Fife Pilgrim Way

lesliebowie
1 day ago
3 min read

A member of Port of Menteith Church congregation, Iain Breakenridge, has undertaken to become a 'pilgrim' and in selected days during August and September this summer complete the Pilgrim Way in six stages from Culross in the south west of Fife to St Andrews in the north east.

This route, or similar, was well travelled in the medieval ages and, following a dip, has experienced more interest since being revived in July 2019.

Where possible dates and times of 'pilgrim walking days' will be posted on the church website (https://www.portkirk.com/ ) covering six sections ;

Section 1: Culross to Dunfermline - Distance: 13.5 km / 9 miles

Section 2: Dunfermline to Crosshill - Distance: 17 km / 10.5 miles

Section 3: Crosshill to Glenrothes - Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles

Section 4: Riverside Park to Kennoway - Distance: 13 km / 8 miles

Section 5: Kennoway to Ceres - Distance: 13.5 km / 8.5 miles

Section 6: Ceres to St Andrews - Distance: 15. 5 km / 9.5 miles

Tuesday 4 August at 8.30am will be Iain's first day of walking.

While the walk will be purely a personal activity, the members of the congregation have been encouraged to become pilgrims on the last Section of the Pilgrim Way and walking into St Andrews with Iain.

By being a sponsored 'pilgrim', supporters will seek to raise funds for the Port of Menteith Church's fabric and to support the work that the Port of Menteith Church does in the community.

You can become a 'pilgrim' here - https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/peer-to-peer/walking-the-fife-pilgrim-way-for-port-of-menteith-church-funds

In search of saints: The Pilgrim Kingdom

The Fife town of St Andrews was one of the main pilgrimage destinations in Medieval Europe for 400 years. Rich and poor flocked to be near the bones of St Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples. In fact, being in St Andrews was considered to be the next best thing to being in the Holy Land and walking in the footsteps of Jesus himself. For that reason, the town joined ranks – in terms of importance – with the popular disciple destinations of Rome (St Peter) and Santiago de Compostela (St James the Great).

The main attraction for pilgrims to Fife may have been St Andrews. However, they were also drawn to St Margaret’s miraculous shrine within the abbey in Dunfermline. As well as St Margaret, a whole host of other saints were represented by churches, chapels and healing wells along the road to St Andrews. These places provided a perfect spot to pause, but were also important destinations in their own right for local pilgrims.

Permanent mark

Pilgrimage made a permanent mark on the Kingdom of Fife’s landscape. In fact, many of Fife’s roads, bridges and crossing points, including the famous Queen’s Ferry, were created hundreds of years ago to ease the way for the steady stream of pilgrims. Inns, chapels and alms houses were also built to offer the travellers a place to rest, refresh and receive medical help. Providing such facilities was considered an act of piety that would help smooth one’s path to Heaven. So, it’s no wonder that Fife earned the nickname of the ‘Pilgrim Kingdom’ as pilgrimage changed its face forever.

The Fife Pilgrim Way long-distance trail follows one of the routes taken by countless pilgrims to Scotland’s holy hotspot. We’ve divided the trail [of 64 miles in total] into seven sections to help you plan your own journey. Why not read the Story of Fife Pilgrim Kingdom next and delve deeper into Fife’s pilgrim history.

A new Fife Pilgrim Way Passport was created in 2025. This allows walkers to have their passport stamped as they follow the route across Fife. The passport makes a great memento of your journey! Find out where to get your passport stamped [opening times may vary].

Simon Hessett became the Fife Pilgrim Pastor in 2025.

For more information about this event email iain.breakenridge@gmail.com