Dunfermline’s biggest
Townhill Country Park
Park or garden
94 ha (233 acres)11.6 km of path
2 h 35 minto walk all 11.6 km of path
132 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.2 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Dunfermline · parks, paths & countryside
94% of Dunfermline’s residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
201 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.2 for every square kilometre. The sea makes up 14% of the area within 5 km. Parks and playing fields in Dunfermline add up to 2.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical town in England and Wales has 2.1. Dunfermline has no Outdoors Grade: Scottish towns aren’t graded on the outdoors yet.
Green space
2.8 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical town in England and Wales 2.1
Near a park
94%
of residents within 400 m
Typical town in England and Wales 83%
Footpaths
201 km
4.2 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical town in England and Wales 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
The sea
14%
of the area within 5 km
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Dunfermline?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On a long-distance trailThe Fife Coastal Path passes through.Historic parksPittencrieff Park is a historic garden or designed landscape.
Dunfermline’s strongest suit is the Fife Coastal Path, followed by its historic parks.
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Dunfermline’s locality.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Scottish Government, NatureScot
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Dunfermline
The biggest is Townhill Country Park, 94 ha (233 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
All 7 named parks by size: 152 ha (376 acres) and 20 km of path
Parks & gardens 150 haPlaying fields 2.4 ha
The two biggest, Townhill Country Park and Pittencrieff Park, are 82% of the named green space and carry 17 km of path between them.
Historic park · Grade
Pittencrieff Park
Park or garden
31 ha (76 acres)5.8 km of path
1 h 20 minto walk all 5.8 km of path
43 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.1 mi westfrom the centre
Pittencrieff Park, Louise Carnegie Memorial Gateway, Including Detached Lamp Standards, Junction of Bridge Street and Chalmers Street Grade I Pittencrieff Park, Pittencrieff House, Including Parapet Wall to North Grade I +17 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Dunfermline Public Park
Park or garden
11 ha (28 acres)1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
16 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.6 mi westfrom the centre
St Margaret's Drive, Dunfermline Public Park, Bandstand Grade II* +1 listedMiddle WalkMary's Path
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Rex Park
Park or garden
6.6 ha (16 acres)0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
9 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Dunfermline
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bellyeoman Park
Park or garden
5.2 ha (13 acres)0.4 km of path
7 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Bull Park
Park or garden
1.4 ha (4 acres)0.2 km of path
2 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.9 mi westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
McKane Park
Playing field
2.4 ha (6 acres)
3 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
1.3 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Dunfermline’s homes are to a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (94%)Further (6%)
Dunfermline94%
Fife towns93%
Towns in England and Wales83%
About 4,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 125 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 448 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
Dunfermline is on the Fife Coastal Path
201 km of footpaths, tracks and core paths are mapped in Dunfermline and the kilometre around it, 4.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical town in England and Wales has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
NationalRegionalLocal
Fife Pilgrim Way22.0 km
Fife Coastal Path4.7 km
purple3.0 km
red2.3 km
blue1.9 km
yellow0.8 km
The Fife Coastal Path, a national route, passes Dunfermline. The regional route here is the Fife Pilgrim Way.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Scotland has no rights-of-way register: everyone has a right of responsible access to most land, so tracks and councils’ core paths count. Paths are only as complete as the map in each area.
History along the way
A historic park in the middle of Dunfermline
Historic Environment Scotland’s Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, and the listed buildings and scheduled monuments that stand inside Dunfermline’s named parks.
Registered park · Grade
Pittencrieff Park
31 ha. A historic garden or designed landscape (Grade ). 19 listed structures and monuments stand inside it or at its edge, including Pittencrieff Park, Louise Carnegie Memorial Gateway, Including Detached Lamp Standards, Junction of Bridge Street and Chalmers Street (Grade I).
IPittencrieff Park, Louise Carnegie Memorial Gateway, Including Detached Lamp Standards, Junction of Bridge Street and Chalmers StreetIPittencrieff Park, Pittencrieff House, Including Parapet Wall to NorthSMDunfermline Abbey, Nether Yett, 10m NNE of Old Kirk CottageSMMalcolm Canmore's TowerII*Dunfermline Abbey, Entrance Gateways and Boundary Walls and Railings, Including Toolhouse, To Abbey Nave and New ChurchII*Pittencrieff Park, DovecotII*Pittencrieff Park, East Gateway, St Catherine's Wynd, Including Boundary WallII*Pittencrieff Park, Music Pavilion and Cafeteria, Including Terraced Seating to NorthII*Pittencrieff Park, Statue of Andrew CarnegieII*Pittencrieff Park, Telephone Kiosk to West of Pittencrieff HouseII*Pittencrieff Park, Tower BridgeIIMonastery Street (South Side), World War I MemorialIIPittencrieff Park, Bridge to West of Tower BridgeIIPittencrieff Park, Footbridge over Tower Burn at Nt 0884 8733IIPittencrieff Park, Pittencrieff Lodge and Gateway (Pittencrieff Street)IIPittencrieff Park, Summerhouse to North of Tower Bridge
Listed buildings insideDunfermline Public ParkSt Margaret's Drive, Dunfermline Public Park, Bandstand and St Margaret's Drive, Dunfermline Public Park, Drinking Fountain
A listed building or monument counts when it sits inside the park’s OS Open Greenspace outline (to about 15 m), so a few at the boundary are included. Historic Environment Scotland designations.
When to get out
The best walking months in Dunfermline: June to September
The town’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 7.5 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.3 | 17.6 | 17.0 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.1 | 7.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 86 | 75 | 69 | 53 | 58 | 76 | 84 | 82 | 68 | 101 | 83 | 98 |
April is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 101 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Dunfermline →
The coast
Dunfermline is near the sea
14% of the area within 5 km of Dunfermline is sea. 17 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
The Fife Coastal Path passes the town.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by SEPA; check it before swimming.
Things to do
125 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 7
North Hill0.1 mi from town
DirectionsUrquhart Law0.1 mi from town
DirectionsBerry Law0.3 mi from town
DirectionsBack Law0.3 mi from town
DirectionsWood Hill0.5 mi from town
DirectionsHill of Beath240 m (787 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsCastlandhill85 m (279 ft) · 0.9 mi from town
DirectionsWaterfalls 4
Plus 4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 125
Plus 125 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 3
Run Free Secure Dog Fields0.4 mi from town
DirectionsKings Field1.1 mi from town
DirectionsQueens Field1.2 mi from town
DirectionsCampsites 2
Fordell Firs0.2 mi from town
DirectionsGreen Oak Nature Retreat0.3 mi from town
DirectionsNext door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
RosythCrossgatesInverkeithingDalgety Bay and HillendCairneyhillCowdenbeath and LumphinnansDunfermline
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunfermline | – | 2.8 | 94% | 0% |
| Rosyth 2.3 mi | – | 1.3 | 84% | 0% |
| Crossgates 2.6 mi | – | 0.3 | 80% | 0% |
| Inverkeithing 3.0 mi | – | 1.7 | 97% | 0% |
| Dalgety Bay and Hillend 3.7 mi | – | 1.7 | 95% | 0% |
| Cairneyhill 3.9 mi | – | 3.4 | 96% | 0% |
| Cowdenbeath and Lumphinnans 4.1 mi | – | 3.0 | 91% | 0% |
None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Dunfermline
What is the biggest park in Dunfermline?
Townhill Country Park, 94 ha (233 acres), with 11.6 km of path. Pittencrieff Park (31 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Dunfermline near a National Park?
No National Park or National Scenic Area is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Dunfermline.
What are the best walks near Dunfermline?
6 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Fife Pilgrim Way, Fife Coastal Path and purple. Townhill Country Park alone has 11.6 km of path.
How many people in Dunfermline live near a park?
94% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical town in England and Wales is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Dunfermline?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
Which parks in Dunfermline are historic?
Pittencrieff Park (Grade ) is on Historic Environment Scotland’s Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Scenic Area within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Dunfermline’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Dunfermline’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Scenic Areas: Scottish Government and NatureScot boundaries (Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, Cairngorms; the 40 National Scenic Areas), clipped to land, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, tracks, core paths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik’s Scotland extract, October 2026.
- Historic gardens, listed buildings and monuments: Historic Environment Scotland designations, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: NRS Scotland’s Census 2022 output areas.
- Grade: Scottish towns have no Outdoors Grade yet.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.