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For many years it was necessary to take a ferry from Broughty Ferry to Tayport (Ferryport on Craig) across the Tay to reach Fife but it is now quick to get there over the bridges. Dundee people are frequent visitors to the ancient University town of St. Andrews and the beautiful Kinshaldy beach at Tentsmuir Forest. However there are many interesting places to visit throughout Fife. |
The atmosphere is entirely different from Dundee. There are many ancient buildings. Some are tall and elegant; others are twisty and rambling. There is a buzz about the place. It is always full of people and there is always something happening. This was originally a market town and Market Street is still the central feature. Three of the original town gateways remain and the "West Port" is the only fortified gateway still standing in Scotland. You can see how the town was set out at Louden's Close. Several houses shared a single entrance, each with a long "rigg" at the back for growing vegetables and grazing a cow. At one time the harbour was full of trading ships travelling east to the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium. It is still an attractive place to visit but it is no longer busy with trade.
The
town grew up around a small religious settlement near the harbour. You can
see the remains of the church of St. Mary on the Rock. St Rule's Tower
remains from an early priory. You can see a long way from the top. Later a
large arched entrance was built at the priory, through which the road now
passes. A great Cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and
this too is now ruined.
The Bishops of the Cathedral built a Castle, which acted
as a palace, a fortress and a prison. Under the castle you can see the
bottle dungeon and the tunnels built by enemies and defenders of the
castle during 400 years of battles and sieges. Elsewhere in the town you
can see the remains of Blackfriars Chapel. Later, the beautiful University
buildings came to dominate the town. St Andrews is the oldest University
in Scotland, founded in 1410-1411.
Saint Andrews is also famous for its golf course. The game of golf spread from Eastern Scotland around the world but in 1457, James II banned the sport because his soldiers were practising golf instead of archery. The Society of St. Andrew's Golfers was set up in 1754 and later became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club which now governs the rules of golf for much of the world.
There is a pleasant sandy beach with dunes near the golf course, a rocky
beach near the castle and another sandy beach beside the harbour. The
beaches are beautiful in all weathers, but be prepared for a strong cool
wind!
The town is a pleasant place to explore with good shops, excellent
restaurants and many interesting lanes and alleyways to follow. Perhaps
you may visit the Botanical Garden. If you have no transport, it is easy
to get to St. Andrews by bus from Seagate Bus Station in Dundee so we
recommend everyone should go!
You could visit The Byre Theatre, The Crawford Arts Centre or the Museum
in St. Andrews. Even an evening at the cinema is a little different in St.
Andrews. The picture house is an attractive small old cinema with a
nostalgic and rather grand atmosphere.
You may like to visit St. Andrews during the traditional Lammas fair. The
market area is crowded with stalls and fairground rides.
Beyond St. Andrews is an attractive coastline facing on to the North Sea with low cliffs and both sandy and rocky beaches. Along this coast are a number of attractive old fishing villages. If you have a lot of time and like walking, it is possible to reach them from St. Andrews and to walk between them along a coastal path.
CRAIL has a beautiful
harbour full of interesting lobster boats and surrounded by old buildings.
The cliff-top buildings are also fascinating with good views out to sea.
Visit the pottery and the Museum, which portrays life in the area in the
past.
ANSTRUTHER
is a busy harbour. Visit the Scottish Fisheries Museum, which is located
in some interesting buildings near the harbour. The fishing industry has
been very important to the East Coast of Scotland.
You can take a boat from Anstruther to the ISLE
OF MAY where you can see Scotland's first lighthouse, grey seals
and seabirds including puffins, small birds with colourful beaks that live
in burrows in the ground. It is best to see the puffins in late spring or
early summer, since they will be fishing at sea at other times of the
year. Allow 3 - 5 hours for the boat trip and phone 01333 310103 to check
crossing times, which alter according to the tides and weather conditions.
Tickets are normally available one hour before sailing from the kiosk at
Anstruther Harbour.
PITTENWEEM also
has an interesting harbour. You can see the fishmarket early in the
morning or visit Saint Fillan's Cave
ST. MONANS has an
old church building and a castle on the cliffside. There is also an 18th
century windmill.
ELIE is a pleasant town.
It has a good beach a lighthouse and a tower.
It is also worth turning inland to see the most attractive village of
KILCONQUHAR. When
the Loch is frozen in winter you can see people playing curling here.
Further down the Fife coast you can see caves at WEMYSS. Inscriptions on the walls show that Bronze Age people, the Picts and Norse
folk all used the caves. To see the caves, you should first phone
Kirkcaldy tourist information centre.
Kinshaldy Beach is one of the best, with miles of sand, dunes and the forest. It is a good place to go for a day out or a barbecue. You really need a car or bike to get there. After the Tay Bridge turn towards Tayport and Newport at the first roundabout. Turn right at the T junction and drive through Tayport. You will see a sign to Tentsmuir at a small turning on the left. Follow this road across farmland, turning left at the next junction to Kinshaldy Beach. You will drive some distance through the forest. Because the road is maintained specially for visitors, there is a small charge for the car park at Kinshaldy. Walk across the dunes to the beach. We find this spot is excellent for flying kites. If you go to the edge of the water at low tide, make sure the incoming tide does not cut you off from the beach.
This is a beautiful village, well worth visiting, with many old houses and narrow 16th century streets. The Royal Palace was once a hunting lodge for the Stewart Kings and Queens and is a very attractive building in a beautiful garden. You can see the oldest "Real" (meaning Royal) Tennis court in Britain built for James V in 1539. We enjoyed Falkland a lot. Do go if you can.
Kellie Castle is a most interesting building over 600 years old. We enjoyed the house but the organic garden was also extremely beautiful. This is a pleasant place to visit.
This is an Edwardian mansion house containing collections of French Chippendale furniture, Dutch paintings, Flemish tapestries and Chinese porcelain and bronzes. The house was built for a wealthy Dundee industrialist. The gardens are open all year and you can walk through woodland to fine viewpoints on the hills. Just opposite the Mansion house is SCOTSTARVIT TOWER a 16th century fortified tower house. In summer you can get the keys from the mansion and enjoy the view from the top.
It is possible to watch deer grazing in open fields around the centre. It may be more beautiful and a lot more fun to see the deer in the hills but the Deer Centre provides a chance to get closer to deer than is normally possible. You can also see birds of prey here. The centre is 3 miles from Cupar and open April to October.
This is one of the best places to see marine life. You can walk through a perspex tunnel under the water and see fish and other creatures all around you. It is possible to handle some marine creatures in tanks. The staff are available to tell you about the animals. The whole place is a treasure chest of information. It is at North Queensferry on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.
The Sea Life Centre at Saint Andrews is smaller than Deep Sea World but it is much closer to Dundee. Once again you can see a variety of our marine animals close at hand. Everyone will find these centres interesting but we would specially recommend you visit the Sea Life Centre or Deep Sea World if you have children with you.
This appears to be a traditional Scottish farmhouse. The local people and the contractors who built it did not know that it was the entrance to Scotland's secret nuclear command centre. One hundred feet below ground is a tunnel and a maze of buildings encased in 15 feet of concrete. You can visit the operations room, the air filtering plant, the air force operations and radar room, the central government and nuclear operations room and the BBC studio. The bunker is in the Fife countryside west of Crail and north of Anstruther.
Most years in September the Royal Air Force holds an air show at their base at RAF Leuchars. If you want to see the air show then it is wisest not to attempt to go by road or you may be trapped in heavy traffic. You can buy your ticket in advance together with a return railway ticket and travel by train from Dundee to Leuchars Station.
