Ashlar Head

Landscape Feature in Fife

Scotland

Ashlar Head

Harbour tunnel The Fife Coastal Path is routed through this small tunnel to the west of Dysart Harbour.
Harbour tunnel Credit: James Allan

Ashlar Head is a prominent and visually striking landscape feature located in Fife, Scotland. Situated on the coastline near the village of Elie, it is a rocky headland that juts out into the North Sea. The name "Ashlar Head" refers to the distinctive appearance of the cliffs, which resemble carefully cut and polished blocks of ashlar stone.

The headland is composed of rugged sandstone, which has been eroded over centuries by the relentless action of wind and waves. This geological process has created a series of dramatic cliffs and sea stacks that make up Ashlar Head. The cliffs rise to a height of approximately 20 meters, providing a spectacular view of the surrounding area.

The location is known for its rich biodiversity, with numerous species of seabirds nesting on the cliffs, including gulls, fulmars, and kittiwakes. The surrounding waters are also home to a variety of marine life, making it a popular spot for birdwatching and wildlife enthusiasts.

Ashlar Head is not only a natural wonder but also holds historical significance. It is believed that the headland was used as a lookout point during World War II, providing a strategic vantage point for monitoring enemy activities along the coastline.

Today, Ashlar Head attracts a steady stream of visitors who come to admire its rugged beauty, enjoy coastal walks, and explore the nearby Elie and Earlsferry beaches. The area is also a popular spot for rock climbing and offers opportunities for adventurous outdoor activities.

Overall, Ashlar Head is a captivating landscape feature that showcases the raw power of nature and provides a glimpse into the rich natural and historical heritage of Fife.

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Ashlar Head Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 56.122034/-3.1259749 or Grid Reference NT3092. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Harbour tunnel The Fife Coastal Path is routed through this small tunnel to the west of Dysart Harbour.
Harbour tunnel
The Fife Coastal Path is routed through this small tunnel to the west of Dysart Harbour.
Harbour mouth Of Dysart Harbour, looking towards Kirkcaldy.
Harbour mouth
Of Dysart Harbour, looking towards Kirkcaldy.
Dysart Harbour The inner harbour dries at low water, but when the tide is high, as here, the small craft are all afloat. The outer harbour is used by a host of pleasure craft and a number of small fishing vessels. The harbour is leased to Dysart Sailing Club.
Dysart Harbour
The inner harbour dries at low water, but when the tide is high, as here, the small craft are all afloat. The outer harbour is used by a host of pleasure craft and a number of small fishing vessels. The harbour is leased to Dysart Sailing Club.
Dysart inner harbour The inner harbour dries out at low water and the craft moored here will all be aground.
Dysart inner harbour
The inner harbour dries out at low water and the craft moored here will all be aground.
Beautifully renovated housing at Pan Ha' in Dysart Originally the homes of the salt panners of the 18th. and 19th. centuries.
Beautifully renovated housing at Pan Ha' in Dysart
Originally the homes of the salt panners of the 18th. and 19th. centuries.
Dysart Harbour "I came to myself in darkness, in great pain, bound hand and foot, and deafened by many unfamiliar noises. (...) The whole world now heaved giddily up, and now rushed giddily downward; and so sick and hurt was I in body, and my mind so much confounded, that it took me a long while, chasing my thoughts up and down, and ever stunned again by a fresh stab of pain, to realise that I must be lying somewhere bound in the belly of that unlucky ship, and that the wind must have strengthened to a gale. (...) I heard a gun fire, and supposed the storm had proved too strong for us, and we were firing signals of distress. The thought of deliverance, even by death in the deep sea, was welcome to me. Yet it was no such matter; but (as I was afterwards told) a common habit of the captain's, which I here set down to show that even the worst man may have his kindlier side. We were then passing, it appeared, within some miles of Dysart, where the brig was built, and where old Mrs. Hoseason, the captain's mother, had come some years before to live; and whether outward or inward bound, the Covenant was never suffered to go by that place by day, without a gun fired and colours shown." - R L Stevenson, Kidnapped 1886
Dysart Harbour
"I came to myself in darkness, in great pain, bound hand and foot, and deafened by many unfamiliar noises. (...) The whole world now heaved giddily up, and now rushed giddily downward; and so sick and hurt was I in body, and my mind so much confounded, that it took me a long while, chasing my thoughts up and down, and ever stunned again by a fresh stab of pain, to realise that I must be lying somewhere bound in the belly of that unlucky ship, and that the wind must have strengthened to a gale. (...) I heard a gun fire, and supposed the storm had proved too strong for us, and we were firing signals of distress. The thought of deliverance, even by death in the deep sea, was welcome to me. Yet it was no such matter; but (as I was afterwards told) a common habit of the captain's, which I here set down to show that even the worst man may have his kindlier side. We were then passing, it appeared, within some miles of Dysart, where the brig was built, and where old Mrs. Hoseason, the captain's mother, had come some years before to live; and whether outward or inward bound, the Covenant was never suffered to go by that place by day, without a gun fired and colours shown." - R L Stevenson, Kidnapped 1886
Dysart Harbour
Dysart Harbour
Dysart Harbour "But the little fishing towns were generally disagreeable to pass, from the strong smell of the haddocks and whitings that were hung up to dry on lines along the sides of the houses from one end of the village to the other; and such numbers of half-naked children, but fresh-coloured, strong, and healthy, I think are not to be met with in the inland towns. Some will have their numbers and strength to be the effects of shellfish." -- Cpt. Edmund Burt, Letters from A Gentleman in the North of Scotland, 1754
Dysart Harbour
"But the little fishing towns were generally disagreeable to pass, from the strong smell of the haddocks and whitings that were hung up to dry on lines along the sides of the houses from one end of the village to the other; and such numbers of half-naked children, but fresh-coloured, strong, and healthy, I think are not to be met with in the inland towns. Some will have their numbers and strength to be the effects of shellfish." -- Cpt. Edmund Burt, Letters from A Gentleman in the North of Scotland, 1754
Harbourmaster's House, Hot Pot Wynd
Harbourmaster's House, Hot Pot Wynd
Harbourmaster's House at Dysart Harbour
Harbourmaster's House at Dysart Harbour
Storage shed, Dysart Harbour
Storage shed, Dysart Harbour
Dysart Tolbooth and Town House
Dysart Tolbooth and Town House
Dysart Tolbooth, High Street
Dysart Tolbooth, High Street
Dysart Tolbooth tower
Dysart Tolbooth tower
Dysart Tolbooth clock
Dysart Tolbooth clock
Dysart Tolbooth and Town House information panel The information can be read more easily by clicking the More sizes button and downloading a larger image.
Dysart Tolbooth and Town House information panel
The information can be read more easily by clicking the More sizes button and downloading a larger image.
Houses at Pan Ha' An 18th-century range of seafront dwellings restored by the Crown Estate Commissioners, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Burgh of Kirkcaldy in 1969.
Houses at Pan Ha'
An 18th-century range of seafront dwellings restored by the Crown Estate Commissioners, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Burgh of Kirkcaldy in 1969.
Houses at Pan Ha'
Houses at Pan Ha'
Show me another place!

Ashlar Head is located at Grid Ref: NT3092 (Lat: 56.122034, Lng: -3.1259749)

Unitary Authority: Fife

Police Authority: Fife

What 3 Words

///hotels.stuff.tame. Near Kirkcaldy, Fife

Related Wikis

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The Harbourmaster's House is a B-listed 18th-century building located by Dysart Harbour, near Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. It houses the first coastal...

Dysart Tolbooth and Town House

Dysart Tolbooth and Town House is a municipal building in the High Street, Dysart, Fife, Scotland. The structure, which was comprehensively restored in...

Dysart railway station, Fife

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Nearby Amenities

Located within 500m of 56.122034,-3.1259749
Barrier: cycle_barrier
Cycle Barrier: double
Lat/Long: 56.1221647/-3.1252862
Barrier: bollard
Bicycle: yes
Bollard: fixed
Foot: yes
Lat/Long: 56.1221406/-3.1249437
Dysart SeaBeams Public Art
Artwork Type: sculpture
Tourism: artwork
Website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chdot/6132158301
Lat/Long: 56.1227591/-3.123067
Crossing
Button Operated: yes
Crossing: traffic_signals
Crossing Island: no
Traffic Calming: hump
Lat/Long: 56.1249642/-3.1260726
Cafe
Harbourmaster's Café
Addr City: Kirkcaldy
Addr Housename: Harbourmaster's House
Addr Postcode: KY1 2TQ
Addr Street: Hot Pot Wynd
Contact Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHarbourmastersCafe/
Cuisine: coffee_shop
Fixme: Hours may differ in winter/summer - will need checked later in the spring. (No difference specified on website or facebook page).
Internet Access: no
Opening Hours: Th-Mo 11:00-15:00
Phone: +44 1592 654586
Smoking: no
Lat/Long: 56.1232395/-3.1239772
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1241369/-3.1205554
Recycling
Recycling Beverage Cartons: yes
Recycling Cans: yes
Recycling Glass Bottles: yes
Recycling Plastic: no
Recycling Plastic Bottles: yes
Recycling Plastic Packaging: no
Recycling Type: container
Lat/Long: 56.1235457/-3.1226061
Board Type: history
Information: board
Tourism: information
Lat/Long: 56.1234279/-3.1227265
Historic: memorial
Memorial: war_memorial
Wikidata: Q77772402
Lat/Long: 56.1259389/-3.1250609
Barrier: bollard
Bicycle: yes
Bollard: removable
Foot: yes
Motor Vehicle: private
Lat/Long: 56.124646/-3.1256345
Recycling
Recycling Type: container
Lat/Long: 56.1250262/-3.1205996
Covered: no
Leisure: picnic_table
Lat/Long: 56.1220099/-3.125757
Covered: no
Leisure: picnic_table
Lat/Long: 56.1214772/-3.1291206
Covered: no
Leisure: picnic_table
Lat/Long: 56.1216603/-3.1282483
Bench
Backrest: no
Check Date: 2023-04-02
Lat/Long: 56.1198643/-3.1319713
Bench
Backrest: yes
Lat/Long: 56.1216652/-3.1243778
Fife Coast & Countryside Trust
Addr City: Kirkcaldy
Addr Housename: Harbourmaster's House
Addr Postcode: KY1 2TQ
Addr Street: Hot Pot Wynd
Office: charity
Lat/Long: 56.1233454/-3.1240564
Coastal Centre Exhibition
Opening Hours: Mar-Oct 09:30-16:30; Nov-Feb Mo-Su 10:00-15:30
Operator: Fife Coast & Countryside Trust
Tourism: museum
Wheelchair: yes
Lat/Long: 56.1233191/-3.1240422
Check Date: 2022-08-27
Information: map
Map Type: yes
Tourism: information
Lat/Long: 56.1221561/-3.1253686
Post Box
Post Box Type: wall
Ref: KY1 99
Lat/Long: 56.1233229/-3.1315337
Leisure: slipway
Lat/Long: 56.1229433/-3.1235593
Leisure: slipway
Lat/Long: 56.1224227/-3.1240716
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1237918/-3.1218328
Information: board
Tourism: information
Lat/Long: 56.1250698/-3.1254588
Bicycle Parking
Bicycle Parking: stands
Capacity: 10
Covered: no
Fee: no
Lat/Long: 56.1232108/-3.1232501
Barrier: entrance
Lat/Long: 56.1247023/-3.119911
Barrier: door
Lat/Long: 56.1230557/-3.1328458
Generator Method: photovoltaic
Generator Output Electricity: yes
Generator Source: solar
Generator Type: solar_photovoltaic_panel
Power: generator
Lat/Long: 56.1237219/-3.1324772
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1253651/-3.12393
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1258852/-3.1236802
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.124854/-3.1210333
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1248589/-3.1205931
Lady Blanche Colliery
Historic: memorial
Inscription: This was the site of the Lady Blanche Colliery 1870-1929
Memorial: plaque
Lat/Long: 56.1246572/-3.1199556
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1249476/-3.1220498
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.1259784/-3.1273828
Thomas Millie Dow
Historic: memorial
Inscription: BIRTHPLACE AND HOME OF THE ARTIST THOMAS MILLIE DOW 1848-1919 ONE OF THE 'GLASGOW BOYS'
Memorial: blue_plaque
Subject Wikidata: Q1615451
Subject Wikipedia: en:Thomas Millie Dow
Lat/Long: 56.1260165/-3.123607
Bus Stop
West Quality Street
Naptan AtcoCode: 6500K0175
Naptan Bearing: SW
Naptan CommonName: West Quality Street
Naptan Indicator: opp
Naptan Landmark: West Quality Street
Naptan NaptanCode: 34326538
Naptan Street: Dysart Road
Ref: 34326538
Lat/Long: 56.1248393/-3.1273331
Bus Stop
Wishart Place
Bus: yes
Naptan AtcoCode: 6500K0282
Naptan Bearing: E
Naptan CommonName: Wishart Place
Naptan Indicator: adj
Naptan Landmark: Wishart Place
Naptan NaptanCode: 34326485
Naptan Street: Dysart Road
Public Transport: platform
Ref: 34326485
Lat/Long: 56.1233985/-3.1311231
Bus Stop
Wishart Place
Bus: yes
Naptan AtcoCode: 6500K0281
Naptan Bearing: W
Naptan CommonName: Wishart Place
Naptan Indicator: opp
Naptan Landmark: Wishart Place
Naptan NaptanCode: 34326469
Naptan Street: Dysart Road
Public Transport: platform
Ref: 34326469
Lat/Long: 56.123138/-3.132104
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1225601/-3.1247375
Bench
Backrest: no
Lat/Long: 56.1217876/-3.1261588
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1225039/-3.1247602
Leisure: picnic_table
Lat/Long: 56.1224675/-3.1248428
Leisure: picnic_table
Lat/Long: 56.1225688/-3.1247987
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1224598/-3.1247794
Bench
Backrest: no
Lat/Long: 56.1217174/-3.1281358
Bench
Backrest: no
Lat/Long: 56.1217201/-3.1280925
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1232417/-3.1227282
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.123223/-3.1228138
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1231827/-3.1229724
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1232038/-3.1228871
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1231539/-3.1224379
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1249273/-3.120254
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1249143/-3.1203365
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1223134/-3.1248721
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1218866/-3.1234427
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1223272/-3.1234719
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1221001/-3.1234198
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1222826/-3.1248817
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1217512/-3.1234785
Bench
Backrest: yes
Lat/Long: 56.1216847/-3.1243982
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1222971/-3.1248764
Bench
Lat/Long: 56.1223305/-3.1248655
Information: map
Operator: Fife Coast and Countryside Trust
Tourism: information
Lat/Long: 56.1234065/-3.1227489
Traffic Calming: cushion
Lat/Long: 56.124096/-3.131797
The data included in this document is from www.openstreetmap.org. The data is made available under ODbL.

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