking follows paths, tracks and minor roads for the most part. Some walking will be on beaches where sandy conditions can make the going more tiring. The walk will use other footpaths to access accommodation, villages or local sites. Our walking notes are detailed. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by OS at a scale of 1:25,000.

Luggage Transfers

On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday a local company is responsible for transporting your main luggage. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg. We only use hotels and small guest houses in historic buidlings and some of the rooms are accessible by stairs.

Travel Info

Travel Between Edinburgh and the walking holiday is included at the begining and end of the trip.

Edinburgh is well connected to the rest of the UK by train. It also has an international airport.