751:
654:
394:
617:
74:
597:, en route to a parking area on Hawkcraig. The car park was the site of a whinstone quarry between 1910 and 1933, exploiting the dolerite sill which forms the bedrock geology. The area was then used as the council refuse tip before becoming a car park in the 1970s, part of the overgrown and rocky bluff separating Aberdour's two bays. From here is it a short walk to the Silver Sands, Aberdour's busiest and most popular beach.
81:
581:
Wester
Aberdour has a narrow through road more closely hemmed in by shops and hotels. A number of vernacular buildings of the 17th-early 19th centuries add to the historic scene. Close to the railway bridge, three lanes continue eastwards, presumably once the route of the original High Street before
589:
A second lane leads alongside the railway line to
Aberdour Castle, while a third leads to the restored Aberdour House. A little further west, a narrow road closely lined with high walls, Shore Road, leads down to the West Sands and the Harbour. For many this area is the highlight of any visit to
768:
The Black Sands (also known as the West Beach), as the contrasting name would suggest, have a rockier and darker sand, and are also popular with visitors exploring the rock caves and unique sea life. During the summer months (April–September), dogs are banned from the Silver Sands but they are
58:
724:. In 2014 Aberdour was voted Best Coastal Village in Fife and Best Small Coastal Village in Scotland. It also received a Gold Award in Beautiful Fife and Beautiful Scotland. In 2018 Aberdour was voted the second-best place to live in Scotland by The Sunday Times list of Best Places to Live
645:
A fire in the late 17th century was followed by some repairs, but in 1725 the family purchased 17th-century
Aberdour House, on the west side of the burn and in Wester Aberdour, and the medieval Castle was allowed to fall into relative decay. Aberdour Castle is now in the care of
546:
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. However, in the 1850s the traffic changed dramatically, and Aberdour Harbour became a popular destination for pleasure steamers from
225:
776:
Silver Sands is becoming more popular with open water swimmers, who swim daily in the sea, both as a leisure pursuit, and as training for open water competition. The bay provides safety from the currents, although only the adventurous swim round to the harbour.
765:" beach award, which denotes an exemplary standard of cleanliness, facilities, safety, environmental education and management. New facilities are currently under construction by Fife Council, which will much improve the beach throughout the year.
680:
on his departure from the village to relocate to a large home in
Edinburgh, it was built so he could see his former hometown from his new house when he looked through binoculars – it stands in a cowfield between the castle and the beach.
471:
The village's winding High Street lies a little inland from the coast. Narrow lanes run off it, providing access to the more hidden parts of the village and the shoreline itself. The village nestles between the bigger coastal towns of
638:. Over the next four hundred years the Castle was successively developed according to contemporary architectural ideas. Notable are the parts, still largely roofed, built by the Earls of Morton, with refined
542:
For much of its history
Aberdour was two villages, Wester Aberdour and Easter Aberdour, on either side of the Dour Burn; however this distinction was blurred by the 19th century arrival of the railway.
1474:
551:. 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.
841:
The island is notable for its wildlife, especially seabirds and seals. These draw many visitors in summer, along with the remains of the historic Abbey, and is a popular setting for weddings.
395:
586:, a beautifully kept and cared for example of a traditional station, in keeping with its role of transporting at least a quarter of the village's working population to their work each day.
928:
578:, leads down the High Street of Wester Aberdour, before kinking sharply left to cross the railway line, then right again to progress through Easter Aberdour's Main Street.
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on a site overlooking the Dour Burn in the 13th century. The oldest part of the present semi-ruin constitutes one of the earliest surviving stone castles in mainland
283:
273:
265:
1482:
120:
689:
Aberdour hosts an annual festival, which runs from late July to early August and features musical events, shows, sporting events and children's events.
1082:
249:
1086:
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650:
and open to the public (entrance charge). After a period of dereliction
Aberdour House was developed for residential use in the early 1990s.
324:
1406:
669:. A south arcade was added to the nave in the early 16th century (open in summer). It was controversially considered for closure by the
593:
Another road leads coastwards from Easter
Aberdour. Hawkcraig Road leads past St Fillan's Church and through Silversand Park, home to
819:, a quarter of a mile from the shore, forms part of the parish of Aberdour. Its name implies associations dating back to the time of
1126:
1388:
600:
On the west side of
Hawkcraig Point there is a short concrete jetty that was used as part of the development of radio controlled
211:
1197:
1109:
1025:
898:
781:
237:
993:
Census of
Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usual Resident Population, published by National Records of Scotland. Website
677:
1140:
1058:
868:
309:
242:
1360:
199:
165:
1333:
823:
and, although undocumented before the 12th century, it may have served the monks of the Columban family as an '
647:
147:
113:
1306:
692:
Aberdour was a 2005 finalist in the prestigious "Beautiful Scotland in Bloom" awards. It was nominated for "
932:
73:
1424:
997:
retrieved Apr 2018. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930, Area: Aberdour
488:
484:
314:
254:
1532:
1527:
1219:
773:
which also takes hikers past the harbour and the Hawkcraig – a popular rock climbing location.
717:
853:
809:
583:
559:
437:
179:
129:
42:
1250:
750:
908:
554:
The railway came to Aberdour in 1890, with the building of the line east from the newly opened
1410:
1220:"The Dolerite of Aberdour, with some Speculations on the Origin of Eruptive Rocks in general"
626:
Virtually between the two former settlements, though actually part of Easter Aberdour, lies
903:
728:
594:
761:
The Silver Sands are located on the East side of the village, and have previously held a "
8:
954:
859:
786:
661:
Neighbouring St Fillan's Church is one of the best-preserved medieval parish churches in
653:
1307:"Villagers fighting to save Fife church thrown lifeline ahead of its 900th anniversary"
1132:
1076:
670:
524:
972:
838:. There are extensive remains of gun emplacements, barracks, etc. from these periods.
1522:
1374:
1136:
1105:
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1054:
1031:
1021:
770:
769:
allowed all year round at the West Beach. The two beaches are linked by part of the
1449:
1262:
1231:
500:
487:
of Aberdour takes its name from this village, and had a population of 1,972 at the
404:
363:
204:
762:
721:
627:
620:
528:
230:
616:
1235:
863:
835:
666:
453:
1516:
1068:
1035:
709:
608:. The foundations of the Radio Hut can still be seen in the lea of the hill.
468:
beyond. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 1,633.
339:
326:
1281:
1266:
881:
735:
713:
555:
17:
1015:
929:"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland"
639:
605:
508:
477:
473:
758:
Aberdour has two beaches – the Silver Sands, and the Black Sands.
701:
631:
534:. Aberdour is recorded in 1179 as Abirdoure and in 1126 as "Abirdaur".
1407:"Rock Climbing Routes: Europe/Scotland/Central Lowlands/The Hawkcraig"
994:
739:
665:, dating largely to the 12th century and originally under control of
601:
590:
Aberdour; parking at the foot of Shore Road is usually at a premium.
571:
465:
189:
1183:
A Nice Little Place by the Sea The Story of Aberdour's Maritime Past
1337:
856:
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1787
831:
805:
799:
731:
field teams in both the men's and women's senior national leagues.
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662:
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457:
449:
171:
24:
1507:
57:
820:
816:
425:
384:
416:
375:
885:
548:
520:
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Aberdour means 'mouth of the Dour'. The first element is the
461:
824:
705:
575:
507:'river mouth'. The name of the Dour Burn, which enters the
445:
410:
155:
137:
94:
1128:
Fife & Perthshire: Including Kinross (Pevensey Guide)
965:
444:) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of
369:
973:"Scotland's Census 2011- Aberdour Locality 2010 Profile"
849:
Notable past and present residents of the town include:
834:
was occupied by the army as part of the defences of the
1389:"Silver Sands Beach (Isle of Wight) - UK Coast Guide"
1361:"Aberdour, Fife — best places to live in the UK 2018"
1195:
673:
in 2022, but a campaign was mounted to keep it open.
407:
366:
1251:"The Lower Carboniferous rocks near Aberdour (Fife)"
727:
Aberdour is home to Fife's only senior shinty club.
428:
422:
413:
381:
372:
419:
378:
1048:
734:Aberdour is one of the few communities outside of
1282:"Anna Fleming on the Experience of Rock Climbing"
1224:Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
1514:
1255:Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
642:detail, in the second half of the 16th century.
519:'water'. A cognate of this word is also seen in
1014:Grant, Alison (2010). Macleod, Iseabail (ed.).
527:. The Pictish word was subsequently changed to
513:
582:the arrival of the railway. One now leads to
1081:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
790:were filmed at the Black Sands in Aberdour.
1331:
1170:. Aberdour: Aberdour Cultural Association.
1085:) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
511:at the village's harbour, is from Pictish
1367:
1217:
1020:. Glasgow: Richard Drew Ltd. p. 23.
574:, the main road along the south coast of
562:has won many "best kept station" awards.
1279:
1017:The Pocket Guide to Scottish Place-Names
987:
830:During the First and Second World Wars,
749:
652:
615:
1099:
955:"Fife Place-name Data :: Aberdour"
1515:
1248:
742:on the second Sunday of every August.
1358:
1180:
1165:
1013:
899:Aber and Inver as place-name elements
745:
1280:Strimpel, Oliver (10 October 2022).
1161:
1159:
1124:
1009:
1007:
1005:
1003:
875:
844:
16:For the place in Aberdeenshire, see
1359:Times, The Sunday (18 March 2018).
1336:. Aberdour festival. Archived from
13:
995:http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/
975:. www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk. 2011
676:The Aberdour obelisk was built by
452:. It is on the north shore of the
14:
1544:
1501:
1156:
1000:
456:, looking south to the island of
630:. This started life as a modest
403:
362:
80:
79:
72:
56:
1467:
1442:
1417:
1399:
1381:
1363:– via www.thetimes.co.uk.
1352:
1325:
1299:
1273:
1242:
1211:
1189:
1174:
1102:The Buildings of Scotland: Fife
827:of the east' from early times.
1118:
1093:
1042:
947:
921:
62:A view across Aberdour Harbour
1:
1429:www.victoriacrossonline.co.uk
959:fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk
914:
648:Historic Environment Scotland
933:National Records of Scotland
754:Silversands Bay from the air
611:
565:
494:
32:Human settlement in Scotland
7:
1196:British Geological Survey.
1049:Ross, David, 1943- (2007).
892:
793:
114:OS grid reference
10:
1549:
1236:10.1144/transglas.11.2.271
797:
684:
537:
22:
15:
1508:Aberdour Festival website
1218:Goodchild, J. G. (1900).
1168:Aberdour Present and Past
300:
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274:Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
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584:Aberdour railway station
284:Scottish Parliament
23:Not to be confused with
1425:"Geoffrey C T Keyes VC"
1267:10.1144/transed.9.5.364
1104:. Penguin. p. 58.
514:
1249:Matley, C. A. (1910).
1166:Lloyd, Arthur (2019).
1100:Gifford, John (1992).
1053:. Birlinn. p. 5.
909:List of places in Fife
755:
658:
623:
460:and its Abbey, and to
441:
340:56.052778°N 3.302105°W
200:Postcode district
46:
1479:www.fifedirect.org.uk
1450:"William Wotherspoon"
753:
656:
619:
148:Lieutenancy area
1413:on 21 December 2004.
1185:. Edinburgh: Syntax.
1051:Scottish place-names
904:Aberdour Shinty Club
888:(since 31 July 2004)
871:, rugby union player
729:Aberdour Shinty Club
595:Aberdour Shinty Club
345:56.052778; -3.302105
180:Sovereign state
1375:"Aberdour Festival"
1334:"Aberdour festival"
1133:David & Charles
1125:Hall, Alan (2002).
869:William Wotherspoon
862:, recipient of the
787:16 Years of Alcohol
694:Best Coastal Resort
336: /
780:Several scenes of
756:
746:Aberdour's beaches
671:Church of Scotland
659:
657:St Fillan's Church
624:
266:UK Parliament
212:Dialling code
1485:on 3 January 2017
1332:Craig Robertson.
1313:. 7 November 2022
1181:Drumm, P (2009).
1111:978-0-300-09673-6
1027:978-1-899471-00-3
876:Twin cities/towns
854:Rev Robert Liston
845:Notable residents
771:Fife Coastal Path
355:
354:
130:Council area
108:1,710 (2022)
1540:
1533:Parishes in Fife
1528:Villages in Fife
1495:
1494:
1492:
1490:
1481:. Archived from
1471:
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1198:"Geology Viewer"
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476:to the east and
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124:
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93:Location within
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76:
60:
35:
34:
1548:
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1541:
1539:
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1499:
1498:
1488:
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1475:"Town Twinning"
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1340:on 2 April 2019
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935:. 31 March 2022
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722:Argyll and Bute
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628:Aberdour Castle
621:Aberdour Castle
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1230:(2): 271–272.
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804:The island of
798:Main article:
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784:'s 2003 movie
782:Richard Jobson
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667:Inchcolm Abbey
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