Cairneyhill

Cairneyhill is a small village in west Fife, Scotland. It is 3 miles west of Dunfermline, on the A994, and has a population of around 2,430 (est. in 2008).

The village's architecture is a mix of old weavers' cottages and modern suburban housing estates. Most residents work either locally or commute to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling or Kirkcaldy. The village is located north and west of the A985, a major trunk road that provides fast travel by car or bus to the Kincardine Bridge, the M90 Motorway and the Forth Road Bridge.

The Firth of Forth is located 1.5 miles south of Cairneyhill, which is 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Crossford.

Cairneyhill hosts a number of local businesses and other amenities. There are two shops (one is a post office), a garden centre, a petrol station, a number of housing estates, a guest house (The Maltings), a local pub (the Cairneyhill Inn), a primary school, a Scout hall, and a small industrial estate. There is also a golf course, "The Forrester Park Resort," which has two restaurants and a driving range. There is also a hairdressers.

The name is unusual in that the village is not actually on any noticeable hill, and is in fact about 3 miles south of the local landmark of Cairneil Hill. Why a settlement some miles away should be named after the hill is difficult to understand - there are much closer settlements. Old maps before 1800 make little mention of the name, the area usually being marked as Pitdinny or Pitdinnie, which is still found in a local farm on the eastern edge, as well as an area of housing in the village.

The village grew in the 18th century as a settlement for local weavers and was served by the parish church that was built in 1752 and is still used today. This was a hotbed of dissenters and the village was a central point for the religious disputes in Scotland in the early 19th Century.

There is a small bridge over the Torry Burn at the west end of the village known as the "Conscience Bridge". This name arises from local legend, in which a murderer was caught and confessed to his crime on the bridge and hanged himself. The line of the road has been straightened and widened over the years, with only the original north parapet remaining, but the name of the bridge is carved into a plaque which can be seen by leaning over the wall.

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