Walk 
8 to 10 nights
82 mls (km)
Eastern Scotland
Easy to Moderate 
Mar to Oct
£1210
Walking The Fife Coastal Path
- Exploring characterful East Neuk fishing villages
- Kincraig Hill – the place that inspired Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe
- The medieval city of St. Andrews
- A range of incredible castles including Aberdour Castle, St Andrew’s Castle and Wemyss Castle
- Spotting a wealth of wildlife including sea mammals and migratory birds
- Visit offshore islands of Incholm and Isle of May
- Picturesque harbours at St Monans and Pittenweem
Magical Fife - A Stunning Walk Through Coastal Beauty and History
From North Queensferry on the Forth Estuary to Newport-on-Tay on the Tay Estuary, this section of the Fife Coastal Path offers a diverse range of walking experiences. The route takes you through historic towns and traditional fishing villages with their attractive harbours, which contrast with the industrial past of towns like Kirkcaldy and Leven. Along the way, you will also encounter wonderful cliff top vistas, golden beaches, attractive woodlands, and important nature reserves. History really is woven throughout and includes landmarks such as St. Andrews, the home of golf and an ancient university, ruined castles, and the Pictish carvings in the Wemyss caves. It's a fantastic journey for anyone looking to experience the natural beauty and rich history of Fife.
Path Walkthrough
The terrain along the Fife Coastal Path from North Queensferry to Newport-on-Tay is varied, offering a mix of easy, flat sections and more challenging, uneven paths. Much of the route is well-maintained and follows established coastal paths, which are generally accessible for walkers of all levels. The path often runs along beaches, grassy dunes, and woodlands, offering relatively gentle walking through places like Dalgety Bay and Aberdour, where the terrain is flat and well-surfaced. However, some sections, particularly near Burntisland, Kinghorn, and around Kirkcaldy, involve walking on more rugged, sometimes rocky, paths with steeper climbs, especially where the trail hugs the cliffs or navigates through industrial areas.
The coastal path also weaves through small villages and towns, and occasionally, you’ll find yourself walking along roads or more urban settings. While these stretches—such as those passing through Kirkcaldy and Leven—can feel less scenic and more industrial, they do provide a contrast to the wilder, more tranquil parts of the walk. Some stretches near the Wemyss Caves and St. Andrews offer a combination of clifftop paths and coastal routes with occasional muddy or uneven sections. Overall, while the Fife Coastal Path is accessible and well-marked, walkers should expect a few tougher patches with ascents and descents, particularly in the more rugged coastal areas and towns, making it a walk suitable for those who enjoy a mix of easy-going and moderate terrain.
Our Fife Coastal Path Itineraries
North Queensferry to Newport-on-Tay
Distance: 82 miles (131.5km)
- Good standard accommodation at a mixture of guesthouses, farmhouses, local inns and B&Bs with en-suite or private facilities wherever possible
- Breakfast
- Luggage transfers
- Personal transfer between accommodation and path that form a part of our standard package
- Route planning
- Walk pack including Trail Guide and mapping, itinerary, accommodation directions and route notes, lunch and dinner information, restaurant recommendations and holiday planning details
You choose which day you would like your holiday to start on. We will book your holiday in accordance with your requirements.
Our Fife Coastal Path holidays are available to walk March to October.
Statistically, the best months to travel are May and September. Bad weather can occur at any point of the year, so the important thing is to be prepared. Remember to check the weather forecast and tidal data for whenever you plan to walk.
Some walkers may be surprised at how remote the sections of the Fife Coast Path are, particularly between Leven, Elie and Crail. Mobile phone receptions is not always guaranteed along this particular trail.
By Air: Nearest airport is located in Edinburgh (regular bus/tram to Edinburgh City for transport connections)
By Rail: Nearest railway stations are located in North Queensferry (20 minutes train journey from Edinburgh) and Leuchars for St Andrews
By Bus: Bus stations are located in Edinburgh, Leuchars and St. Andrews
Bus journey from St. Andrews to Leuchars is 11 minutes
Frequent bus services along the Fife Coastal Path
If you prefer to arrive by car, we can advise on car parking arrangements.
📷Aberdour Castle
📷View over St Andrews
📷View over to Forth Bridge between Inverkeithing -and Burntisland
📷Tay Estuary
📷Culross
📷Crail Harbour
📷Roome Bay
📷Forth BridgeFife Coastal Path Client Reviews
4.7/5 based on 17 reviews
We have completed about a dozen walks with you, and only the first one with another company. Celtic trails always give an excellent service and are easily contactable when needed en route.
Michael & Rachael Hendry - September 2024
We loved our second walk with Celtic Trails! They made our trip planning and logistics easy and stress free. They gave us everything we needed to make the trip happen - we just had to manage the walking part! The locally-owned guest houses were charming, with great breakfasts and friendly hosts. This personal and local element is one of our favorite parts of Celtic Trails holidays.
K. Rask - July 2024
Excellent! The website was very helpful, the staff promptly responded to our questions and readily modified the suggested route to meet our personal needs.
Ellen & Bill Dorsch - July 2024
Trust Celtic Trails to provide a high quality vacation. Everything from the communication, directions, travel pack, restaurant recommendations, hotels and B&B?s were phenomenal.
Laura DeCarlo - September 2023
Celtic Trails staff are very responsive to your individual requests and needs. They are quick to give you answers to any questions and give advice to tailor your walk to special circumstances or preferences.
Elizabeth, New York - September 2023
Celtic Trails was very easy to work with and made our holiday stress free.
Annie M. - August 2023
This is the walk my late wife had planned as a solo retreat. My children and I took her on the walk as a final tribute to her, and a way to gain closure and peave with her passing. Thank you for your part in making that possible. We had fabulous service. Nathan was very flexible, personalized and accommodation in planning and arranging the holiday. This was a major milestone for me and my family. Very meaningful. Life-changing.
Jack Hoopes, Colorado, USA - September 2022
Celtic Trails are highly recommended - clearly committed to providing a good service. The service and information provided could hardly have been netter and made the walk a stress free and pleasant experience. We are tired but relaxed after a most enjoy
David Butterfield - September 2022
Excellent service - all ran very well. Walking in nature and the wonderful landscapes of your beautiful country makes me happy. My first long distance walking holiday - Cateran Trail, Rob Roy Trail, Great Glen Way next ...
Esther Köhn - March 2022
Celtic Trails were well organised and no confusions with hotel / B&B booking. Very smooth. We like walking and this was a very good challenge. We looked forward to it and it didn't disappoint.
Gary Amer - September 2021
We enjoy walking and wanted a challenging, safe and organised holiday. This walk was a lovely easy starter. We loved it as it was interesting, environmental and healthy. Celtic Trails were accommodating, organised and listened to our needs and requests. This walk was excellent for our well-being and inspired us to do further walking holidays - Speyside Way and Offa's Dyke next.
Richard - East Sussex - August 2021
Nikki was very attentive and efficient. I felt relaxed and refreshed after a week or so walking outdoors.
Anon. - August 2019
Celtic Trails were a positive way of doing a long-distance walk, where accommodation and luggage transfers were all arranged, leaving us to just enjoy the walking.
Anon. - August 2019
We are regular long-distance walkers. Fife was new to us. Length of walk suited the time and dates we had available. Stunning scenery, interesting villages, friendly locals, great time of year for wildlife and wonderful weather. Well maintained and signed path.
Anon. - June 2019
I most enjoyed the scenery, walking on beaches, the seals and the birch.
R.C. - August 2018
We want to thank you and others at Celtic Trails who made our recent holiday so delightful. We enjoyed all the B&B hosts we met, the weather co-operated, and we completed our walk with a sense of the beauty of the coastline and the excellence of the trail itself.
Clagett - September 2017
Spectacular scenery, kind hosts.
R.Hahn - June 2017
