Loch Fitty & St Ninian's
Route map: Ride summary: We'll head north, cross the Forth Road Bridge and climb through Rosyth and Dunfermline to Kingseat and Loch Fitty. After a breather here we'll cycle across the causeway and head out to the earthworks. We'll follow the outer spiral for a gentle ascent to the Fife Earth Project, where we'll stop for a picnic lunch, explore the unfinished park and admire the views out over West Fife. We'll take the inner spiral back down and stop at the Lassodie War Memorial (what's James Bond to do with it ...), part of the now vanished village. We'll head on toward and round the Hill of Beath to Crossgates, and downhill back to the bridges via Fordell Firs, Hillend and Inverkeithing, before retracing our route back to the Meadows. Around 50 miles, the ride is predominantly on off-road and segregated, shared use paths and quiet back roads. There are two very short, quiet, fast on-road sections between Loch Fitty and the Hill of Beath, urban traffic through Crossgates, and another very short section with fast traffic to Lovers Lane from the access to the Forth Road Bridge. More info: St Ninian's / Fife Earth Project: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/st-ninians-fife-earth https://nationalpride.co.uk/st-ninians-kelty-dunfermline Lassodie: https://dunfermlinehistsoc.org.uk/lassodie-the-lost-village https://www.fifepits.co.uk/starter/stories/stor8.htm Lunch stop at St Ninian's - NO FACILITIES nearby. Bathrooms at: Forth Bridges Visitor Centre & Tesco's near Duloch Park, Dunfermline OPTIONS TO LEAVE RIDE PARTWAY (will pass by or very close to train stations - approximate distance from start): Rosyth - 16 mi Dunfermline Queen Margaret - 20.5 mi Dalgety Bay - 36 mi Inverkeithing - 37 mi Dalmeny - 42 mi Caveat - while this gives the option to shorten your ride you must still be able to cycle up to 20 mi (2-2.5hrs) without a break (beyond the usual catchup on hills and major roads, etc.), as this is the approximate distance to the first scheduled break. PLEASE NOTE: The gate at the exit from the Hill of Beath is sometimes locked. If so bikes will have to be lifted over the gate; the pedestrian exit is a very narrow kissing gate and very difficult to get a bike through. If you are using an electric bike please note that you must be able to lift it over the metal gate on your own or with minimal assistance. Otherwise you will have to make your own way back using the exit onto the main road halfway round the Hill of Beath. This route is subject to wind speed - crossing the Forth Road Bridge on a bike at wind speeds over 15-20mph on land can be very uncomfortable, as gusts on the bridge can be close to double that speed and tend to hit crosswise. If need be the ride will be rescheduled or rerouted.
