Kingsbarns – Along the Dunes and Back Through Cambo Woods
Kingsbarns beach is a long sweep of sand on the east coast of Fife, backed by dunes and a golf links.
A 5.4 km loop from the beach car park goes south along the dunes and comes back through the woods of the Cambo estate. For a longer day, the coast path carries on to Fife Ness, the most easterly point in Fife.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours for the 5.4 km loop, with 42 metres of climbing; Fife Ness is 5.8 km further along the coast each way.
- The path
- Sandy dune paths, a surfaced golf course road and woodland paths that can be muddy. The path on to Fife Ness is narrow and rough.
- Where to start
- Kingsbarns beach car park. Free for under two hours, £2 for the day, by cash or card. Open 7am to 8pm from October to March.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. Cambo's woods are at their best for snowdrops in late winter. For Fife Ness, go at low tide. The car park shuts at 8pm from October to March.
- Dogs
- On a lead near the sheep and cattle on the way to Fife Ness, and close by on the golf links.
- Children
- The loop is easy and the beach is sandy; Fife Ness is a long way for small legs.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the beach car park.
- Before you set out
- The shore under the Randerston cliffs, on the way to Fife Ness, can only be passed at low tide: look up the tide for Anstruther. The coast path north of the car park, towards Boarhills, is badly eroded and is not part of this walk. Cambo's walled garden has its own ticket and hours.
The walk
Park at the Kingsbarns beach car park, behind the dunes at the end of the road down from the village. It's free for under two hours and £2 for the day, by cash or card, and from October it's open from 7am to 8pm. There are public toilets here and a food outlet. If the car park is full, don't leave the car in the passing places or in the village. The walk to choose first is the Cambo and coast loop. It's 5.4 km with only 42 metres of climbing, and it takes an hour and a half to two hours.
It keeps to sandy paths along the dunes, with the beach on one side and Kingsbarns golf links on the other, then comes back by a surfaced golf course road and woodland paths through the Cambo estate. Watch for golfers on the tees. The woodland stretches can be muddy and deep in leaves in autumn. Cambo has been in the Erskine family for over 300 years and is known for its snowdrops in late winter. The house and its own grounds are private, and the walled garden has its own ticket, so check Cambo's website for its winter hours. For a longer walk, the coast path runs on south from the loop to Fife Ness, 5.8 km from the car park each way.
It's narrower and rougher, and sheep and cattle graze part of it, so keep dogs on a lead. The path goes along the shore under the Randerston cliffs, which can only be passed at low tide. Look up the tide for Anstruther first. Near the point is Constantine's Cave, where King Constantine is said to have been killed in about 874. Both of these walks go south. The coast path north of the car park, towards Boarhills, is badly eroded.
If it rains
The dunes are open to an east wind off the North Sea, but the woods at Cambo give shelter. In rain, the loop is still a fair walk; leave Fife Ness for a dry day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by John Jeffrey via Google