In the 1970s I was spoiled for choice in the buses I could use to get home to Kirkintilloch from Glasgow. Their ultimate destinations included Kilsyth, Falkirk, Dunfermline and, mysteriously, Leven in Fife. I can’t imagine how long the full journey to Leven must have taken. I wish I’d tried it before it was axed. Many years on, Leven has become a little more accessible again. The town’s railway line re-opened in June 2024. It is hoped that it will help regenerate the area by giving local people more travel opportunities while also bringing in visitors. Leven was once a popular seaside resort, while its neighbours Buckhaven and Methil were industrial towns; since the 1980s, all three have fallen on hard times.
Leven Station
Leven-Methil-Buckhaven (often, thankfully, shortened to ‘Levenmouth’) was Scotland’s most populous urban area without a passenger railway. Not anymore. Soon after the re-opening I made the trip to Leven to see what doors the new railway opens up. The new station has the River Leven on one side and Leven’s town centre on the other. First, however, I took a diversion to Methil. East Fife FC’s New Bayview Stadium used to be one of Scotland’s furthest football venues from the rail network but is now one of the closest, only a few minutes’ walk from Leven Station.
The Station neighbours the town’s swimming pool and leisure centre and is also just two minutes’ walk from Leven Bus Station. From there you can continue by bus to the fabled seaside towns of the East Neuk of Fife; Largo, Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Crail. Until 1960s trains continued from Leven through these towns and villages, and on to St Andrews.
The thing you really notice about Leven is its beach. Long and straight and stretching way beyond the town itself. It had only a few dog-walkers on my visit, but it was a chilly June day (yes, June is the height of summer, but this is Scotland) with a nasty breeze and a hint of rain. It’s still impressive though and there are views south across the Firth of Forth towards Edinburgh and Arthur’s Seat, and to North Berwick Law and the Bass Rock. Largo Law, on the same northern shore as Leven, draws the eye, an impressive low hill that towers over the twin villages of Upper and Lower Largo. Largo is famed as the home town of Alexander Selkirk, the model for Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
Gardens
The beach area has all the usual attractions in terms of cafes and playparks. Right next to the Beachcomber Amusements arcade is Leven Festival Gardens, a small and attractive public park. The gardens themselves are fine, though the more exotic plants seemed to be shivering a bit during my visit. However, the park also features two memorials to the Polish troops that were stationed nearby during the Second World War. In this area they prepared for the unsuccessful assault on Arnhem in 1944. The tall, narrow stone near the entrance has an inscription that reads: To commemorate the Scottish-Polish friendship begun in 1940-1944 when the First Polish Independent Parachute Brigade was formed and trained in Leven and District. This monument was unveiled on the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem September 1964.
No doubt many who attended the unveiling ceremony arrived in Leven by train. On the 60th anniversary of that unveiling, they’ll be able to do so again. The chunkier monument at the far end of the park names General Stanislaw Sosabowski, who commanded the Polish unit. He was a veteran of the First World War and actually carried out his first parachute jumps while commanding the unit – at the age of 49! There’s another curiosity in the gardens; a largely circular design of inscribed stones flush with the lawn in which they’re set. A display board explains that this is an ‘analemmatic sundial’ and gives instructions on how to position yourself so that you take the place of the usual pointer. On a gloomy day like the one on which I visited it was impossible to use it and, anyway, it’s quicker just to glance at your phone or watch.
The Fife Coastal Path
Further outside the town is Silverburn Park, a former estate that came into council ownership in the 1970s and is now being restored for the local community and as a visitor attraction. It’s already a welcoming green space with a café, campsite and woodland walks and it will be worthwhile to keep an eye on developments as the former flax mill on-site is restored and transformed into a community resource.
The Fife Coastal Path runs through Buckhaven, Methil and Leven, and no doubt the stretch eastwards from here will become more popular with the ease of access the railway brings. However, it isn’t walking that Fife brings to mind for many people. Leven is within reach of several golf courses and the worldwide home of golf is just a short drive or bus ride away. If you travel on the new railway in the months to come, you are likely to see several of your fellow-passengers lugging their clubs off on arrival at Leven. It’s not a passion I share or understand but it’s one that will play a big part in regenerating Levenmouth and its surrounding area. The new railway will also have a significant role. Currently, trains run hourly to Leven from Edinburgh Waverley but the frequency is scheduled to double from December. I had quite a while to wait for my return train but there’s a small coffee shop, Colliers Coffee Roasters, not far away, so I had a takeaway flat white to keep me warm (in June, remember!) while I waited. Give Leven’s new railway a try yourself – but choose a warmer day, if you can…
By: David McVey.
Main photo: ScotRail.