Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town in Fife, Scotland. Known as "The Lang Toun", Kirkcaldy is the UK's premier centre for linoleum manufacturing and is home to Raith Rovers Football Club. The population is some 50,000.
Popular attractions include the Adam Smith Theatre, named after the economist who was born in the town, the museum and art gallery (featuring an extensive collection of Wemyss Ware and works by the Scottish Colourists, as well as two originals by Jack Vettriano).
Get in
And see Fife for long-distance options.
By train
Kirkcaldy is on the east coast mainline which runs from London Kings Cross via Peterborough, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Inverkeithing to Kirkcaldy, continuing north to Dundee and Aberdeen. Trains from Edinburgh to Inverness pass through but usually don't stop here. From Glasgow, Manchester or Birmingham, change at Haymarket.
The Fife Loop train runs from Edinburgh twice an hour (M-Sat; Sun hourly) via Haymarket and Inverkeithing along the coast to Kirkcaldy (45 mins), continuing to Glenrothes with Thornton then looping anti-clockwise back to Dunfermline, Inverkeithing and Edinburgh. Getting here takes much longer on the clockwise loop, from Inverkeithing via Rosyth, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Glenrothes / Thornton to Kirkcaldy.
- 1 Kirkcaldy railway station. It's about a mile inland.
By bus
Stagecoach Bus X58 / X60 runs from Edinburgh via Inverkeithing inland to Kirkcaldy (70 mins), and continuing via Leven and the East Neuk villages to St Andrews. It runs hourly, daily.
Bus X27 runs from Glasgow via Dunfermline inland to Kirkcaldy (2 hours) and Leven. It runs every 30 mins M-Sat and hourly on Sunday.
Stagecoach Fife Bus 7 runs along the coast from Dunfermline via Inverkeithing, Aberdour and Burntisland to Kirkcaldy and Leven; M-Sat every 30 min and hourly on Sun.
By car
From south or west, exit M90 at Jcn 2A onto A92 eastbound, then take A910 into town. This is much quicker than the coast road.
Get around
The bus station is about half a mile from the railway station.
See
- 1 Ravenscraig Park. affords magnificent sea walks and fine views of the historic Ravenscraig Castle.
- 2 Museum and Art Gallery, War Memorial Gardens, KY1 1YG. contains a display of the town's industrial heritage, including a large collection of Wemyss Ware which was made in one of the town's (now closed) potteries, and has a fine display of Scottish Colourists' work, and is the only municipally owned gallery in the UK to own and display Vettriano originals.
- 3 Kirkcaldy Town House. design by architects David Carr and William Howard
Do
- 1 Adam Smith Theatre, Bennochy Rd, (is close to the railway station), ☏ +44 1592 583302.
- 2 Ice Rink, Rosslyn St, ☏ +44 1592 595100. either to see Fife Flyers (Scotland's premier Ice Hockey team) or to skate.
- 3 Beveridge park. is worth a visit. Relaxing surroundings including a lake with swans where rowing boat facilities are available in the warmer months.
- 4 Dunnikier Park (to the north of the town,). has a fine municipal golf course.
- Watch football at Raith Rovers. They were promoted in 2020 and now play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of soccer in Scotland. Their home ground is Stark's Park, capacity 8800, on Pratt Street half a mile southeast of Kirkcaldy town centre.
- Each spring, a large travelling fair, known as the Links Market, visits the town for a week, occupying a mile of the town's esplanade. It is the longest travelling fair of its kind in Europe.
- Highland Games are held in June at Markinch (John Dixon Park, next is on Sun 6 June 2021) and in July at Thornton (Memorial Park, next is on Sat 3 July 2021).
Buy
The town is a popular day destination for shoppers, and its mile long high street and two indoor shopping centres contain a good mix of local and chain stores. Most major chain stores are represented, but there are fewer independent shops. Car parking is excellent, and inexpensive. The High Street is about 3/4 mile long and is mainly pedestrianised.
- 1 The Mercat Shopping Centre.
- Postings Shopping Centre.
- Rejects, St Clair Street. is a huge department store specialising in seconds and home furnishings etc.
The retail park contains the usual humdrum collection of soul-less units - Homebase, Halfords etc.
Eat
- 1 Valente's Chip Shop, 73 Overton Road, ☏ +44 1592 651991. is a local curiosity. It is highly rated by locals, and a long queue is often to be seen in these premises as people queue up for their 'fish suppers'. Slow, as all orders other than fish and chips have to be ordered when entering the shop to as to provide the freshly cooked meals, but well worth a visit.
- 2 Giovanni's Ristorante, 66a Dunnikier Rd, ☏ +44 1592 200659. Highly rated and reasonably priced family run Italian restaurant. Within walking distance (5 -10 mins) of the High Street area.
Drink
- There are several clubs and 'trendy' bars in the town.
Kirkcaldy boasts 3 nightclubs and a number of bars all situated on or within a few minutes of the High Street.
- 1 The Alpha Bar, Hayfield Road. offer up a traditional working class feel.
- 2 The Fife Arms, St Clair Street. offer up a traditional working class feel.
- 3 The Harbour Bar, High Street. A former CAMRA Scottish pub of the year and U.K. runner-up, it has its own micro brewery and has up to six real ales on tap along with the usual offerings from the multinational giants.
Sleep
- 1 Dunnikier House Hotel, Dunnikier Park, ☏ +44 1592 268393.
- 2 Victoria Hotel, 28 Victoria Rd, ☏ +44 1592 260117.
Go next
- The coast improves east of Leven, with a series of picturesque fishing villages: Pittenweem, Anstruther and Crail.
- Kirkcaldy is close to the attractive medieval town of St Andrews.
- North of nondescript Glenrothes are the Lomond Hills, and Falkland with its palace ruin.