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View across The Links, Burntisland with The Binn dominating the town. For the first part of the walk we headed towards the church seen on the far right of this photo.
A circular walk leading you around The Binn, a 193m (633ft) hill which dominates the Fife town of Burntisland. Along the way visit the intriguing remains of the village of Binnend, built to serve the shale oil industry in the 1880s and now lying abandoned in the woodland undergrowth. A mix of residential streets, earth paths and farm tracks, with the return section being along the Fife Coastal Path.
Dog-friendly walk
Walk starts from The Links Place car park, Burntisland where there is ample parking (KY3 9DY). Burntisland train station is a short 0.3 miles from the start point and local bus services stop on A921/Kinghorn Rd next to The Links.
Route: From the car park cross The Links (large open grassy area) to emerge onto A921/Kinghorn Road beside the church. Cross the road and turn right onto Kirkbank Road. At the very end of this residential street turn left onto a woodland path passing in front of the last house. This pleasant footpath emerges onto the B923/Kirkcaldy Road. Turn right and shortly after passing the Burntisland Golf Club turn left onto a woodland path. This track leads you uphill to the site of the abandoned Binnend village. Continue straight at the crossroads and the path will eventually come out of the woods into open countryside. The next section is along farm tracks which can be boggy and become flooded after heavy rainfall. You will emerge onto Standing Stanes Road. Turn left and continue on Standing Stanes Road for approx 2 miles until it meets with the A909. Cross carefully and pick up the track at the other side of the road, signposted ‘Aberdour’. At a junction keep right to walk towards Longgates Cottage. The route skirts the front of the property and continues ahead down a narrow footpath known as Kemal’s Cut. Please note that this path can be muddy at times and may become overgrown in summer months. The path will join up with a wider track, turn left here to reach the A921, turning right to head down Main Street into Aberdour. Take the second street on your left – Hawkcraig Road – and immediately after crossing the railway bridge turn left, signposted ‘Path to Silver Sands’. This track leads you along the edge of the railway line and onto the Fife Coastal Path for approx 2 miles. On reaching Kirkton Road turn right. At the junction continue straight onto Lothian Street then left onto High Street. At the end of the street turn right onto Links Place. The car park is visible ahead.
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WALK REPORT: 13TH APRIL 2018
This little woodland footpath came out of nowhere and was a very pleasant surprise. As we approached the end of the residential street Kirkbank Road we knew we had to take a left turn but from a distance it looked like someone’s driveway! Some very nice houses on that street to nosey at, not least the very end one – number 68 Nether Grange – which was nothing short of a mansion!
Another surprise was stumbling unexpectedly across the abandoned village of Binnend, or the “Binn Village” up on the hillside. Built to serve the shale oil industry in the 1880s, this was once a busy settlement with a population of over 500 people crammed into 95 small houses. I was so intrigued by it and spent some time wandering through the overgrown vegetation and taking photos of what’s left of this piece of history. We could clearly make out the rows of ‘streets’ from the building remains. It got me thinking about how many other forgotten villages there are in the country and the lives of the people who once lived here.
It was an exceptionally foggy day when we did this walk and it seemed to get thicker the higher we wandered. This is the farm track between Binnend Village and Standing Stanes Road. As you can see, definitely not one for wearing your Sunday best on. At some points we had to make use of the grass verges to bypass the puddles. A beautiful tranquil place to walk though, and I imagine we would be treated to some fine views were we to return on a clearer day.
Standing Stanes Road – a pleasant, quiet single track road. It is very long and straight though, which did start to feel a little boring on this particular day thanks to zero visibility. It was definitely very eerie – where was everyone? What should we be able to see from up here? I am pretty confident that at an elevation of around 160m above sea level, we should have been able to see back down into Burntisland and the Firth of Forth…. maybe some standing stanes somewhere, owing to the name of the road?? We will absolutely be returning to find out!
The one sign of life which we came across along Standing Stanes Road! I even chatted to them, wondering what view they usually enjoyed from their steep hillside field. Shame about all the splodge they need to stand in to feed :-/ The cow front-centre doesn’t look too pleased to see me.
“Kemal’s Cut” – I have done a little research but cannot find anything which explains why this path is called that. To reach it we had to come off the road and head right past the front door of Longgates Cottage. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I knew it was a Core Path, I would have doubted our permission to walk there. It is the main off-road link between Standing Stanes Road and Aberdour. A scenic woodland path, it did become boggy in places and was fairly narrow with some overgrown vegetation. Nothing a local person with a pair of garden shears couldn’t set right!
Once in Aberdour we headed along the Fife Coastal Path back to Burntisland and were lucky enough to catch this herd of seals basking on the rocks.
Dog-friendly walk
Walk starts from The Links Place car park, Burntisland where there is ample parking (KY3 9DY). Burntisland train station is a short 0.3 miles from the start point and local bus services stop on A921/Kinghorn Rd next to The Links. 
Route: From the car park cross The Links (large open grassy area) to emerge onto A921/Kinghorn Road beside the church. Cross the road and turn right onto Kirkbank Road. At the very end of this residential street turn left onto a woodland path passing in front of the last house. This pleasant footpath emerges onto the B923/Kirkcaldy Road. Turn right and shortly after passing the Burntisland Golf Club turn left onto a woodland path. This track leads you uphill to the site of the abandoned Binnend village. Continue straight at the crossroads and the path will eventually come out of the woods into open countryside. The next section is along farm tracks which can be boggy and become flooded after heavy rainfall. You will emerge onto Standing Stanes Road. Turn left and continue on Standing Stanes Road for approx 2 miles until it meets with the A909. Cross carefully and pick up the track at the other side of the road, signposted ‘Aberdour’. At a junction keep right to walk towards Longgates Cottage. The route skirts the front of the property and continues ahead down a narrow footpath known as Kemal’s Cut. Please note that this path can be muddy at times and may become overgrown in summer months. The path will join up with a wider track, turn left here to reach the A921, turning right to head down Main Street into Aberdour. Take the second street on your left – Hawkcraig Road – and immediately after crossing the railway bridge turn left, signposted ‘Path to Silver Sands’. This track leads you along the edge of the railway line and onto the Fife Coastal Path for approx 2 miles. On reaching Kirkton Road turn right. At the junction continue straight onto Lothian Street then left onto High Street. At the end of the street turn right onto Links Place. The car park is visible ahead. 
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