Braefoot Bay (2.6 miles)
Halfway between Dalgety Bay and Aberdour on the A921 is a roundabout with one of the exits signed Braefoot Marine Terminal. Take this road and drive 600 yards to the small public car park on the left. Additional parking is available on the roadside. A short distance beyond the car park, the road is crossed by the Fife Coastal Path. Turn right in the direction of Dalgety Bay. After 350 yards, take the path on the left which passes through a field. Follow the sharp bend to the right and then head up the footpath into the trees. Don't go further along the coast unless you want to have a look at the ruined St Bridgets Kirk on the outskirts of Dalgety Bay.
Climb up the mound to find the remains of a wartime military camp. Defences were installed in this area to protect the nearby Forth Bridge from aerial assault. There are some splendid views across the water from a clearing right at the top. You are looking down on a liquid petroleum gas terminal and this is the reason why the coastal path cuts inland here. There is more exploring to be done on the other side of the terminal but for this we must backtrack.
From the car park, head straight down the access road towards the entry gates. Turn left into the staff car park. A pedestrian lane is in place. Take the obvious path towards the trees and soon we cut across the far corner of a golf course. Look left for a panorama of the adjacent Barnhill Bay. Keep going to a rusting padlocked farm gate which has a "keep out" sign. Ignore this nonsense, hop over the decrepit fence and head to the shore. A moss-lined tarmac path takes you to more crumbling concrete buildings and the remains of a gun turret. Steps lead down into the complex.
Look along the coast to your right and you will see an arched entrance just above a ledge. This is the entrance to Monks Cave, believed to have been a shelter for the men of God as they awaited ferry transport to the abbey on the nearby island of Inchcolm. Rather than trying to climb up to the cave, go back along the tarred path and approach from above and behind. A faint path leads there. It's not difficult to access the mouth and inside you will find a stone lined cavern. A sort of medieval bus shelter if you will. Climb back up, taking in the great views of the abbey and return by the same route.
