Scotland By Rail - Scotland's brand new line! - Leven - coastal explorations and Silverburn Park

"The £116million Levenmouth Rail Link, which was funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Network Rail and ScotRail, reconnects Leven and Cameron Bridge to Scotland’s railway network for the first time in more than half a century." www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/Levenmouth

It is so exciting to have a whole new area opened up to me and my outdoor art practice - thank you ScotRail, Network Rail, Scottish Government!

This post covers just one of lots of different walks possible from Scotland's two brand new stations.

Here I am, a very very happy customer alighting at Leven station on Scotland's newest - ie !!brand new!! - stretch of railway line. 

Leo at Leven

A sketching exploring nature day with fellow Burntisland artist illustrator Alice Melvin Illustration.

Follow Alice on Instagram for lots of out and about sketches and descriptions. Look for her beautiful newest book in all good bookshops - thamesandhudson.com/mouse-on-the-river.

A circular walk:

- from river mouth along wide wide sands, litter picking as we went. Alice is an absolute champion litter picker; 

- wildflower filled dunes;

- woodland, walled garden, pond and cafe at Silverburn Park;

-lushly bordered path above golf course, whitethroats singing scratchily, yellowhammer shouting out 'little bit of bread and no cheeese'... so people say;

- back through town and along High Street to the station.

Sketch spots:

- Where river met sea we watched sand martins and swallows and sketched gulls and cormorants and mallards.

- As we lunched in the dunes we sketched sand and sea and sky and coastal vegetation.

- In Silverburn walled garden we sketched old estate gate and green green green. Great tits, blue tits, coal tits, robins, house sparrows, jackdaws, a greenfinch, a yellowhammer all delighting in an odd ferris wheel bird feeder and back and fore on the ground just feet in front of us. We watched a bedraggled great tit pair feeding high-pitched cheeping chicks in their nest in a gap in a dry-stone wall.

The walk in photos:

The River Leven runs alongside much of the new stretch of line. Here looking over the fence at the station the river is already tidal and in its final metres before flowing into the sea.

Our first sketch subject was ducks and gulls and seabirds, where river became sea.

Stunning Fife beaches. See the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law far across the Forth

And turning to look upriver to the west, the wind turbines at Buckhaven.

Huge sweep of sands between Leven and Lundin Links Largo - and continuing far beyond.
Largo Law is the hill.
So many L's.

Up onto the dune path, Lundin Links and Largo Law in the distance.
About to turn 180 degrees and start heading back towards Silverburn Park. 

Second sketch spot. Our subject was dune and sand and sea and sky.

A wonderful carpet of thyme. Two Garden bumblebees enjoying it as much as we were.

old concrete anti-tank defences, found on beaches and dunes up much of Scotland's east coast 

Having just crossed the golf course - don't worry, a well used, safe, official path across.
Allotments at the entrance to Silverburn Park.

sheds and water butts 💚

In the walled garden.

There's a cafe 

With our cafe takeaway we sat and drew.
Sketch spot number 3.

This pond wants to be sketched.

Back to Leven along beautiful lush path. Yellowhammers and whitethroats serenading us along.

golf course and Largo Law

Back in Leven, beautiful Fife coastal homes

We followed this path and gradually wound our way to the High Street and the station

Home time.

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Leven links:

www.welcometofife.com/destination/leven

https://welcometolevenmouth.co.uk

www.silverburnpark.co.uk

https://levenmouth.co.uk (Levenmouth Rail Campaign)

https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk

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The two new stations, Leven and Cameron Bridge, enjoy an hourly service to/from Edinburgh via Kirkcaldy.

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk

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Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog. Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du Feu

ScotRail Community Rail Champion

June 2024

#ScotlandByRail #CommunityRailChampion on facebook, instagram, twitter