Why visit Leven
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 48 places to eat, 8 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bawbee Bridge, Methil Heritage Centre, Leven Links Golf Course and Lundin Golf Club.
Weather in Leven
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Leven
Leven (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Lìobhann; transl. 'Inverleven', lit. 'mouth of the River Leven') is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) east of Glenrothes.
From the Wikipedia article Leven, Fife (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Leven on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Leven
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Things to do2
Bawbee Bridge
Bridge · 0.5 mi
Bridge in Leven, Fife, Scotland, UK, carries the A955 road across River Leven
Museums and landmarks13
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
Bayview Stadium
Sports field and stadium · 0.8 mi
Harbour View, Leven
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes48
Cottage Window Café
Cafe · 0.9 mi
Silverburn Park, Leven
Tu-Su 11:00-15:00
Forth Coffee House
Cafe · Cake, Coffee Shop · 0.5 mi
1 Oswald Place
Mo-Sa 08:00-16:00; Su 10:00-16:00
Base
Restaurant · Italian, Pizza, Pasta, Coffee Shop, Cocktails
97 North Street, Leven
36 more on the map.
History
The origin of the name "Leven" comes from the Pictish word for "flood". The nearby Loch Leven, being the flood lake, was the name given to both the river and town. A settlement is believed to have formed at the mouth of the River Leven very close to the area around Scoonie Brae with the discovery of the parish church of "scoyne". During the mid-11th century, Bishop Tuadal of St Andrews gifted the church of "scoyne" to the Culdees of Loch Leven. By the end of the 11th century, the village along with the church were acquired by Bishop Robert of St Andrews following the decline of culdeen faith.
The first mention of the current town was made in the middle of the 15th century, according to two separate records referring to the town's name as "levynnis-mouth". This contained information about the urgent need for repair work at the town's monastery and Georgie Durie, a local estate owner, becoming the keeper at the harbour.
Read more of the history
In 1854 the Leven Railway opened, linking the town with Thornton Junction on the Edinburgh - Aberdeen main line. This helped it to become a tourist resort popular with visitors from the west of Scotland, and particularly Glasgow. Later in the 19th century the Leven Railway became part of a loop line of the North British Railway linking Thornton Junction and Leuchars Junction via St Andrews. The railway between Leven and St. Andrews closed in 1965. The railway between Leven and Thornton Junction closed to freight in 1966 and passengers in 1969. In 2019 a scheme was approved to re-open the town's railway station. Until then, the nearest station was Markinch railway station. This re-opening occurred on 2 June 2024.
The ecclesiastical and civil parish of Scoonie included the town of Leven.
From the History section of Leven, Fife on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Leven
Education
Currently, the town is home to three primary schools. Two of which are non-denominational - Mountfleurie and Parkhill and the other being denominational - St Agatha's.
Parkhill Primary School which serves the centre of the town opened in 1910, initially as an infant school before accepting primary school pupils in 1957. Mountfleurie Primary School, on the other hand, opened in 1957 with an infant department in 1974. The school also has a speech and language class which officially started in 1990. St Agatha's RC Primary School which dates from 1975, following a re-location from Methil, Fife has a catchment area stretching from East Wemyss to Lower Largo.
For Secondary schooling, most children within Leven will go to Levenmouth Academy. Previously, students would attend either Kirkland or Buckhaven high schools but these schools were merged to form Levenmouth Academy.
From the Wikipedia article Leven, Fife, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Leven
Robert Reidmerchant and politician in Victoria, Australia (1842–1904)Photo: Talma, Public domain- George Scott WallaceCanadian politician (1929-2011)
- Tom CollinsScottish footballer (1882-1929)
- David AndersonScottish civil engineer and lawyer (1880-1953)
- Archie WoodFootballer (1926-1986)
- Charles Augustus CarlowScottish mining engineer (1878 - 1954)
- Bobby WarrenderScottish association football player (1929-2003)
- John WoodScottish footballer (1894-1971)
- Margaret MeekEducationalist in the field of Literacy
- David RamsayCanadian fur trader
- David KinnellScottish professional golfer
- Bob HoustonScottish footballer
Born in Leven, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay8
Churches and places of worship6
Shopping10
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare7
Map of Leven
115 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Leuchars Station (ADX) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 miles away.
- Methil 1 mi southwest, about 2 min by car
- Lundin Links 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
- Markinch 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Thornton 6 mi west, about 10 min by car
- Glenrothes 7 mi west, about 11 min by car
- Ladybank 7 mi northwest, about 11 min by car
- Kirkcaldy 8 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Falkland 9 mi northwest, about 14 min by car
- Saint Monans 9 mi east, about 14 min by car
- Saint Andrews 12 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Leven
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Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Stagecoach fife ~16952 (8618991041), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife ~16952 (8620092740), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife ~16952 (8620094308), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife ~16952 (8620094578), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife~19547 (8618990817), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife ~16952 (8620094514), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus V102 ESC & R842 HSC (8112617629), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus - Y78 KDK (8115611099), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- MYBUS - Y78 KDK (8115611291), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach Aberhil depot 14 Sep 2014 (7989036501), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach Aberhil depot 14 Sep 2014 new scania envrio 300 wheel (7989035387), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach Aberhil depot 14 Sep 2014 53304 (7989041596), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach Aberhil depot 14 Sep 2014 16521 (7989044128), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach Aberhil depot 14 Sep 2014 (7989043936), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife 19664 (9683177124), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Stagecoach fife 47871 (9679938919), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus N133 GAG (8036482330), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- MY BUS - S171 UBU (8036476180), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus camp bus - H131 FTA (8036476656), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus T476 TSC (8036460924), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus N133 GAG (8036474837), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus N133 GAG (8036480593), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus T476 TSC (8036461132), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus N133 GAG (8036458649), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus T476 TSC - moblie home (8036480079), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Mybus camp bus - H131 FTA (8036476418), Calum Cape from glenrothes , United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Street-level photo, drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
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