New Gilston in Fife combines a clearly dated local history with a Go-Flexi service and scenic destinations in the surrounding area. Historical names range from Newtown of Gilston to Backmuir of New Gilston; at Largo Law, the hillside setting and distant views take centre stage. For your stay, you can weigh up whether local history, travel planning or a climb in the surrounding area is the deciding factor.
Local history in maps and dates
The village of Backmuir of New Gilston was built around 1700. A plan from 1775 shows Newtown of Gilston as a settlement on both sides of an approximately 500-metre-long east–west road. On the 1855 Ordnance Survey map, the village appears as Backmuir of New Gilston; a large building at the western end is labelled New Gilston. These three points in time—its origins, the settlement pattern shown and the later name on the map—provide a clear framework for the local history. Anyone looking to understand the old place names can see here that Newtown of Gilston and Backmuir of New Gilston belong to different historical depictions.
The village’s facilities also offer a glimpse into its earlier community life. New Gilston already had a subscription school in 1832. The village hall was intended for social events and private gatherings and served as a meeting place for regular get-togethers of the New Gilston and Woodside W.R.I. The school and hall thus represent two different aspects of life in the village at the time: education and community gatherings. Another precisely dated event is the crash of a Gloster Meteor into the New Gilston post office on 22 August 1953.
Go-Flexi and travel planning
New Gilston is in Fife’s F7 Go-Flexi zone. Go-Flexi allows journeys within a Flexi Zone as well as to nearby transfer points outside the zones. If you want to use this service, take both the zone and the advance booking period into account when planning.
Go-Flexi bookings must be made at least one hour before travel and can be made up to a week in advance. The vehicles used are accessible; passengers can specify a wheelchair or pushchair when booking. Check the Council’s current information about the Go-Flexi service before travelling.
Landscape and destinations further afield
Nearby, Upper Largo lies on the lower slopes of Largo Law, a long-extinct volcano. You can climb Largo Law, where panoramic views take in the Levenmouth coast and, on a clear day, Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills across the Forth. The slopes and the views from Largo Law offer two different perspectives on the landscape; distant views depend on clear conditions.
Further afield in the region, the old pilgrimage route ran north through Largoward to Gilston. There it joined the present-day route to St Andrews. Details of the old route connect regional history with a specific direction of travel.
A play park in New Gilston was among the Fife parks whose refurbishment had been completed or was still under way by April 2024.
Discover more destinations: Cairneyhill, Balmullo, Steelend, Newburgh, Lundin Links, Tayport, Leslie, St Andrews
For the regional travel overview: Fife.
