Home » Bob Law: photographer, walker and writer » Bob Law’s Blog: Walking around Burntisland,The Binn, Kinghorn and Firth of Forth

Bob Law’s Blog: Walking around Burntisland,The Binn, Kinghorn and Firth of Forth

Burntisland in Fife is maybe not a place that most folk think of when planning a scenic day trip but it has much to offer the visitor both for easy spectacular beach walks and an elevated balcony trail. The town itself is semi industrial around the docks but boasts many old interesting buildings, a modest hilltop viewpoint within the town itself, just behind the main shopping street, a nice meadow/park and a fantastic beach.

My friend and I arrived there last Sunday and parked in the pleasant large free car park beside the meadow area and not far from convenient and clean public toilets with a decent chip shop just across the road.

Low tide for that day was around 9:30am and we arrived around 10:30am as it’s roughly an hour from Glasgow where we live. If you get there a few hours either side of full low tide a fantastic beach walk is possible out on the sands all the way to Kinghorn, passing oil rigs, large ships and remote offshore islands, like the far flung and rocky Inchkeith… a perfect pirate island…and one time stronghold of both English and French garrisons as well as a place to strand luckless folk in the past suffering from spreadable disease.

At lowish tide you can walk across the sands out to the Black Rocks, a small tidal island, then continue along the beach to Kinghorn, another interesting smaller town. From there you can simply walk back along the beach by a different route until the incoming tide cuts you off. At a beach front caravan park west of Kinghorn there is a bridge over the railway line and you can also walk back to Burntisland along pavements next to the A921 which is more enjoyable and interesting than it sounds. Do not cross over the railway line unless a bridge is available as fast trains without any warning use this line.

You can also take an elevated right of way track through Kinghorn golf course passing just above the caravan site then follow this gradually rising track up the ridge to The Binn summit itself at 193 metres (632 feet) which seems far higher looking down. Continuing on an obvious path down the far side takes you back into Burntisland.

OS Landranger Map Sheet 66 Edinburgh has all the tracks and the beach marked on it to follow. A highly enjoyable five star walk but best completed when the tide is out on a sunny day. Local dog walkers and joggers go on the beach all the time so it’s safe enough for folk with common sense.

Allow 4 to 6 hours for full Beach-Kinghorn-Binn circuit depending on pace and stops. Around 10 kilometres or 6 miles- flat walking and less distance if missing out the Binn. Met Office Tide Times online along with a weather forecast.  At full high tide this beach disappears completely but enough of it is left to walk outside of this short time period. If it’s fully in when you arrive do the Binn summit first.

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