This multi-day route was inspired by George Berwick. A longstanding member of the Rough Stuff Fellowship, the UK’s oldest off-road cycling club, he calls Northern Fife home. It is also a continuation of the Explore Your Boundaries idea we developed with Mark Beaumont in 2020. When we mapped those routes based on the boundaries of Scottish Councils we were surprised how adventurous those rides were.
The first part of the route is dominated by coastline. The second half of the journey takes you into remote landscapes on the outcrops of the Ochil and Lomond Hills.
This route is an all year-round bikepacking itinerary. It takes you through parts of Scotland that are not seasonal, part of the attraction of this ride.
Highlights along the way include the beautiful East Neuk villages. They are rich in vernacular fisher and merchant houses with characteristic features such as forestairs, datestones and pantiled roofs. If you have time, take a trip from Anstruther to Isle of May, only a boat ride away. This is a nature reserve in the Outer Firth of Forth renowned for its puffins and grey seals.
Bikepacking is very similar to pilgrimages. A visit to St Andrews will show you a town hugely important in mediaeval times. It is joining ranks with destinations like Rome and Santiago de Compostela. The Fife Pilgrim Way has reestablished this pilgrimage tradition. The route features my favourite sections of this route alongside stretches of the equally popular Fife Coastal Path.
Roughstuffing in Fife: From Dunfermline to Silverburn Park (Leven)
The route starts at Dunfermline City station. Follow a cyclepath to cross the St Margarets Drive first and then roads into the town centre, passing the Dunfermline Abbey and crossing Pittencrieff Park. From the park the route mainly follows the Fife Pilgrims Way and the NCN 76 into Rosyth, taking a small detour past the Doocot and the ruins of Rosyth Castle. Follow the Fife Coast Path into Inverkeithing, and cross Letham Hill Wood and rejoin the FCP at Dalgety Bay and follow the route towards Aberdour.
The route leaves the FCP at Cauldback Hill and follows tracks into the Cullaloe Hills past rolling farmland and quarries, before joining the B925 to just outside Auchtertool. This part of the route gives you an elevated view of the landscape around the Outer Firth of Forth and back to the city of Edinburgh. The route continues on the Old North and Standing Stanes Roads and across The Binn, a prominent volcanic hill located directly behind the town of Burntisland. Continuing through more farmland you meet the Fife Coastal Path again at Kirkcaldy, Fife’s second largest town. Pass the ‘Lang Toun’, which got its name from an almost 6km long main street, and follow mainly the FCP to Dysart. From here the route continues on the A955 to West Wemyss and mostly on the FCP to Silverburn Park, which is an excellent overnight point with pods and campsite.
Roughstuffing in Fife: From Silverburn Park (Leven) to Newport-on-Tay
The next section of the route is all about the glorious beaches and picturesque fisherman and merchant houses found on the East Neuk of Fife. Continue on the FCP to Dunbarnie Links and rejoin the FCP from Elie, with its famous Elie Chainwalk, to St Monans. Continue on paths through farmland from here to Anstruther, world-famous for its fish and chips, and a great stop to visit the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth.
From here the route takes you into the lesser-known hinterland of the East Neuk, continuing north on a mixture of gravel paths, singletrails and quiet roads to meet the Fife Pilgrims Way at Lumbo. Follow the tracks of pilgrims into St Andrews, which was one of the main pilgrimage destinations in Medieval Europe, now world-famous for its university and as the home of golf. Join NCN7 to Leuchars and continue on the beautiful trails through the extensive Tentsmuir Forest. Rejoin NCN7 into Tayport and continue on NCN77 into Newport-on-Tay, the second recommended overnight stop on the trip.
Roughstuffing in Fife: From Newport-on-Tay to Falkland
The coast of Northern Fife and the banks of Scotland’s biggest river, the Tay, dominate the riding on the next part of this route, while you follow a mixture of trails and the NCN route through Newport and Wormit. This is the countryside that inspired one of the most active members of the Rough Stuff Fellowship over decades. Continue on rolling farm tracks to Balmerino and rejoin the FCP at Green Hill to continue into the northeastern outcrops of the Ochil Hills. Continue to Luthrie and deeper into the hills when the route passes Norman’s Law. Stiff climbs are rewarded with majestic views over the Firth of Tay while you continue on the FCP into Newburgh. Follow NCN776 into Pitmedden Forest, a haven for gravel and mountain bikers alike, and continue to Strathmiglo and NCN7 into Falkland, Scotland’s first conservation village.
Roughstuffing in Fife: From Falkland to Dunfermline
From Falkland climb along the Maspie Burn to the Lomond Hills, crossing between East and West Lomond, the two highest hills in Fife. Continue on roads to Leslie, where the route joins the Fife Pilgrims Way to Kinglassie. Progress on the FPW to Lochore, and on the southern side of Loch Ore to rejoin the Fife Pilgrims Way in Kelty. Continue through the beautiful Keltyhill Wood and past the St Ninians Fife Earth Project installations to Loch Fitty, and on the FPW back into Fife’s largest city, Dunfermline. You can either finish the route at Queen Margaret railway station or continue on NCN7 for a short bit, and then on cycle paths along the Lyme Burn back to the start.
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Getting there
The start is at Dunfermline City. There are further entry points along the way, like Rosyth and Dundee, connected by Ember’s intercity electric bus services. As well as North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Leven, Leuchars, and Cardenden – all connected by regular rail services.
The route is featured as bonus route in Gravel Rides Edinburgh, Lothians & Fife. Check out our books section for more infos.
In a nutshell
Cycling distance: 243km (151 miles)
Ascent: 2,370m (7,776ft) 2,800m (9,186ft)
% of route off-road: 53
Difficulty: Challenging
Terrain: Gravel paths, roads, cycle paths and singletrack
Where to eat
- Prost Coffee, Dunfermline
- Rankin’s Cafe, North Queensferry
- The Cottage Window Cafe, Leven
- Giddy Gannet, St Monans
- Harbour Café, Tayport
- Kitschnbake, Newport-on-Tay
- East Port Garage and Coffee Shop (Buttercup Cafe), Newburgh
- The Hayloft, Falkland
Selected Places to Stay
- Garvock House Hotel, Dunfermline
- DoubleTree by Hilton, Queensferry Crossing
- Silverburn Park, Leven
- The Garden Rooms, Newport-on-Tay
- The Hayloft, Falkland
For anything bike related
- Pedals Bike Care, Dunfermline (shop)
- The Bike Shop Scotland, Dunfermline (shop, detour)
- Ryan’s Bike Surgery, Inverkeithing (shop)
- Lang Toun Cycles, Kirkcaldy (shop, hire)
- Levenmouth Cycle Repairs, Methill (shop, detour)
- Fife Cycle Centre, Leuchars (shop, hire)
- Leslie Bike Shop, Glenrothes (shop, detour)
- Mighty Cycles, Leslie (shop)
Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Scotland’s outdoors provides great opportunities for open-air recreation and education. This comes with great benefits for people’s enjoyment, and their health and well-being. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 ensures everyone has statutory access rights to most of Scotland’s outdoors. But only if these rights are exercised responsibly, with respect for people’s privacy, safety and livelihoods, and for Scotland’s environment. Equally, land managers have to manage their land and water responsibly in relation to access rights.
The Code is based on three key principles:
- Respect the interests of other people
- Care for the environment
- Take responsibility for your own actions
For more information visit www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot
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