Aberdour is clustered around it's Castle, a stronghold of modest scale, with it's beautiful lawns and gardens and large enclosed terraces.
Although the castle was originally built in the 12th century, the central range is 16th century and the gallery and stable were added in the 18th century.
The village and castle itself were originally owned by the de Mortimer family. It passed from them to the Douglases in the 14th century. The Earl of Morton took up residence in 1456 and the Earls stayed in residence until 1790.
Since then, the castle buildings had been used for many different purposes until in 1924 it was turned over to the State and given the title of ancient monument.
The tower is the oldest part of the castle and it has been extended and rebuilt until the 17th Century with the addition of a dovecote.
Next to the castle and in it's grounds is St. Fillans church dating from the 12th Century with a few recent additions (such as the 16th Century porch). The church was brought back from total dereliction in the 19th Century and is one of the most beautiful in the country.
There is a natural harbour, formed by the Dour Burn and Hawkcraig Point. The harbour brought prosperity to Aberdour and in the 1700's a stone pier was built to allow larger vessels to use the Harbour. In the late 1800's trading on the river was largely superseded by the railway.
When Aberdour station opened in 1890, commercial use of the harbour stopped. In Victorian times Aberdour was a popular destination for day trippers coming from Edinburgh on paddle steamers. During the First World War Hawkcraig Point was used as a Royal Navy Base for developing and testing underwater acoustic detection equipment. During both World Wars the British Naval Fleet stationed in the Firth of Forth was serviced and maintained in Aberdour. Since the Second World War, the railway station has reverted to passengers only. The last goods train to be loaded in Aberdour was in 1964, since then it has won several best kept railway station in Britain competitions.
Aberdour is a small, quiet secluded coastal village in Fife, about 20 miles from Edinburgh over the River Forth. We have our own train station and are only 3 miles from the M90 motorway.
Aberdour (which means 'Mouth of the Water') has two high quality beaches, the Silver Sands having been awarded the European Union 'Blue Flag Award'. You can find us in the Good Beach Guide
Since it is only half an hour from Edinburgh by train or car, the village is has always been a popular tourist resort and many people have moved to Aberdour as the ideal commuting base for Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow and Stirling. The village has many amenities including a Primary School, 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling green, sailing club as well as several pubs, hotels and local shops.
There is a long entry on Wikipedia about us.
A panoramic view of the harbour is available here.
There is an article on Undiscovered Scotland.
The castle has it's own page too