Aberdour

Aberdour (/ˌæbərˈdaʊər/ ⓘ; Scots: /ˌeɪbərˈdur/,[2] Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dobhair) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland.

The village nestles between the bigger coastal towns of Burntisland to the east and Dalgety Bay to the west.

[7] In the 18th century Aberdour's harbour was improved by the addition of a stone pier to help handle the coal traffic from nearby collieries.

This in turn led to the building of a deeper water pier a little around the bay at Hawkcraig, and to the development of hotels and many of the other services still on view today in the village.

The car park was the site of a whinstone quarry between 1910 and 1933,[9][10] exploiting the dolerite sill which forms the bedrock geology.

[11][12][13][14] The area was then used as the council refuse tip before becoming a car park in the 1970s,[9] part of the overgrown and rocky bluff separating Aberdour's two bays.

On the west side of Hawkcraig Point there is a short concrete jetty that was used as part of the development of radio controlled torpedoes during World War I.

The oldest part of the present semi-ruin constitutes one of the earliest surviving stone castles in mainland Scotland.

Notable are the parts, still largely roofed, built by the Earls of Morton, with refined Renaissance detail, in the second half of the 16th century.

Aberdour Castle is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and open to the public (entrance charge).

It was nominated for "Best Coastal Resort" in Scotland along with St Andrews in Fife, North Berwick in East Lothian, and Rothesay in Argyll and Bute.

The Silver Sands[19] are located on the East side of the village, and have previously held a "Blue flag" beach award, which denotes an exemplary standard of cleanliness, facilities, safety, environmental education and management.

During the summer months (April–September), dogs are banned from the Silver Sands but they are allowed all year round at the West Beach.

The two beaches are linked by part of the Fife Coastal Path which also takes hikers past the harbour and the Hawkcraig – a popular rock climbing location.

St Fillan's Church
Silversands Bay from the air