Limekilns Loop (4 miles)
The charming villages of Charlestown and Limekilns sit next to each other on the West Fife coast. Start in the former where the local shop (The Sutlery) serves snacks and stocks the excellent ales from the Limekilns Brewshed. Proceed downhill on a section of cobbled road to the promenade at Limekilns. You will pass the Ship Inn and the Bruce Arms, both of which serve food and cask beer.
Follow the shoreline which is part of the waymarked Fife Coastal Path. The road gives way to a footpath at a scout hall on the edge of the village. After 350 yards, we meet a path heading up to the left signed as Windylaw. An information board explains how this route was once used as a "coffin road". The dead were brought to the graveyard at Old Rosyth Church, just around the bend on the main coastal path. If you desire, check out the remains of the church before heading up the Windylaw route.
The coffin road climbs up the edge of a housing estate then veers right towards woodland. Bear left at a path junction and descend to the A985. The elevation gives views across Dunfermline in the distance. Turn left at the busy main road (there is a pavement on the other side) and walk half a mile to the entrance for Broomhall House. Cross with great care and head into the estate. The road through the estate is an official Fife Core Path so you're on safe ground here. Please respect the privacy zone around the house itself.
After passing the mansion, head into the woods and follow the path back towards Charleston. You are walking high above Limekilns and nice views of the Forth can be had from the tree-lined road. Exit the estate through the iron gates and walk back to the centre of the village. There is an interesting detour at the gatehouse. Scramble up the steep banking on the narrow path. Hop over a low chickenwire fence and look for the Gellet Rock, a huge block of limestone which was left as a monument to the quarrying industry that took place here in years gone by. It is occasionally sought out by climbers for training purposes. There is also a Victorian stone bridge across a deep railway cutting which is hidden away in the trees. That's getting into industrial exploration territory but it's there should you wish to seek it out.
