A921

This article is about the A921 between Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing in Fife.
For the earlier A921 that ran between Largo and Crail further east in Fife, see A921 (Largo - Crail).
For the original A921 in Perth, see A921 (Perth).

The A921 follows the coastal route from the Forth Road Bridge to Kirkcaldy, which was formerly the A92. It was created in the 1980s when the new route of the A92, a dual carriageway connecting Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes to the M90 at Dunfermline was opened.

Route

The road starts at M90 J1, where it also meets the A985. It then heads east, bypassing Inverkeithing to the north along what was formerly the A985 as far as the next roundabout, where the B981 crosses on the original route of the A90. There are actually two roundabouts here, one either side of a railway bridge, but this section of road was only built in the 1960s when the M90 was built, to remove all traffic from Inverkeithing town centre. The next right turn, Hillend Road, is the former line of the A92, although Hillend itself is now bypassed to the south. The B916 is then met at a roundabout at the entrance to Dalgety Bay, a vast new suburban development which lies along the coast to the south, but is somehow neither town nor village, nor is it really part of any other town.

The road squeezes along the northern edge of Dalgety Bay, between the railway line and industrial area, and continues to follow the railway east across the Braefoot Roundabout with the B9157 and in to Aberdour. This is a much more traditional settlement, scenically laid out around the castle and harbour. The road turns sharp left in the village centre, crosses the railway line and then resumes its eastwards line. Beyond the village, the road climbs steeply round a double bend to cross the 80m contour high above the coast, the wooded hillside plunging steeply down to the shore below. There is a slight descent into Burntisland, where the A921 follows Aberdour road as it snakes across the hillside between housing estates, crosses one roundabout and then winds on to a smaller one where it meets the A909 and B923. The latter takes the more direct route east, but the A921 turns sharp right and drops into the town centre on Cromwell Road to make a near U-turn onto Kinghorn Road.

The route is now back on the coastal plain as it passes an expansive park, before being squeezed between the railway and the base of the hill. A few houses are squeezed in above the road here and there, and then a large holiday park climbs the steep slopes above the road. After a slight climb away from the railway, the road drops steadily down into Kinghorn on Burntisland Road, then runs along the High Street before winding out of town on Kirkcaldy Road - no prizes for guessing where the A921 is going next! The route climbs out of Kinghorn, and passes through fields which offer fine views across the Firth of Forth, and of the Fife coast as it now heads north across the hillside, dropping steadily down towards Kirkcaldy.

Kirkcaldy Esplanade

After passing under the railway, the A921 crosses two roundabouts to reach a large signalised crossroads with the B9157, which has replaced a double roundabout. Here the route TOTSOs right onto the Esplanade, which as the name suggests runs along the full length of Kirkcaldy's Sea Front. Car Parks and Beach Lawns lie on the coastal side of the road, while the landward side is a mixture of large blocks of flats and retail units, including the large town centre area. The road itself starts off as a dual carriageway, but is quickly narrowed to a wide S2 with some very large hatched areas between parking bays and turning lanes. As it continues north, the Esplanade once more becomes dualled after the junction with the A910.

Pathead roundabout

At the north end of the town centre, the A921 leaves the sea front behind, dropping back to single carriageway as it winds around the back of the harbour area on High Street, becoming Nether Street. This winds through Pathhead to meet the A955 at the Pathhead Roundabout near the ruinous Ravenscraig castle. Heading north again along St Clair Road, the A921 passes through Sinclairtown to reach Gallatown, where it meets the A915 and B981 at Gallatown Roundabout. There is then just a short run north along the dualled extension to Rosslyn Street to meet the A92 at Redhouse Roundabout, the eastern end of the route.

Uncertain History

A single map - an OS 1:10000 sheet from the late 1980s - and the 1988 Reader Digest Atlas show the A921 on a different route between Burntisland and Kinghorn. This map shows the A921 entering Burntisland from the west along the former A92, Aberdour Road, as it does now. However, instead of taking the current route through the town centre, which is shown as the A909, connecting with the spur in the harbour, the A921 then follows the B923 route east towards Kinghorn. The rest of the former A92 route is left unnumbered. Unfortunately, a corresponding sheet covering Kinghorn has not yet been identified.

It is not clear if the situation shown on this map was ever genuinely the case, or if it is a mapping error, perhaps arising from a misunderstanding at the time that the new A92 route was opened.