Lochgelly’s biggest
Launcerhead Park
Playing field
2.5 ha (6 acres)
4 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
0.5 mi northfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: AllyD · Public domain–Not graded
Outdoors in Lochgelly · parks, paths & countryside
Almost everyone in Lochgelly lives within a 5-minute walk of a park
98% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field. 61 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 4.3 for every square kilometre. Parks and playing fields in Lochgelly add up to 2.8 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical town in England and Wales has 2.1. Lochgelly 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
98%
of residents within 400 m
Typical town in England and Wales 83%
Footpaths
61 km
4.3 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 map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Lochgelly’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 Lochgelly
The biggest is Launcerhead Park, 2.5 ha (6 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Robert Smith Court Community Garden
Park or garden
0.0 ha (0 acres)
0.8 mi south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
How close Lochgelly’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 (98%)Further (2%)
Lochgelly98%
Fife towns93%
Towns in England and Wales83%
About 100 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 17 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 421 residents.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
2 waymarked walks pass through or near Lochgelly
61 km of footpaths, tracks and core paths are mapped in Lochgelly and the kilometre around it, 4.3 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.
RegionalOther waymarked
Fife Pilgrim Way4.2 km
Lochgelly Heritage Trail1.7 km
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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lochgelly: 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 | 17.1 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 101 | 81 | 70 | 54 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 83 | 71 | 99 | 90 | 92 |
April is the driest month (54 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 January, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 62 nights a year. The climate in Lochgelly →
Things to do
17 playgrounds and the nearest beaches
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
The nearest beaches
Lochgelly is inland. These are the nearest named beaches, measured from the edge of the town.
Silver Sands4.7 mi from Lochgelly’s edge
DirectionsBlack Sands4.9 mi from Lochgelly’s edge
DirectionsBurntisland Beach5.2 mi from Lochgelly’s edge
DirectionsScart Island5.4 mi from Lochgelly’s edge
DirectionsBurntisland Sands5.6 mi from Lochgelly’s edge
DirectionsGood to know
Check the water before you swim. SEPA tests designated bathing waters from May to September and publishes a rating for each beach.
Up high. Tollie Hill, at 162 m, is the highest named top within 2 km of Lochgelly.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 1
Plus 1 viewpoint without a name on the map.
Hills and peaks 3
Tollie Hill162 m (531 ft) · 0.6 mi from town
DirectionsHare Law135 m (443 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 17
Russell Streetin town
DirectionsSouthfield Park0.7 mi from town
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks 1
Hooves 'n' Paws - Fife Secure Dog Park1.1 mi from town
DirectionsSlipways 2
Plus 2 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
Cowdenbeath and LumphinnansCardenden and AuchterderranBallingryKeltyCrossgatesBurntislandLochgelly
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lochgelly | – | 2.8 | 98% | 0% |
| Cowdenbeath and Lumphinnans 2.1 mi | – | 3.0 | 91% | 0% |
| Cardenden and Auchterderran 2.3 mi | – | 2.6 | 91% | 0% |
| Ballingry 2.4 mi | – | 24.0 | 100% | 0% |
| Kelty 2.9 mi | – | 4.5 | 100% | 0% |
| Crossgates 3.8 mi | – | 0.3 | 80% | 0% |
| Burntisland 5.3 mi | – | 3.2 | 91% | 0% |
Ballingry has at least twice Lochgelly’s green space per resident. None of the neighbours has a protected landscape within 5 km either.
Questions about the outdoors in Lochgelly
What is the biggest park in Lochgelly?
Launcerhead Park, 2.5 ha (6 acres). Robert Smith Court Community Garden (0.0 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Lochgelly near a National Park?
No National Park or National Scenic Area is within 30 km (about 19 miles) of Lochgelly.
What are the best walks near Lochgelly?
2 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Fife Pilgrim Way and Lochgelly Heritage Trail.
What is the nearest beach to Lochgelly?
Silver Sands, 4.7 mi from the edge of the town, then Black Sands (4.9 mi). Lochgelly itself is inland.
How many people in Lochgelly live near a park?
98% 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 Lochgelly?
June to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
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 Lochgelly’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Lochgelly’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.