Leven Links to Elie

This walk is approximately 7 miles (11 km) and will take approximately 4 to 5 hours.

Leven Links to Lower Largo

Heading east from Leven it is a rough path that will take you onto Lower Largo, unless you decide to take the beach route, but be careful of the tide if taking the beach route. You will pass the Municipal golf course and caravan park as you continue into Largo Bay and cross the burn which denotes you are now in East Fife. Set a little further back inland you will see Silverburn accessible on the A915 which is a great place for the children with a small farm allowing the children to pet and feed the animals, plenty of space to run around in and Silverburn Tree Trail.

Continuing on you come into Lundin Links, which has Lundie's testing seaside golf course, a popular bowling green and Ladies Golf Club. Looking left you will see the 290 metre high Largo Law unusual in being the only inland high hill in the East Neuk. Climbing it would give the viewer an exceptional opportunity to see much of Fife, the Firth of forth and the Lothians in the distance. Lower Largo joins onto Lundin Links and brings you to a small harbour which is still used but more by pleasure craft and yachts rather than days of old when the harbour would have been home to many fishing boats providing employment for the majority of people in the area. Walking along the narrow street heading east towards the beach, looking up to the left you will see the statue of Alexander Selkirk. We are all familiar with Daniel Defoe's story based on this man, Robinson Crusoe who was put ashore on the island of Juan Fernandez and was picked up 4 years later.

Continuing on through Lower Largo and onto the Temple car park, there is a flight of steps takes you up to the track which was once the line of a coastal railway. Follow this until another flight of steps leaves the track to join the shore at Sandhaven House. The Path continues through the Dumbarnie Links Wildlife Reserve, which is managed by The Scottish Wildlife Trust. Here, there is also another high tide/low tide split with a main route once more following the beach until the Cocklemill Burn. Walking round Kincraig Point with the aid of a chain pinned along the cliffs is possibly the most challenging part of this walk, care must be taken in advance to check tide times. You can avoid this if you are a little unsure by going over the hill instead and you should only attempt the Chain walk at low tide. This point offers superb views over the Firth of Forth. Once around the point you will see Earlsferry, where ferries were used before the building of the Bridges at Queensferry. You will see Chapel Ness on the right which takes its name from the 11th century chapel built by MacDuff on the headland above. The golf course is right by the beach behind which was once a quarry. Many of the streets still have the name Wynd and even the newer developments seem to continue this tradition. After passing the town hall which dates from 1872, you have the choice of walking along the street into Elie or taking a right for a leisurely stroll on the golden sands. Taking the first option you will come to the 17th century parish church, which uniquely has a tower commissioned by John Anstruther in 1726, with only 3 clock faces as when it was built there were not houses to the north. Take a right at Toll Green you will pass the Ship Inn and out to the harbour where stands the old granary which has recently been converted in residential flats. The harbour also provides the opportunity to take part in some watersports or to part take of more refreshments.