Guide to Fife, Scotland

Introduction

Fife, often referred to as the "Kingdom of Fife" lies on the east seashore of Scotland, north of Edinburgh. The county is immediately recognizable as it's shaped like a dog's head. The southern portion of the state was industrialised in the past with many coal ours and factories. Much of the heavy industry have now disappeared. St Roy Chapman Andrews and the fishing small towns of the East Neuk prevarication in the North east corner of the county. A great manner to see the seashore is to walk the Fife Coastal Path.

Getting there

The railroad line North from Edinburgh travels along the Fife seashore to Kirkcaldy and then the line travels inland towards Cupar and North to Dundee. So the South seashore of Fife is ideal for a scenic twenty-four hours trip by railing from Edinburgh. If you desire to research Fife Iodine would counsel that you engage a auto if you desire to fully research the area. It takes less than one-half an hr to drive to Fife from Edinburgh Airport.

Culross

Culross is one of those small towns where you almost experience like you have got stepped back in time. As you walk into the small town from the auto parkland you come up to the Town House, originally constructed in 1626, although the clock tower was added in 1783. The Town House was the former Centre of local authorities with the land flooring was used as a prison house and suspected enchantresses were kept separately in the attic. Outside the Town House is the Tron, the functionary burgh weighing beam. Many of the streets in the small town are still cobbled. It's a short walking uphill to the Study, built in 1610 used by visiting clergy. Opposite the Survey is the Mercat Cross, dating from 1588, the land site of trading and public announcements.

Culross Palace is close by, resplendent in ochre. It was built in the late 16th century as as place to Sir Saint George Bruce, a affluent local merchant. The castle and garden have got been carefully restored. The garden incorporates works which would have got been grown in the 17th century, root veggies such as as as Sium sisarum (a H2O parsnip), and achromatic salsify (black salisfy) and fruit trees such as wild medlar (a little brownish apple like fruit, only comestible when partly decayed) and quince bush (a cross between an apple and a pear usually do into jams and jelly). There are lovely positions over the garden and castle and out over the Forth Estuary from the top terrace. Sir David David Bruce stood up on this patio to detect activity in the harbour, seeing his luck ever increasing from the exportation of coal and salt to the Low Countries and the Baltic.

Much of Sir Bruce's wealthiness derived from the Moat Pit dug to pull out coal from under the estuary, the first clip that coal was mined from under the sea. A mine shaft was dug from an unreal island created in the water, where ships could dock to immediately transport the coal. The saltwater was extracted by a Equus caballus driven concatenation of buckets. Some of the coal was used locally to vaporize H2O from big salt pans, measuring more than than 5.5 meters across, to bring forth salt. It took 16 dozens of coal to bring forth one short ton of salt. Sir David Bruce was not the first to mine coal in Culross. The Trappist monastics of Culross Abbey, founded in 1217 started the industry. The monastics also produced illuminated manuscripts.

Kirkcaldy area

Kirkcaldy is the place of birth of Adam Smith, initiation father of modern economics. I like Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, it's small but interesting. It is a aggregation of pictures by the Scots Colourists and a local history exhibition. William Henry Beveridge Park have lovely gardens and boating pond.

Dysart lies to the North of Kirkcaldy. "Sea Beams" by Donald Urquhart, is a new installing at the sea front, with 9 perpendicular oak beams painted to reflect the varying colors of the sea, portion of the Dysart Artworks Initiative. The achromatic houses of Pan Ha' day of the month back to the 16th century but were restored by the National Trust in the 1960s. The Tollbooth at Dysart Crosss was built in 1576 but unfortunately is now surrounded by rather dingy blocks of flats.

Just south of Kirkcaldy are the littler coastal towns of Kinghorn and Burntisland. Just outside Kinghorn is the statue is memory of King Alexanders 111 of Scotland, who drop to his decease when his Equus caballus slipped on the rocks. Alexanders was rushing to his bride, Yolande at Kinghorn Castle. It's said the shade of Yolande scours the country searching for her lost love. Burntisland was granted position as a royal burgh since 1541 owed to the importance of its harbour. You can climb up up the Bin Hill just behind the town for some great views.

Falkland

Falkland is a charming small town which lies at the ft of East Lomond, one of the three Lomond hills. The small town is packed with history and it was named a Royal Burgh by Jesse James 11 in 1458. Falkland Palace was built on the land site of Falkland Palace in the 15th century. I love the scene of the castle with the direct contrast of the formal gardens against the dorsum driblet of the hill. The Royal Tennis Court built in 1539 for Jesse James V, is the oldest lawn tennis tribunal in the UK. It's real lawn tennis that played here with a more than composite scoring system than the current game. The mark lines are adorned with pictures of crowns. Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have got created a great stir when she abandoned her stiff skirt to wear knee breeches to play here. The tribunal is still used by a local club. The whole small town is pretty with restored "Little Houses" used as abodes or concern premises. There are a couple of good tearooms, Kynd Kittocks and the Hayloft.

I would urge that you travel up East Lomond. Hill It only takes about an hr to ascend and descent as there is a auto parkland with field day benches and lavatories one-half manner up. There' s a good way to the acme and the bird's-eye positions over the Forth Estuary are great. You'll see a brownish mark for the auto parkland at the wayside on the A912 just east of Falkland.

Ceres

Ceres is a small town in cardinal Fife, a few statute miles south east of Cupar. It's a lovely small town with a watercourse running through it. The small town is very well cared for with flower bathtubs beside "The Provost", a 19th century carved rock word picture of the last Christian church provost, Seth Thomas Buchanan. Ceres is place to the Fife Folk Museum, which portrays the history of mundane rural life in the area. The museum website looks to be down at present but you can reach them by telephone on 01334 828180 to check up on gap hours.

I was intrigued by the Bannockburn Memorial in Ceres as the Battle of Bannockburn was fought near Stirling, some 50 statute miles from Ceres. However respective work force from Ceres did March to take portion in the Battle in 1314. The Memorial was erected in 1914 to tag the 600th day of remembrance of the Battle. The Ceres Highland Games, the oldest free to go to Games in Scotland were established in 1314, to tag triumph against the English at Bannockburn, are held on the last Saturday in June. I inquire how those involved in the creative activity of the Memorial would have got felt if they had known of the bloodletting that was to follow in the First World War, starting in the same year?

The Griselda Hill Pottery in the small town bring forths the celebrated Wemyss Ware, manus painted giftware, best known for its cats. There's a visitant Centre where you can watch a DVD about the clayware and detect the throwers and painters at work through a glass door. It's a very interesting narrative as Wemyss ware was originally made in Wemyss on Fife seashore between the 1880s and 1930s. One of the painters, Karel Nekola, came from Eastern Europe and his son, Joseph, followed in his Father's footsteps. When the Wemyss clayware closed and the hallmark was sold to the Bovey Pottery in Devon, Chief Joseph moved to Devon. where he trained Esther Weeks, who became the Head Interior Designer when Chief Joseph died in 1952. The production of Wemyss Ware returned to Fife in the 1980s when the trade grade was purchased by Griselda Hill. However Esther Weeks have visited the Ceres clayware and passed on the secret picture techniques. Display cabinet at the Griselda Hill Pottery

St Roy Chapman Roy Chapman Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife

St Andrews as an interesting history. Evidently the Grecian monastic St Rule was visited by an angel, wo advised him to take the castanets of St Saint Andrew from Stambul to the ends of the earth. St Rule followed this advice but was shipwrecked on his journeying to the ends of the Earth with the stays of St Andrew, on the east seashore of Fife, near the present twenty-four hours St Andrews. St Andews Palace was the chief abode of the Bishops of St Roy Chapman Andrews since the 12th century. It was the administrative Centre of the Christian church in Scotland. You can see the ill-famed "Bottle Dungeon", a cavity dug 6 meters into the rock. accessible lone by a trap door.

The university was founded in 1411 and is the oldest in Scotland. The inheritor to the British throne, Prince William, was a pupil there. He have sometimes been spotted in the local supermarket or playing a unit of ammunition of golf. The 15th century was certainly a very busy time, as it is said that golf game was first played in the town. The town now hosts the British golf game museum, which is just behind the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse. However there is a batch more to the town than golf. There are two lovely aureate farinaceous beaches, great for an invigorating walk

The country just south of St. Roy Chapman Andrews is known as the east neuk of Fife. There are numerous little fishing villages, such as as Crail, Anstruther and Elie, popular with people during the Summer. All the small towns are picturesque and as they're fold together you can drive from one to the adjacent in a few minutes.

Kellie Palace lies two statute miles inland from Pitenweem. I haven't managed to see the inside of the palace yet but I love the peaceful walled garden there. The garden was described as " a small pleasance of the psyche by whose wicket the World can be close out" by one of the former owners, Sir Robin Lorimer.