Dunfermline Figure Eight (8.5 miles)
Start at East Port which connects to the top of the High Street. Walk towards the Carnegie Hall. Hosting events since 1937, the popular venue was named after Dunfermline born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who at one time was the world's richest man and bestowed many gifts upon his home town. Work diagonally across the roundabout and cut through the large car-park in Leys Park Road. A walking and cycling route threads its way between the cemetery and football stadium. This is the former course of the Dunfermline to Stirling railway.
The level route peters out near Queen Margaret Station and we now head uphill past the hospital. After negotiating the mini-roundabout at Robertson Road, branch left on to another cycleway which follows the route of an old mineral railway. This leads to Townhill Loch and glimpses of the water can be seen through the vegetation on the embankment. You can also make your way across to the café on the shore. A couple of paths lead down from the railway to the water's edge.
Stick to the wide tarmac way, ignoring all side paths. The main route curves round to meet a minor road, which must be manually crossed as the rail bridge is long gone. Take the narrow path directly opposite into the woodland. This climbs to meet a gravel surface. Keep going until you meet a wooden sign inscribed "Pug Line" - another old railway, this one a pit branch. Follow the gentle downhill gradient through the trees. If you stay on this path, it merely leads back to the road you just crossed. Instead, take the next opening to the left after you pass a huge mound of rubble. This takes you across the site of Muircockhall Colliery which later became a mining college. The path then mirrors the overhead power lines before merging with a farm road.
Pass through a metal gate then take a right down to the main Kingseat to Dunfermline road. Head straight across and join the tarred walking and cycling route, turning right in the direct of Queen Margaret Hospital. Turn left at the end of the walkway and follow the pavement all the way down to the traffic lights at Halbeath Road. Cross over into Halbeath Drive then bear left on to the signed Lyne Burn Corridor. This quiet path tracks the course of the waterway, passing through residential areas and parkland. Upon reaching the waste ground adjacent to Asda, hike up Millhill Street and keep straight ahead until you arrive at Dunfermline Town Station. Use the underpass to emerge on the other side of the tracks and walk into the Public Park. The ornate bandstand is an impressive feature in this oasis of green space. A subway on your left takes you below the dual carriageway and on to Viewfield Terrace. A steep rise brings you back to the East Port.
