4 Hills of Fife

The 5:30am alarm sounded. This marked the start of our full day visiting and hiking the 4 Hills of Fife.

The days forecast was for clear skies and sunshine with a sunrise scheduled for 6:50am. Although it meant an early start to our first hill, It was worth every moment watching the east coast of Fife light up.

Kelle Law Was The first of four. In the early hours in the countryside, everything was calm. The chill in the air helped wake and shake off any tiredness from the early rise. There isn’t a huge physical demand for this hill, which is perfect for an early hike and to warm your body up for the rest of the day.

The track is simple to follow. As you head on down the farm track into Balcaski farm, you will be walking towards Kellie Law. The track is obstructed by some field gates, if they aren’t chained then do be sure to close the gate behind you however if the gate is chained closed then do climb over with caution. The reasons for the gates become apparent as you follow the track further on, there are sometimes horses or sheep in fields next to the path. This is there home, so do pass respectfully.

The path winds up to the left and accents up the rear of the hill. As we neared the top, the immaculate views of the coastline opened up which without the colours of the sunrise was still a beautiful view. With time to spare as the sun came up, we caught our breath and took a minute to enjoy the last moments of darkness before the sun slowly made its appearance.

Each coastal village became more apparent as each of their shapes took place. We admired each of them. Starting from Crail At the far north of the coastal line, Anstruther follows and is distinguished as the village that lies under the isle of may that sits out on the Forth. Moving along we could see Pittenweem, then St monans and the final village in sight, Elie.

This is an experience worth getting out of bed for!

We hit the road again and drove 15 minutes along the coast to Upper Largo. A quaint village with a beautiful seafront which links the “East Neuk” villages with the larger towns of Leven and Kirkcaldy. Upper largo is easily distinguished by the unmissable Law that sits behind the village, Largo Law. Parking in town, we headed up towards hill no. 2 which is a more challenging hike and is sure to get the blood pumping!

We started off on the path which leads through fields and plenty mud (Leave the new trainers at home. The path is simple to follow and leads straight to the foot of the hill. The final path heading towards the Law begins to steepen and you will feel this as you approach the walkers fence to climb over.

Both hills so far greeted us with some of its inhabitants, more sheep! They are harmless and at peace so just a small reminder to pass with respect. The hill is steep from the beginning, the path is recognisable the whole way up. Having climbed this hill a few times before, i stick to the rule that slow and steady wins the race, We wouldn’t recommend running or trying to race up. At times our feet slipped and came close to several other falls, just make sure your ready to catch yourself just incase.

At around the half way point, we stopped to take a look back at the views looking back on the coast. The sun was still rising at this point however the land was completely lit, exposing the beautiful colours of autumn leaves and farmland. Moving slowly up the steep hill, our legs were working hard and minds working harder placing the next strategical step. If the ground is wet then this is made a lot harder, so do take care in whatever conditions you have to do this climb.

We made it to the top, the sky was clear, the ground a little hazy, this however made for beautiful scenes once again. This time, we could see from Elie/Earlsferry all the way down the coast now to the larger towns of Leven and Kirkcaldy. Each of them distinguishable in their own local ways. Rotating round, in sight were our final 2 hills. Many fields of different colours lead the way! Too far to walk however seeing the next objective was very inspiring.

(Lomond hills bellow)

Falkland is the final destination for 4 hills of fife day. Another short drive from largo took us to the East Falkland hill car par. This itself hosts beautiful views of the coast from a more inland perspective. A path carves its way form the car park and links onto the trail for the East lomond hill itself. Unlike Largo Law, this hill isn’t as steep or particularly long. A gentle stroll will have you up the hill in no time. As mentioned before, the views are from more of an inland perspective and opens up views from the Forth all the way to the river Tay! The East Lomond hill will give you an idea of the wind force that you will most likely feel on the west hill. These two are the highest of the 4 and so exposure levels are completely different.

The final hill, West Lomond. Possible the most difficult as the feeling of endurance started to kick in. Bearing in mind the last 3 hills still involve a lot of walking even if the hills themselves aren’t the largest. The long path leading upto the West hill has a few ascending moments and can at stages seem quite challenging. This path is a little more populated by keen fitness fanatics and hiking enthusiasts.

Eventually as you near the foot of the hill, the path will break to either turn left and straight up the front face of the hill (The much more difficult option) Or follow the path right where it takes you up a more gradual ascend from the rear. We chose the latter, and once again followed the walking pattern of Slow and steady. There were no wildlife on the final two hills apart from birds and bunnies, however what did wait for us at the top was the final view of the day. When we peaked, The central panoramic view of fife waited on us. Again, we left the cameras down for just a moment to take in the surrounding scenes (Also catching our breath). You cant help but stare into the distance at the lochs, mountains, towns, farmland, sea and oddly shaped clouds that surround you.

The 4 hills of Fife is superb day to explore the beautiful sites of fifes coastline. Email us for a copy of our 4 Hills Guide.

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