attractions in fife, scotland

For a relatively small part of Scotland, Fife has a lot going for it. At the north-east of Fife lies Tentsmuir Beach, a wonderful long beach sticking into the North sea, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

Just down the coast, still in the east of Fife lies St Andrews - which is of course the home of golf and the Old Course at St Andrews is a mecca for golfer wanting to play on the hallowed turf. There are loads more golf courses around St Andrews, including the newly developed St Andrews Bay complex.

St Andrews has a history predating golf though and is one of the oldest learning centres in the UK with St Andrews University dominating much of the town.

Continue south from St Andrews and the next town you discover is Crail, home to one of the prettiest little harbours in the country. Crab and lobster can be bought in season down by the harbour. Crail is also home to Crail Pottery - a delightful pottery that is a pleasure to visit.

Inland a bit from Crail is the Secret Bunker - a deep nuclear shelter with it's roots in the cold war.

Anstruther lies not far west of Crail and is another fishing village, housing the Scottish Fisheries Museum. Almost everyone visiting Anstruther decides to join the queue to sample some of the Fish and Chips from the award winning Anstruther Fish Bar.

A short hop west lies Pittenweem, another beautiful fishing village complete with art galleries and of course the extremely picturesque harbour.

Elie is another town not to miss, with a good safe beach and lots of restaurants, it is perfect on a hot summer's day.

Travel inland in Fife and seek out Falkland - a town built alongside Falkland Palace which was in essence a hunting lodge for the Stuart monarchy.

In west Fife, Dunfermline is worth a visit. Dunfermline is a modern bustling town but at it's heart lies the old abbey, and the bones of King Robert the Bruce. Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline and you can visit his birthplace museum.

Even further west lies Culross, a well preserved village with narrow winding lanes and a lovely old "palace".

For more information on Fife, including where to eat, pub guide etc, try Peter Irvine's excellent book Scotland the Best.

Scotland the Best This guide to the best that Scotland has to offer provides thousands of recommendations covering a multitude of topics including: the best places to stay (whatever your budget); the best beaches; the best ice-cream; the best hill walks; the best bakers; the best spooky places; the best seafood; the best places for kids; and the best ceildhs. This book is a visitor's bible and is probably the most used guide by people who actually live in Scotland.