C5 (Fife)

This article is about the Class III road numbered C5 maintained by Fife Council.
For other roads numbered C5, see C5.

The C5 is a very mixed route, with heavy industry and the beautiful village of Culross both featuring along its route. It starts on the A985 at the Longannet Roundabout at Kincardine and heads south at first towards the power station site. Before reaching the gates, however, the route turns left and follows the old road as it winds eastwards towards the shore at Blair Castle. The railway line lies between the coast and the road, but there are some fine views to be had across the Firth of Forth, often busy with ships, before the road reaches Culross.

This beautiful coastal village is the easternmost of Fife's famed fishing villages, and perhaps one of the finest. A large car park against the railway line is reached first, and then just beyond the village green with its cluster of pretty coloured houses opens up on the shore side of the road. Most of the actual green is on the coast side, but the town square a little further along is home to some of the finest buildings, including the Town House and 'Palace'. Hidden away up the hill in the backstreets are many more pretty buildings, and the ruins of Culross Abbey.

The road continues eastwards, winding through the narrow streets now hemmed in on both sides with buildings. Eventually the road opens out, past some more scattered buildings, then past some sports pitches into Low Valleyfield. There are more modern houses than old here, but the villages interest lies not in its architecture, but in the vast Ash Lagoons on the coast. These have been created from the waste ash from the power station, and have consumed the historic Preston Island which lay out on the mud flats. Paths and cycle routes are now laid out around the perimeter of the site, with a small roadside car park too. Soon after, the C5 comes to an end on the B9037.