Aberdour - village in Fife, Scotland, UK

Aberdour is a small town on the coast of Fife in central Scotland, and nowadays a commuter town for Edinburgh, with a population in 2011 of 1633.

Get in

See Fife for inter-city transport.

Trains from Edinburgh towards Dundee don't stop in Aberdour so you need to change for the Fife loop train. These run from Edinburgh (M-Sa twice an hour, Su hourly) via Haymarket, Dalmeny (for South Queensferry), over the Forth Bridge to North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Aberdour (30 min). They continue along the coast to Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes / Thornton, then loop back anti-clockwise via Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline to Inverkeithing and Edinburgh. You don't want to be on the clockwise loop going the long way round inland via Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes / Thornton then along the coast west via Kirkcaldy to Aberdour. Trains in Edinburgh badged "Glenrothes and Thornton" could be going either way, so if in doubt hop on, then you've got 10 min to Inverkeithing to check whether to stay aboard, or to step off and await the next train.

Aberdour Railway Station (AUR), 56.0549°, -3.3005°. This has a staffed ticket office and machines plus toilets and a waiting room. 2021-09-19

Inter-city buses bypass Aberdour, look for connections at Halbeath or Edinburgh. Stagecoach Fife Bus 7 runs along the coast from Dunfermline to Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Aberdour, continuing east to Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy and Leven. It's M-Sa every 30 min and hourly on Sunday.

By car follow M90 over Queensferry Crossing (no toll) then take exit 1C onto A921 east towards Aberdour.

Get around

Aberdour is small and walkable. You can walk the Fife Coastal Path then ride back on the train or bus.

See

• Aberdour Castle, 56.0552°, -3.2985°. Sa-W 10:00-16:00. Castle built from 1200 and extended over the following centuries, then falling derelict from 1725; only the 17th century wing is still roofed. It has attractive gardens and a beehive-shaped dovecot. Adult £6, conc £4.80, child £3.60 2021-09-19
• Aberdour House on the lane towards the castle is where the castle owners moved to. It's in good condition but privately owned, just admire it from the lane.
• The Sensory Garden is next to the railway station on A921. It was created in 2010 on the site of a former primary school. Open 24 hours, free.
• Silversands 📍 is the main beach, half a mile east of town.
• Hawkcraig Point 📍 is the headland south of Silversands; Room with a View restaurant is here. The derelict jetty was built to test radio-controlled torpedoes in World War One.
• Black Sands 📍 is closer to town but is a quieter beach. The black is from coal outcrops on the sea bed, so coal grains continually wash ashore.
• St Bridget's Kirk 📍 is the ruin of a church dating to 12th century or earlier, all that survives of the old village of Dalgetty. It was abandoned in the 19th century and is now set in woodland along the Fife Coastal Path.
• Inchcolm 📍 is the island seen to the south. It's historically part of Aberdour, and its abbey once governed St Bridget's Kirk, but to visit you need to take a boat trip from South Queensferry.

Do

• Fife Coastal Path: going east, keep just shore-side of the railway track. The path passes the castle then comes onto Silversands Bay, with a broad firm track (offroad bikes okay, street bikes at a pinch). Eventually it ducks under the railway and comes into Burntisland. Going west from Aberdour, leave A921 at Dovecot Park to come onto the trail to St Briget's Kirk then along the coast to Dalgety Bay and Inverkeithing.
• Golf: Aberdour GC is south edge of the village, white tees 5447 yards, par 67. A visitor round is £35 midweek, £50 weekend.
• Highland games are held in Inverkeithing in early August.

Buy

• Dalgety Bay two miles west has the shops, with Tesco, Aldi and Asda.

Eat

• McTaggart's Cafe is at 21 High St, open M-Sa 09:30-16:00, Su 10:30-16:00.
• Room With A View (Forth View Hotel), Hawkcraig Point KY3 0TZ, +44 1383 860402. W-Sa 12:00-14:00, 18:00-21:00, Su 12:00-14:00. Popular seafood restaurant out on the Point, with a couple of rooms. They'll pick-up / drop off in Aberdour. 2021-09-19

Drink

• Foresters Arms at 35 High St is open Su-Th 11:00-00:00, F Sa 11:00-01:00.

Sleep

• B&Bs in Aberdour didn't open in 2021. Forth View Hotel is only available to book along with dinner at Room with a View.
• Aberdour Hotel, 38 High St KY3 0SW, 56.053591°, -3.302631°, +44 1383 860325. 16-room hotel in a 17th century coaching inn. Good service and dining, rooms are small, but there are larger rooms in the converted stable block. B&B double £90 2021-09-19
• Woodside Hotel, 78-82 High St KY3 0SW, +44 7590 227925. In 2021 this is only available for exclusive self-catering lets. 2021-09-19
• Bay & Bridge, 9 Farmstead Rd, Dalgety Bay KY11 9HW, 56.038°, -3.369°, +44 7971 663440. Smart little hotel, great views and welcome. B&B double £130 2021-09-19

Connect

Aberdour has 4G from all UK carriers. As of Sept 2021, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Burntisland is the next town west. The port is grubby but then comes a long beach.
• North Queensferry lies east under the iconic Forth Bridge. The coast further upstream is industrial.
• Dunfermline is Scotland's medieval capital, with an abbey, and the birthplace of tycoon philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.