Aberdour (Gaelic: Obar Dobhair) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. It is situated on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, looking south to the Island of Inchcolm and its Abbey, and to Leith and Edinburgh beyond. According to the 2006 population estimate, the village has a population of 1,680.  The village’s winding main street lies a little inland from the coast. Narrow lanes run off it, providing access to the more hidden parts of the village and the shoreline itself. The village nestles between the larger coastal towns of Burntisland to the east and Dalgety Bay to the west. The origins of the village lie with its harbour, where the Dour Burn enters the River Forth. The place-name itself is Pictish, implying an origin in the Dark Ages: aber 'confluence'. The -dour element, referring to the Burn, means simply 'water' (archaic dobur), and is unconnected to the Scots/English 'dour'. For much of its history Aberdour was two villages, Wester Aberdour and Easter Aberdour, on either side of the Dour Burn. Although this distinction was blurred by the 19th century arrival of the railway. In the 1700s Aberdour's harbour was improved by the addition of a stone pier to help handle the coal traffic from nearby collieries. However, in the 1850s the traffic changed dramatically, and Aberdour Harbour became a popular destination for pleasure steamers from Leith. This in turn led to the building of a deeper water pier a little around the bay at Hawkhead, and to the development of hotels and many of the other services still on view today in the village. The railway came to Aberdour in 1890, with the building of the line east from the newly opened Forth Railway Bridge. The station has won many "best kept station" awards. The half an hour journey to the centre of Edinburgh helped build on the existing popularity of the village, though it put the steamers out of business. The main result was a growth in the building of large and attr...