“The railway’s return to Levenmouth, home of Robinson Crusoe after half a century, reopens this forgotten corner of Fife,” smiles Andy Duff.
Leven was one of Scotland’s most popular holiday destinations. Now rail is breathing new life into this land of big skies, wide waters and close-knit communities, with direct trains (from 2 June) reaching the Forth from Edinburgh in just an hour.
Duff, of the Largo Communities Together development charity, sits proudly in a microcosm of Levenmouth: Aurrie, a former Baptist church, resisted development into flats or holiday homes. rigidity Further along the beach in the tourist honeypot of the East Neuk.
Instead, he transformed it into a community space serving Lower Largo, Upper Largo and Lundin Connections with events and a cafe.
“The entire coastline here, from easternmost to Wemyss in the west, is getting a boost from new businesses, improved roads and cycleways and eight kilometers of railway. Our community is also behind this. “Our Largo Art Week in July will be bigger than ever, with 60 local artists opening its doors,” he adds.
Levenmouth has remained dormant for decades since the collapse of its traditional industries in the 1980s, and the Levenmouth Rail Link offers hope of redemption for the area and its network of towns and villages.
I’m staying in postcard-perfect Lower Largo at The Crusoe, a castaway-themed boutique hotel that makes the most of the vast, island-dotted Forth estuary that graces Fife’s southern flank. Think Cornwall on the Forth. And Crusoe.
Adorning the walls is the story of Alexander Selkirk, the village-born raffish explorer and real-life inspiration of Daniel Defoe. “The new trains are an opportunity,” says General Manager Ross Myddleton, stepping inside Crusoe Burger just yards from the surf. “We are already seeing bookings increase and a refurbishment is taking place that will double the number of bedrooms we have.”
Turning east, I walk along the Fife Coast Path to Levenmouth, one of Scotland’s most dramatic long-distance walks. This artery is just as impressive in its own ways as its more famous sibling, the West Highland Way.
Imagine a coastline filled with empty beaches, golf courses and waters once trodden by Viking longships and the Cromwellian navy, where you often see more seabirds and marine mammals than people. The new railway line throws you right in the middle of some of the most dramatic parts of the route.
I arrive at the community-run green lung of Silverburn Park on the outskirts of Leven. A mental health charity has transformed a forested coastal park. Cottage Window Café has walking trails, a wildlife pond, a campsite with fantastic pods and Levenmouth’s best scones. It aims to “enhance the minds” of locals and visitors alike, with major plans underway to transform a former B-listed flax mill into an events venue.
Further east, heading back towards Leven, the railway aims to halt post-industrial decline, reviving the seaside resort’s heyday romance immortalized in local artist Jack Vettriano’s ‘The Singing Butler’, a painting steeped in Fife Riviera romance.
Today’s artistic star is ‘Postie’, a brightly colored Scottie dog sculpture. Leven loves this temporary art project so much that a fundraising boom has given it a permanent home that will brighten up Leven’s waterfront. Even an open-air sauna is planned by the beach.
Renewal and romance hang in the salty air. From the railway terminal, the wide beach and retro Beachcomber leisure center and café reflect the glamor of the past, but the changing face of Leven is clearly visible, with dynamic businesses such as a new Italian restaurant and lifestyle boutique Khee on the main square.
The owner of this venue, Rebecca Moncreiff, says that “a new wave of blood will emerge in Leven with the arrival of new delicatessens and wine bars as the town gets another chance”.
There is also the Together Levenmouth Centre, run by local charity Brag Enterprises. The complex features an indoor crazy golf course, escape rooms and a café, and a new gaming center is also being added. The post-industrial décor of nearby Base reflects Leven’s past, while creative bistro fare showcases Leven’s more contemporary side.
In line with this, a community focused project supported by the Levenmouth Rail Link is the Fife Heritage Railway. Old diesel and steam trains running on the old main line rumble right next to Leven’s new station.
“You can step off the new trains and step back in time to the glory days before the line closed in 1969,” says Audrey Unwin of the heritage railway. “Leven has a much brighter future and we are proud to welcome our new visitors along the way.”
Located west of Leven along the Fife Coast Path and accessible by buses plying around the new railway is Macduff Castle. Yes, Macduff, of Shakespeare’s Macbeth fame.
This rugged redoubt hangs over a cliff overlooking the Forth towards Edinburgh.
Levenmouth’s latest development took place in the Wemyss Caves, which contain some of Scotland’s finest Pictish cave art. A guide by the Saves Wemyss Ancient Caves Society illuminates the dazzling symbols and figures, literally and figuratively.
Levenmouth is a lively coast with attractions rarely overrun by visitors – this is a Scotland far removed from the busy tourist excesses of Skye and the North Coast 500.
After hopping on the handy new shuttle bus from Leven’s train station to Crusoe, I greet the statue at Alexander Selkirk’s birthplace.
Looking out over the Forth and the big skies of this often overlooked slice of central Scotland inspired a life of adventure on the high seas.
As Levenmouth awaits the next generation of explorers on Scotland’s newest railway line, I sit with a copy of Robinson Crusoe as I scan the waters for dolphins and seals.
scotland trains Start running from Edinburgh to Leven on 2 June