In recent times the 'Mile Dyke' has been known for being the dividing point between the course of the Lundin Golf Club to the east and the Leven Links Golf Course to the west. However, the wall or 'dyke' itself predates both courses, going back to the eighteenth century. The 'Miledyke Wood' appears on the 1854 O.S. map (see below). And, in the accompanying O.S. Name Book, the Miledyke Wood is described as "A wood chiefly composed of oak, beech and elm trees, planted nearly a century ago on the estate of Lundin". Historically the dyke was a march wall that formed the boundary between the estates of Lundin and Durie.
The Mile Dyke is similar in appearance to the wall at Fir Park in Lundin Links (shown below). Both are well-built random rubble masonry walls with large boulders arranged somewhat haphazardly at the base but topped with more uniform stones. Both are built from a mix of local stones (some likely gathered from the beach) set with slightly recessed mortar, so that all the stone faces can be easily seen.
Always a local landmark and notable point of reference, mentions of the Mile Dyke in the local newspapers often relate to property lost close to it - see examples below from the Leven Advertiser in the early 1900s.
However, most frequently, the Mile Dyke is mentioned in relation to golf. Leven Links dates back to 1846 and originally ended to the east at the Mile Dyke. It was extended beyond the dyke by 1868, towards Lundin Mill. Lundin Golf Club was instituted at the same time. The Mile Dyke thus became not a golfing boundary but a hazard in the centre of the green. A shared Leven-Lundin golf links arrangement meant that play started at both ends with a pause at the half-way point to take turn about. However, by the early years of the 20th century, the increasing popularity of golf locally led to frequent congestion and drastic change was required. In 1909, new full eighteen-hole courses opened at each end and the golf links was divided. James Braid designed the Lundin course, while Alex Patrick laid out the new Leven course. When an end came to the previous combined arrangement, the Mile Dyke reverted to its role as a boundary point.
The Leven Mail ran a poem about the Mile Dyke on 16 October 1946, penned by James Dingwall of Leven. Shown in full below, the humorous words highlight the robustness and longevity of the wall. The piece ends with the fitting statement that the Mile Dyke "will for lang years yet be seen".