Largo Law – A Volcano Climb and Lunch by Largo Bay
About 2.6 miles on foot.
Largo Law is the green cone of an old volcano rising out of the farmland above Largo Bay, and at 290 metres it's the hill everyone in this corner of Fife knows.
The climb is short and steep, and the view from the top takes in the whole bay, the Firth of Forth and the Lothian hills beyond. Afterwards, lunch is by the water at the Crusoe in Lower Largo, the village where Alexander Selkirk, the castaway whose story inspired Robinson Crusoe, was born. It's a fine morning for anyone fit who likes a hill with a view.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours, there and back from Upper Largo.
- The path
- A rough, steep hill path and a stile.
- Where to start
- A small parking area by the school and the cemetery on North Feus, Upper Largo, reached by the back road signed for the cemetery off Main Street.
- When to go
- The hill is open ground for daylight, with no dogs from March to November while cattle graze it. The Crusoe serves lunch from noon, every day from March to November; from December to February it is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Dogs
- No dogs from March to November, when cattle graze the hill; in winter, dogs on a lead because sheep may be grazing.
- Children
- Steep and slippery: for older children with boots and a hand on the way down.
- Toilets
- None at the start; at the Temple car park in Lower Largo, 5 minutes' drive away.
- Before you set out
- About 1.5 km and 230 metres of climbing each way, the last part on a steep, eroded path up the south face that is muddy and slippery, worst on the way down. Turn back in low cloud or a strong wind.
The walk
In Upper Largo, turn off Main Street onto the back road signed for the cemetery and park in the small parking area by the school and the cemetery on North Feus. The way up crosses farmland by Chesterstone Farm to the foot of the hill, then climbs the steep, eroded south face to the south top, with a short dip beyond it to the trig point on the 290-metre summit. It's about a mile each way with 230 metres of climbing, so allow an hour and a half to two hours there and back.
The reward is the whole of Largo Bay below you, the Firth of Forth and the Lothian hills beyond. The path is muddy and slippery, worst on the way down, so wear boots, and walking poles help. Go up in a dry, clear spell with daylight to spare, and turn back if the cloud comes down or the wind gets up.
Cattle graze the hill, so dogs are not allowed from March to November, and in winter they go on a lead because sheep may be grazing. There are no toilets at the start.
If it rains
In rain, low cloud or a strong wind the steep, eroded path is slippery and the view is gone: skip the hill, walk the shore of Largo Bay from the Temple car park instead, and go early to the Crusoe.
Afterwards
5 min by car
Lower Largo
Then it's 5 minutes' drive down to Lower Largo, the old fishing village on the bay. Park in the free Temple car park at the east end of the village, which has toilets. Walk 3 minutes west along Main Street to the house where Alexander Selkirk was born in 1676. He spent more than four years as a castaway on an island in the Pacific, and his story inspired Robinson Crusoe. A life-sized statue of him in goatskins stands on the front of the house, scanning the horizon.
8 min on foot
The Crusoe
Lunch
From the statue it's 5 minutes on to the Crusoe, the pub at the harbour. Lunch is from noon until 5pm, every day from March to November, and shut on Mondays and Tuesdays from December to February. There's a children's menu, and dogs are welcome in the downstairs Seaside Bar, which suits anyone who can't manage stairs. Book for about noon. If it's shut, the Railway Inn by the viaduct is the other pub in the village. The car is 8 minutes' walk back.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book lunch at the Crusoe, Lower Largo
Book a table at the Crusoe on its website for about noon, after the climb: lunch is served from 12pm to 5pm, every day from March to November (shut on Mondays and Tuesdays from December to February), and if you have a dog with you say so in the booking's comments, as dogs eat in the downstairs Seaside Bar.
Where to eat
The Crusoe, a restaurant in Lower Largo.
The Railway Inn, a restaurant in Lower Largo.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by gemmalouise_