Craigtoun Country Park
Park type: Country Park
About Craigtoun Country Park
Area: 47 acres / 19 hectares
The park is part of a designed landscape that was once the Mount Melville Estate. Its character reflects this history, with many features such as mature trees, avenues, stone structures, a walled garden, and a ‘Dutch Village’ on an island in one of the lakes.
Park History
Craigtoun is part of the Mount Melville Estate, which was established in 1698 by General George Melville. In the 1700s, the layout of the estate was developed by planting many trees. In 1901, the estate was sold to Dr James Younger of the brewing family. He commissioned architect Paul Waterhouse to add more features to the estate.
Many of these features remain in the park today, such as the gardens, Cypress Avenue, the lake, and the Dutch Village. Fife County Council bought the estate in 1947 and opened the southern part as Craigtoun Park.
Facilities such as a bowling green, concert stage, glasshouses, and a miniature railway were added. In the 1970s, the Countryside Commission for Scotland designated the park as a country park. To support the park, local people established the Friends of Craigtoun Country Park in 2013.
Activities
The seasonal paid activities are operated by the Friends of Craigtoun Country Park and run from Easter to October. These include Puffin’ Billy tractor rides, the Rio Grande railway, crazy golf, bouncy castle, pedal cars, go-karts, park golf and the boating lake (not available in 2025).
Friends of Craigtoun Country Park also operate the cafe and run events. Please visit their website for more information.
