Cycle route official opening

The Courier, 11 November 2000

The official opening of the Kingdom Of Fife Millennium Cycle Ways off-road route between St Andrews and Guardbridge will take place on Tuesday.

The opening ceremony will be conducted by Fife Council convener John MacDougall and chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Fife David Waring.

The cycle path has been developed to keep cyclists off the busy A91 following three years of negotiations between the cycle ways project and local landowners.

Work began on the construction of the new route on June 27 and fencing and signposts have now been erected.

Many commuters and visitors to St Andrews have already been using the route - although it has not yet been officially opened and despite some controversy that cyclists might be at risk of being hit by golf balls on a St Andrews stretch of the route, most would agree that the traffic-free cycle path is much safer than using the main road.

Fife Councils roads and transportation spokesman, Councillor Robert Rumney expressed full support of the works, emphasising that the development of the route will give a great boost to increasing cycling and walking in the area.

The £120,000 route makes use of a dedicated off-road path between St Andrews and Guardbridge.

The route then follows the former road and old bridge at Guardbridge and the former railway line to the west of Guardbridge main street before linking to Leuchars.

A link to Leuchars railway station has also been developed.

North of Leuchars the route, which also forms part of the Fife Coastal Path, will be extended to Tayport via Tentsmuir Forest to complete the 109-mile circular Kingdom Route.