5 REASONS TO VISIT FIFE

The Kingdom of Fife is of course well known as the mecca for golfers and St Andrews and the famous Old course are the spiritual home of the sport. Scotland’s oldest and most distinguished university is also located in this seaside town, along with a ruined castle and a myriad of shops & restaurants, like the Dolls house, the seafood restaurant (in a glass box) and our favorite, the Grange Inn just outside the town.

There is also the award winning Peat inn and the Balgove larder at Strathtyrum.  A cookery demo at Kemback House, a stunning mansion near St Andrews is another fun way to learn about the local cuisine. When considering a visit to Fife, please remember that it has a lot to offer and is a wonderful base from which to explore Perthshire, Angus and of course Edinburgh, which are all within easy reach. Below is a small selection of things to do whilst in the area, which LTR can arrange for you during your stay.

The fishing villages of East Neuk are always among the most popular in Scotland and each has along with the obligatory links golf course, a lovely fishing harbor and a lot of very attractive seaside houses, which are now hugely sought after as vacation homes. There are some great pubs like the Ship Inn in Elie and the lobster shack in Crail.  Anstruther has Scotland’s most famous fish & chip shop, although I believe Cromars in St Andrews has stolen this accolade. Pittenweem is my favorite of the fishing villages but they are all great to visit.  If based in Fife, a lovely way to soak in the local area is to head over to spend a day on Goldenloch at Lindores with John Nicol, the guru of the local fishing scene.

You will be kitted out and sent off on a boat but for those who need some instruction there is no one better in the whole country than Brian McGlashan, who fishes all over the world but LTR can arrange for him to give fly casting lessons.

If you are lucky enough to be staying at this stunning mansion near St Andrews, a croquet lesson on the lawns with some local pros is a great way to spend a couple of hours and improve your game at the same time (or not) if the Pimms is flowing.  LTR can also arrange for the wonderful Adrian from Phoenix falconry to bring over a few of his birds of prey and give a one hour demonstration.

This is a real treat and Adrian is a very colorful character. The birds may get distracted by others in the area but they always return eventually and their handler’s skill is remarkable. Guests are allowed to handle the birds and the children always love experiencing this. Across into Perthshire at Coupar Angus is the Scottish Fresian center, run by Janine and this is a wonderful place where guests can go out on these magnificent horses. They are huge, very strong and really only suited to very experienced riders.

The area has many famous houses & castles which we arrange for our guests to visit including Glamis castle, the childhood home of the late Queen mother and the setting for Macbeth, Falkland Palace, where the bishops resided, Lorimer’s Kellie Castle and the gothic Scone Palace, the great seat of the Mansfield family. Gardens we often recommend include the formal Drummond Castle and the more informal ones at the House of Pitmuies. Edinburgh is an easy drive from Fife and of course the city has a myriad of museums, galleries, cobbled squares and ancient streets to explore and many fine restaurants to sample, Timberyard and the Scran & Scallie being our current two favorites. We hope you will allow us to help you explore Fife and central Scotland.

Please call Andrew on + 44 (0) 1835 824642 or emailAndrew@ltrcastles.com to find out more about things to do in Fife and where to stay.