Lochgelly Webcam – Big Skies Over Old Fife Coal Country

The Lochgelly Webcam looks out from the FifeWeather station in Lochgelly, a former coal mining town in west Fife, Scotland. The camera points 310 degrees, roughly north-west, across the rooftops of the town toward Loch Ore and the long ridge of Benarty Hill. Sky fills more than half of the frame, which is the point: this is a weather camera first, so fronts rolling in from the west, showers crossing the hill and clearing skies behind them all show up well before they reach the town. A mature tree frames the left edge, a line of pylons crosses the middle distance, and the slopes of Benarty change color with the seasons, from green in summer to bracken brown in autumn. The stream runs 24 hours a day at 25 frames per second, so after dark the picture shifts to town lights and night sky.

About Lochgelly

Lochgelly takes its name from Loch Gelly, which lies less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) south-east of the town center, now cut off from the streets by the A92 dual carriageway. The Gaelic form, Loch Gheallaidh, is usually translated as “shining waters”. The town sits between two lochs, with Loch Gelly to the south-east and Loch Ore to the north-west, and about 7,300 people lived here in 2020. To the west, the small village of Lumphinnans is all that separates it from Cowdenbeath.

A village existed here by the 1600s, when weaving was the main work, and by 1800 it had grown into a locally important settlement. From the 1830s until the 1960s Lochgelly was a mining town, and its strong Communist vote earned it the nickname “Little Moscow” until the 1950s. The town was also known for the Lochgelly tawse, the leather strap made by the saddlers John Dick and once used in Scottish schools. Lochgelly railway station sits on the line between Edinburgh and Markinch.

Loch Ore, the water the camera faces, has an unusual history. The original loch was drained in the 1790s, then came back in the middle of the 20th century when coal mining caused the ground to subside, settling in a different spot from the old one. Today it covers 260 acres (110 hectares). Behind it, Benarty Hill rises to 356 meters (1,168 feet), and its summit ridge, Mulla Craig, marks the boundary between Fife and Perth and Kinross.

Weather and Climate in Lochgelly

Long-term averages from Leuchars, on the north-east coast of Fife, give a fair guide to the region. July days typically reach about 19 C (66 F), with nights near 12 C (54 F). January days sit around 8 C (46 F), with nights close to 3 C (37 F). Annual rainfall at Leuchars is around 880 millimeters (35 inches), and October is usually the wettest month at about 92 millimeters (3.6 inches). Lochgelly lies inland, so treat these numbers as regional rather than local. The FifeWeather station behind the camera publishes its own live readings, updated every 15 seconds or so on the operator’s dashboard.

At 56 degrees north, the length of the day swings hard. Around the summer solstice there are more than 17 hours of daylight, and the sky over Benarty can stay light well after 10 pm. In December the sun is up for under 7 hours and stays low in the southern sky, behind the camera, so on clear winter days low sunlight falls straight onto the view. Autumn brings the richest color to the slopes, a cold snap can put a dusting of snow on the ridge, and showery days produce the towering clouds that make a weather camera worth checking.

Things to Do Near Lochgelly

Lochore Meadows Country Park wraps around Loch Ore, about 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) from Lochgelly station. The park covers 1,200 acres (486 hectares) of woodland, meadow and paths on reclaimed coal mining land. Waymarked walks include Round the Loch, Round the Pit Road, The Castle Triangle and Harran Hill and the Oak Trees. The Outdoor Education Centre runs watersports on the loch, and the park also has a golf course, fishing, a play park and mobility scooter hire. Loch Ore hosts the Scottish Open Water Championships and the Saints Regatta in September, and the University of St Andrews Boat Club trains here.

For the view the camera looks at, climb Benarty Hill. The Sleeping Giant route runs from Lochore Meadows to RSPB Loch Leven, and from the flat heath near the summit you look across Loch Leven to the Lomond Hills and south over the Firth of Forth to the Pentland and Lammermuir Hills. On a clear day the Isle of Arran, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west, can appear on the horizon. Back in town, the Lochgelly Centre reopened in 2012 with the Jennie Lee library, and Loch Gelly itself is fished for perch and pike.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More live views from around Scotland:

• Innerleithen Webcam
• Loch Ness Webcam
• Perth Airport Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lochgelly located?

Lochgelly is in west Fife, in east central Scotland, between Loch Ore to the north-west and Loch Gelly to the south-east. Cowdenbeath lies just to the west, and the town has its own station on the Edinburgh to Markinch railway line.

What can you see on the Lochgelly Webcam?

The camera faces north-west over Lochgelly rooftops toward Loch Ore and Benarty Hill. Most of the frame is open sky, so passing weather, cloud and sunsets are the main show, with the hill ridge along the horizon on the right.

What is the weather like in Lochgelly?

Fife has a mild, fairly dry climate for Scotland. Summer days are typically around 19 C (66 F) and winter days around 8 C (46 F), with roughly 880 millimeters (35 inches) of rain a year across the region.

Who runs the Lochgelly Webcam?

It is run by FifeWeather.co.uk, a citizen-operated weather station based in Lochgelly, and streamed on YouTube through the WeatherEvents channel. The operator’s website also keeps a history of the day’s images and a time-lapse video library.

How high is Benarty Hill?

Benarty Hill rises to 356 meters (1,168 feet) above Ballingry. Its summit ridge, Mulla Craig, forms the boundary between Fife and Perth and Kinross.

How far is Lochore Meadows from Lochgelly?

Lochore Meadows Country Park is about 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) from Lochgelly railway station, which makes it an easy walk or short drive from town.

Are there other FifeWeather webcams in Fife?

Yes. FifeWeather also runs cameras at Aberdour, looking east toward Burntisland, at Anstruther harbour, at St Andrews over West Sands, above Upper Largo, at Wester Newburn on the Firth of Forth, and at Kinghorn.

Why is Lochgelly called Little Moscow?

During its mining era the town was known for strong Communist support, and it carried the nickname Little Moscow until the 1950s.

Source: FifeWeather.co.uk