Burgh of Leven
The Sun's Own Favourite Resort
So said Leven's publicity posters of years gone by when thousands of holidaymakers from Glasgow flocked to the town. Whilst the hordes have now gone, this ancient burgh at the gateway to the East Neuk remains a popular holiday town. Many still come to enjoy the town's long sandy beach and busy promenade with its amusements, children's play areas and cafés.
Today an impressive swimming pool and interesting parks complement the town’s traditional seaside attractions. Leven’s compact, bustling high street also has a wide variety of shops and restaurants and easy-to-find, free parking.
With magnificent views across Largo Bay and the Firth of Forth, and excellent accommodation, Leven guarantees an enjoyable stay by the sea.
Letham Glen
Scoonie Brae. Tel: 01333 429231
Open daily all year. Admission free.
The quite parkland of Letham Glen is open for all to enjoy. A nature trail winds for nearly a mile through the wooded slopes. There are gardens and picnic areas as well as a putting green and play facilities for youngsters.
Silverburn Estate
Off Largo Road. Tel: 01333427568
Open daily all year. Admission free.
A pleasant walk over the golf links or along the beach leads to this peaceful park. There is a children’s play area, along with woodland walks and a craft shop.
The Millennium Mercat Cross
A sundial in the grounds of Carberry House on Scoonie Road is said to rest on part of Leven's ancient mercat cross. The red sandstone shaft, which dates from the 1620s, is a reminder of the days when the town was a busy trading centre with a lively market. It disappeared after being dismantled in 1767 to ease congestion at the funeral procession of a local laird, to reappear in 1889 as part of a wall! A granite replica of the cross, featuring designs by local children, was erected on School Lane to mark the year 2000.
Detail from the wall of Beehive House
These bees and skep (or bee-hive) illustrate the virtues of industriousness on the High Street’s former Co-operative building. More skeps surround the clock on another former Co-operative building built in the 1930s nearby. When trading ceased in 1991 and the building, retaining its 1930s Art Deco façade, was converted to flats, decorative tiles from inside the building were rescued. Some of the tiles, which depict Leven scenes, can now be seen at the swimming pool.
