Living in St Andrews, I had always seen signs for the Fife Coastal Path, and after 4 years, I finally decided to walk it. Walking the entire path will take you around 10 days, but you can also pick and choose sections to do as day walks. This is what I did, walking from St Andrews all the way to Anstruther, via Kingsbarns and Crail. You can also do it the other way round, it makes no difference. The total distance came to around 33km, which took me 7 hours, including a stop for my picnic lunch! It was absolutely stunning and I’d highly recommend it as a day activity from St Andrews.
Leaving St Andrews
Equipment
You don’t need much more than good footwear, water, and lots of snacks for this walk. I unfortunately did not have my hiking boots with me at the time of walking the path, so I had to walk it in my regular running trainers. It was fine, but in many areas I would have really appreciated some more ankle support and thicker soles with more grip. The rocky beaches are difficult to walk on, and if the ground is wet and muddy, a lot of sections would be very slippery. Hiking boots would make it a lot easier. Most of the people I passed on the trail were wearing hiking boots; I was definitely the odd one out. Apart from those sections, trainers will get you everywhere.
Part of the path on a beach!
Tides
I was lucky on the day that I chose to walk the path that the tide was low. There are several sections of the path when you are walking along beaches, many of which are extremely rocky. At high tide, these sections would be completely impassable. You might think I’m exaggerating, but you would genuinely be walking (or swimming!) through deep seawater in many of these sections. Not only that, but the rocks were slippery even at low tide, so it would be really challenging at high tide when you can’t even see the rocks. There are several signs before these sections to warn you to wait until low tide - believe them! Make sure you check the tide forecast before you set off.
The Trail
The St Andrews to Crail section of the Fife Coastal Path is said to be the most challenging. That being said, I really don’t think it was anything unexpected. There is a lot of up and down, but none of the inclines were very long or steep. Most of the path is flat, walking along beaches and through forests. Many of the inclines and descents are actually semi-paved with steps, so that also makes it easier. You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness because it is a long walk, but don’t worry too much about the difficulty!
The signs you'll follow
The Fife Coastal Path is one of the most well-marked trails I have ever walked. It is literally impossible to get lost as you see signs for it at every corner and crossroad.
You really get everything on this walk. Starting from St Andrews, you’ll get incredible views of the rocky coast, its beaches, and its cliffs. You’ll pass many golf courses and before long, the path turns inland, going through farms, fields, and a forest with a river.
Kingsbarns Golf Course
Right around Kingsbarns, you’ll walk through a small parking lot and probably will start to encounter more people out walking their dogs. You’ll see a sign by a gate in this area for Cambo Gardens. I took this little detour to have a look, and found such a cute visitors centre, garden, and coffee shop. They also had toilets here! I was so glad I decided to check it out.
Cambo Gardens
Continuing along the coast, you’ll reach Crail, an adorable little fishing town with a harbour, beach, and quaint streets. I originally planned to end my walk here, but it was still early in the day, and so I decided to keep going. I took some time to walk around this town before continuing on to Anstruther. When I saw it was only 3 miles, I thought it would be rude not to! I stumbled across some really cool caves which brought back memories of GCSE Geography (if you know, you know), and loved this section.
A cave, arch, stack, and stump
Crail
Arriving in Anstruther was a great moment. While a little bigger than Crail, Anstruther is also a lovely fishing town. The ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops opposite the harbour are Fife-famous, and I’d recommend treating yourself!
Anstruther
If you are in Anstruther between April and July, I would recommend taking a boat tour out to the Isle of May where you can see puffins (and maybe some seals if you’re lucky)! There are so many of them and it is an incredible experience. David Attenborough himself has been and allegedly said that it is one of the best bird spectacles he’s ever seen in his life. And that’s coming from David Attenborough, who has probably seen every bird spectacle there is to see. So that’s saying something.
Anstruther
I took the bus back to St Andrews from Anstruther. 7 hours of walking was only a 25 minute journey, but there was no way I was walking 33km back!
Crail
This was such a rewarding walk, and I loved every part of it. I highly recommend it for everyone - even if you can't or don't want to do the whole thing, doing little sections starting in each town is a great way to start and see the views.
As always, leave only your footprints behind :) Look after our planet and take all of your litter home with you.
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