Kinross for cyclists
A here are of few of the cake stops that are favoured by cyclists:
Kinross - the Church Centre, can be found in the High Street beside the traffic lights. This one is popular with the Fife & Kinross District Association (F&K DA) of the Cyclist Tourist Club.
Lochleven leisure Centre, a regular meeting point by members of the F&K DA. The Centre is situated between Kinross and Milnathort, the cafe' is also used by cyclists
Powmill - the Milk Bar, situated just off the A977 on the Crook of Devon side of the village, this one is also popular with a lot of cyclists.
Strathmiglo - not too far off the Dryside Road route, in Strathmiglo is Kinnears Bakery. This is one of my favourite cake stops. Not exactly healthy but the selection of pies and cakes are very well recommended, and they have never refused to refill my water bottles. Yes I know, Strathmiglo is in Fife, but it is near Kinross!
Let me know if you can suggest any more, being so close to home I do not use them much.
Leslie Bikes
Leslie Bikes is the nearest cycle shop to Kinross. It is situated in the town of Leslie, to the west of Glenrothes. Andy has an extensive stock and in my opinion the best bike shop in Fife.
Kingdom of Fife Millennium Cycle Route.
The route comes from Dunfermline over the Cleish Hills, skirts Cleish village heading for Kinross. From Kinross, it bypasses Milnathort on the old railway line which has been made into a cycle way, then heads out into the countryside and the Dryside Road going all the way to Strathmiglo.
There is an official Fife Cycle Ways web site, at the moment the site is not worth a damn as it consists of only one page and that is "Under Construction." I will make a link to the site if Fife Council ever get around to making the web site operational.
An information terminal is can be found at the Kinross tourist information centre. A sensible place to locate it in one respect but I find it odd having the terminal so far off the beaten track and a cyclist has to negotiate a potentially dangerous roundabout to get to it.
The terminals are touch sensitive and come with an infuriating range of noises and features detailing all of the Kingdom of Fife Millennium Cycle ways. Other information terminals are sited at various locations on (or near) the Kingdom Cycle Route.
For further information, follow the link towards the Total Cycling web site and follow the links to the Local Routes and the Kingdom Cycle Route.
Total Cycling - Kingdom Cycle Route pages
No one ever believes it will happen to them, but if the worst does happen it is worth knowing that the local doctors' surgery can be found beside the swimming pool, on the road between Kinross and Milnathort. Just do not tell them that I sent you!
There are two hospitals nearby with Accident and Emergency Departments.
To the north is Perth Royal Infirmary and to the south (and nearest) is Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline. Due to a rationalisation programme, Fife NHS Hospitals Trust are moving the A&E department to the Victoria Infirmary in Kirkcaldy.
What this means is this... if you are badly injured (trauma) in Kinross you will be taken to Ninewells Hospital, in Dundee (35 minutes away) or the Victoria Infirmary, in Kirkcaldy (25 minutes away), rather than the closer Perth or Dunfermline hospitals. Remember - these times do not include the time for the ambulance to get to you. Stay safe.
Apart from the Granada Motorway Service Station, there is only one public toilet in the whole county situated on The Muirs, in Kinross, opposite the Green Hotel all the others have been closed.
Nowhere in the county of Kinross are there any cycle lanes or advanced stop lines.
From a cyclists perspective, cycling on the M90 is out for a start! Be very careful on the motorway roundabout outside Kinross, you have to negotiate this roundabout in order to visit the Tourist Information Centre beside the motorway services. See below about the A977.
I do not like the A977 Kincardine Bridge to Kinross Road, this former trunk road still carries too much heavy traffic for my liking.
The A91 Stirling to St. Andrews Road is slightly better and is "quiet" between Dollar and Milnathort. Going east, a good alternative is to follow the Kingdom Cycle Route to Strathmiglo and Dunshalt then the road to Ladybank, Kingskettle and Cupar. If you have plenty of time follow the Kingdom Cycle Route all the way to St. Andrews.
A911 Milnathort to Glenrothes. This road is a bit on the narrow side for quiet cycling. It is unpleasant to cycle upon from the county boundary at Auchmuir Bridge to Glenothes; a narrow road and its uphill to Leslie. There is no quiet alternative route.
B9097 - between the M90 and Glenrothes - I hate this road. It carries a lot of fast traffic and I can usually count on at least one idiot driver trying to have a head-on collision with me on this road.
B9097 - between the M90 and Crook of Devon is another matter, it is a great road, more or less well surfaced and popular with time trialists.
B996 Kelty to Glenfarg, this is the main route north for cyclists and is a good road for cycling. I usually use the Netherton Road just outside Milnathort when going north. Kelty to Kinross is generally quiet, though on Friday evenings this road is infested by boy-racers going to the car auctions and is always good for a "laugh" on Sundays when anyone with any kind of driving licence of any vintage goes to the Sunday Market.
As with everywhere else, road traffic is unpredictable, though I personally do not like the B9097, south loch road. It is used by heavy lorries and "fast" cars as a route to and from Glenrothes.
For solo riders going off-road, I would strongly recommend writing out a route card giving details of where you are going and when you expect to be back and when to start looking if you do not return on time. Leave it with someone trustworthy and if the worst does happen at least the emergency services will know where to start looking for you.
Horses are something that deserves respect if for no other reason than it is a ton of unpredictable animal. A horse does not like being surprised especially when it is approached suddenly from behind. It could be well and truly "spooked" by the time you pass it and in a good position to knock you off the bike. Let the rider (and horse) know you are approaching in good time and slow down when approaching the beast. As for the riders, they are some decent riders out there and some that are in dire need of a personality transplant.
Kinross has not suffered much from bicycle theft, though Sands Supermarket have installed a set of Sheffield Bars in their car-park beside the shop on the High Street in Kinross. Bring your own D-lock. Generally it is safe enough to leave your bike locked up outside the shop or in the case of the Church Centre chained to the railings.
The council have installed a set of Sheffield Bars outside the Post Office Sorting Office in the High Street and another set outside the County Buildings. A set of "wheel benders" and sheffield bars have been fitted to the County Buildings beside the library.
Loch Leven Leisure, also known as the "swimming pool" between Kinross and Milnathort has a set of robust bars to secure bikes to, conveniently located outside the cafe area.
The Tourist Information Centre (TIC) is situated beside the Moto Motorway Service Station and Dobbies Garden Centre. The TIC has a terminal for the Kingdom of Fife Millennium Cycle way.