Kirkcaldy to East Wemyss

I started the next section of the Fife Coastal Path at the Harbourmaster House in Dysart. After a yummy toastie and cup of tea I discovered a whole floor underneath the cafe dedicated to the Coastal Path, this is a must see, with interactive maps, history boards and 3D models, it’s new and is fascinating. I spent a good half an hour strolling around reading all the boards, and could have spent a lot longer, kind of wish I had found this before I started the path but never mind.
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So the walk from here takes you along past the famous white washed houses of Pan Ha. These houses were preserved during the urban clearances of the 50’s and 60’s due to demand from the locals and were then restored in the late 60’s, and opened by the Queen Mother. They are so photogenic!

he houses are beautiful and remind me a bit of the houses in Culross.
Also here on the left hand side is the St Serf tower, dating from the 1500’s, a beautiful example of a battlemented church tower, and all that is left of St Serf church.
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The walk here  sticks to the coastline, and is newly recovered meaning the path along this stretch is wide and smooth, so good for buggies if your looking for a good walk with the kids. The path takes a turn up to the left through the houses of Pan Ha, here you will see the plaque from the Queen mothers visit and also have a look at the dates above the doors of the houses. The path then passes through some not so nice houses built during the 60’s and 70’s for the miners before a scenic walk above the sea with nice views before passing the Frances Colliery. Here there are some stones and boards to read telling the history of the mines before the miners strikes in the 1980’s when they closed.
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Things get more rural now as the path leads along the coast, high above the beach, and is absolutely stunning! It leads on to the harbour in West Wemyss. The Wemyss family has restored this village beautifully and the path again sticks close to the coastline before passing through a gap in the wall and turning inland. Turn right here which will return you to the coastline leading into East Wemyss. Here there is a memorial to commemorate the towns most famous son, the famous accordionist Jimmy Shand.

This is a good easy path to walk and the whole section, from Burntisland to East Wemyss, should take about 5 hours. It stretches 11.5 miles but doesn’t stay rural for long stretches meaning there are plenty nice places to stop off, to have tea or some lunch or just to have a look around.