Note: This blog post has been delayed because Craggendorrach Hilton in Ballater chose to solve their internet complaints by eliminating Wi-Fi., and punish the customers rather than solve the internet reliability issue. Juvenile decision-making if you ask me; just like the US Congress.
Fife: a county of Scotland consisting of the peninsula of land between the Firth of Tay on the north to the Firth of Forth on the south and from the North Sea on the East inland to Dunfermline and the M90 motorway. The Kingdom of Fife contains the Home of Golf, the city of St Andrews, and a multitude of great golf courses, such as the Old Course, Kingsbarns, Crail Balcomie, Leven, Lundin, and a plethora of lesser known courses. This post is an accounting of a week Anne and I spent in the Kingdom of Fife on this trip.
Our move from our B&B home at Merlindale in Crieff (central Scotland) to Fife began inauspiciously. Five miles away from Crieff I remembered that we hadn’t brought copies of our books that we would need to give to golf courses we were scheduled to play. Back track, start over. Our drive to our new digs in time share was only about an hour and a half which left plenty of time for sightseeing.
We wanted to tour the abbey at Balmerino, but found the structure was fenced off as too unstable for safety. Next was a visit to the village of Leuchars, home to an RAF base, to find a cup of tea and more importantly a public toilet. The only tea room open was a hole-in-the-wall so small it had no public facility. No toilet meant no tea.
We toured a local church (St Athernase) with interesting architecture instead. We found toilets and lunch--in different rooms--at The Balgove Larder just outside of St Andrews.
In St Andrews, after watching a couple of golf matches tee off on the Old Course, it was a quick tour of the huge ruined St Andrews Cathedral and a latte in the local Starbucks. Late that afternoon we checked in to our Unit 8 at Kilconquhar Castle (pronounced kil-con-ker).
The apartment had three bedrooms upstairs and kitchen, dining, and living room downstairs. All Five Star! This would be our home for a week.
We wanted to tour the abbey at Balmerino, but found the structure was fenced off as too unstable for safety. Next was a visit to the village of Leuchars, home to an RAF base, to find a cup of tea and more importantly a public toilet. The only tea room open was a hole-in-the-wall so small it had no public facility. No toilet meant no tea.
We toured a local church (St Athernase) with interesting architecture instead. We found toilets and lunch--in different rooms--at The Balgove Larder just outside of St Andrews.
In St Andrews, after watching a couple of golf matches tee off on the Old Course, it was a quick tour of the huge ruined St Andrews Cathedral and a latte in the local Starbucks. Late that afternoon we checked in to our Unit 8 at Kilconquhar Castle (pronounced kil-con-ker).
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| Kilconquhar Castle with our unit on the left side. |
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| Our bedroom in Castle Unit 8. |
The apartment had three bedrooms upstairs and kitchen, dining, and living room downstairs. All Five Star! This would be our home for a week.
Our first day on Fife started with a round at Charleton Golf and Country Club in the village of Colinsburgh.
The course, owned by Baron St Clair Bonde, provides employment opportunities for locals and stress-free golf for visitors. After golf we drove along the southern coast of the peninsula looking for photo opportunities in the small harbours of St Monans and Pittenweem.
The course, owned by Baron St Clair Bonde, provides employment opportunities for locals and stress-free golf for visitors. After golf we drove along the southern coast of the peninsula looking for photo opportunities in the small harbours of St Monans and Pittenweem.
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| Pittenweem Harbour |
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| St Monan's Harbour |
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| St Monan's Harbour |
Monday’s golf was more challenging (but still fun) at the Open qualifying course Scotscraig in Tayport on the Firth of Tay coast.
The links course is lovely and has some very tough holes. Near Tayport is an interesting church in the hamlet of Kirkton of Barns.
The small kirk is picturesquely sited on a hill and displays some fascinating gargoyles and grotesques. A drink before dinner in the castle’s White Cockade Bistro provided a relaxing break.
Tuesday’s golf--yes, this trip is really about golf--was at a course new to us. Dunnikier Park GC in Kirkcaldy is a very enjoyable municipal course.
Not nearly as tough as Scotscraig, Dunnikier Park proved to be a fun track--enough of a test to be interesting, yet easy to get around even the first time. For dinner that evening we drove down to the harbour at Anstruther to enjoy the award winning fish and chips from the Anstruther Fish Restaurant.
On weekends lines will be two hours long for eating in and an hour long for take-away. The fish and chips is that good.
The rest of the week in Part 2.
Not nearly as tough as Scotscraig, Dunnikier Park proved to be a fun track--enough of a test to be interesting, yet easy to get around even the first time. For dinner that evening we drove down to the harbour at Anstruther to enjoy the award winning fish and chips from the Anstruther Fish Restaurant.
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| Anstruther Fish Restaurant |
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| Anstruther Harbour at night. |
The rest of the week in Part 2.
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