Scotland4me.net Out and About

	Scotland4me.net	'Out and About'
'Aberdour'
	Aberdour a village of Fife, Scotland. Pleasantly situated on the shore of the Firth of Forth, 17.5 miles North West of Edinburgh. You can get to Aberdour by Scot Rail and if you travel back in time to 1911 it was a mere 7 miles North West of Leith. That assumes you travel by steamer of course. Sadly the steamer is now long gone and although access is still available by train, the Forth Road Bridge has made transport by car much easier and this is now by far the most popular way of travelling to Aberdour. The village is well known for its excellent sea-bathing and in particular the Silver Sands Beach that has been given the prestigious European Beach award. Should your interest be in architecture there are ruins of a castle. These contain some fine interesting Norman work as does St.Fillan’s Church. The church (restored in 1926) is still very much in use by the Church of Scotland today and is well worth a visit. However, doors do close at about 4pm each day. The Island of Inchcolm, or Island of Columba, 0.75 miles. from the shore and is in the parish of Aberdour. As its name implies, the island dates back to the time of Columba.
	Silver Sands Beach - Some say this is the number one attraction in Aberdour. Amazingly it is one of an exclusive set of beaches that has been given the "Blue Flag Award" by the European Union. Silver Sands is a beautiful stretch of almost fine white sand. It curves and is a pleasure to the eye. Car parking is at Hawkcraig point with a short walk (185 metres) to the facility. At the beach there is a smaller car park, reserved for disabled drivers. The beach gently slopes into the sea and as such does not get deep quickly. If you are looking for some rocks you will find these at either end of the beach. Here it turns rocky and has many pools of water within rocks to enjoy. This part of the beach is an ideal place for exploring. You can find hermit crabs and shrimps. And of course there is more wildlife too. For instance you could spot one or more seals that live on Inchcolm island. From there they jump, play and frolic in the river around and about Aberdour. What a lovely place to be, especially when the sun shines.
	Aberdour Castle - At the heart of Aberdour village (near the railway station) stands Aberdour castle. It was built in 13th century by the 'de Mortimer' family. However in 1325 King Robert the Bruce gave the lands to the Earl of Moray. The Earl passed it on to the Douglasses. Would you believe that it was finally abandoned in the 18th century after fire damage? Of particular interest is the cellar under the remains of the main tower, there is also the castle well, and of course the stables. In the grounds there is the walled garden where you can find an unusual 16th century beehive. The castle is a delight for parents and children alike. Picture the scene children exploring the castle while mum and dad enjoy a coffee and cake in the coffee shop
	Blacksands - the beach is smaller than Whitesands. From the name you can guess that some of the sand is partly black. The beach consists of a short stretch of sand with some rocky bits in the middle. It finishes at the harbour wall at one end and a rocky shore near the cliffs at the other. It is from these sands you can see Inchcolm island with its famous ruined abbey.
	Aberdour Church - Before 1123, St. Fillan's Church in Aberdour was built. It is a fine example of early Norman architecture that has a marvellous pre-reformation church bell. It also boasts a bible dated 1628 and stained glass windows that are so beautiful. In 1314 Robert the Bruce gave thanks for his victory at Bannockburn here. The bad news is that the church fell into disuse in 1790 but fortunately it was restored and re-dedicated in 1926. It is still functional and serves as a place of worship today.
	Aberdour Harbour - Not far from Blacksands (as opposed to Whitesands) beach is Aberdours' harbour. Once a natural harbour formed by the Dour burn. The harbour some say is the reason for Aberdours existence. That is the village relied on the industrious harbour to support the community. Locally mined coal and minerals used to be shipped from here to, eventually, destinations world wide. In the 1700’s the natural harbour was added to. That is, a stone pier was built which still stands today. The thinking at the time was to allow larger boats to moor, load and unload. Nowadays it is just the home to leisure boats and the Aberdour Boat Club. From the harbour you can see a view of Edinburgh.
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