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Fife Coastal Path - 8 Days & 7 Nights

8 Days & 7 Nights 4.6 Read 50 reviews
  • Immerse yourself in the history and culture of Fife's coastal communities
  • Enjoy an award-winning fish supper in Anstruther
  • Look out for basking seals and dolphins as you walk along the coast
  • Stroll along white sandy beaches on the coast path
  • Visit the famous town of St Andrews, complete with castle and 3 beaches
The Fife Coastal Path is one of Scotland's Great Trails. Follow the route from near Edinburgh as it winds its way north along Fife's dramatic coastline passing quaint fishing villages, and Scotland's oldest university town of St Andrews to reach Newport-On-Tay. Explore Scotland's east coast from thriving sea bird and seal colonies to long sandy beaches. Stroll along the beaches at Kinghorn, visit the famous pre-historic caves of East Weymss and enjoy this spectacular coastline punctuated by lighthouses, iconic golf courses and fishing villages as you make your way north to St Andrews. Try an abundance of fresh local seafood along the way - we recommend an award-winning fish and chips in Anstruther harbour while listening to the seabirds as they soar above the waves. In St Andrews feast your eyes on the ruined castle, the expansive West Sands Beach, and world-famous "Old Course" golf course.
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If you are a fan of stunning sea views, delightful coastal villages and an abundance of wildlife, then the Fife Coastal Path could be just for you. Add to that list beautiful beaches, welcoming hospitality and great food and you have a classic walk in the making. This longer itinerary takes a slightly more relaxed approach to daily distances, but still includes a couple of longer days of 27 km and 30 km.

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveler this tour would be suitable for is: 12 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Coastal Walking
  • Accessible by Rail

Activity Level & Terrain

This holiday is graded moderate overall with individual itineraries varying from easy to moderate through to moderate to strenuous. Daily walking distances vary between 10 - 18 miles. Some days will be more challenging than others and the terrain will be varied with some rough and rugged footpaths. There are ascents and descents involved so a good level of fitness will be required.

Navigation

The route is well way marked and easy to follow. We supply a detailed map and guidebook so you shouldn’t have any problem finding your way.

Accommodations

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Most itineraries on the coastal path include a stop in the small fishing village of Elie. However, as the village is so small accommodation options are limited meaning availability issues are often encountered. If this is the case for your booking you will have two nights in Leven with complimentary transfers collecting you from Elie and taking back to Leven for your overnight. The following morning you will be dropped off at the trailhead in Elie to continue your walk.

Single Rooms

This independent walking holiday is available to solo walkers but as all our holidays are priced per person based on two sharing there is a single supplement payable to cover the additional costs we incur.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs or restaurants.

Included
  • 8 Nights in hand-picked B&Bs, guesthouses & small hotels
  • 8 Breakfasts
  • Baggage transfer
  • A detailed information pack and access to maps and GPX tracks on the Macs Adventure smartphone app
  • 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
Excluded
  • Travel to the start / from the finish of the walk
  • Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
  • Personal equipment
  • Travel insurance (required)
Extras
  • Additional nights

When To Go

This walking holiday is best enjoyed between March and October. You can start on any date that suits your travel plans and you will find up to date availability on our website. The Fife Coastal Path is very popular so it is best to book as far in advance as you are able to.

Getting to the Start

North Queensferry can be accessed easily from Edinburgh by train. The journey takes only 20mins. North Queensferry is also easily accessible from Glasgow (1hr 15 mins) and Dundee (1hr 20 mins) by train or there are buses as well.  

Getting from the End

You can either continue walking to Dundee over the Tay bridge which is about 2 miles and catch onward travel from there or you can head back down to St Andrews (by taxi) and continue on from there.

St Andrews has many transport links to the rest of Scotland. Crail doesn't have a train station but there are plenty of buses to the rest of Fife and beyond.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Most itineraries on the coastal path include a stop in the small fishing village of Elie. However, as the village is so small accommodation options are limited meaning availability issues are often encountered. If this is the case for your booking you will have two nights in Leven with complimentary transfers collecting you from Elie and taking back to Leven for your overnight. The following morning you will be dropped off at the trailhead in Elie to continue your walk.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

How fit do I need to be?
How far in advance do I need to book?
What personal equipment do I need?
When is the best time of year?
Am I able to take my dog?
What happens if I can’t walk a stage?

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive North Queensferry Day 2 North Queensferry to Burntisland 12 miles / 19 km Day 3 Burntisland to Leven 16.5 miles / 27 km Day 4 Leven to Elie 8.5 miles / 14 km Day 5 Elie to Crail 10.5 miles / 17 km Day 6 Crail to St Andrews 13.5 miles / 22 km Day 7 St Andrews to Newport-on-Tay 18.5 miles / 30 km Day 8 Onward travel

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