Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Elie
Gathered round a curve of golden-brown sand twelve miles south of St Andrews,
ELIE
is a popular escape for middle-class Edinburgh families who come for the bracing air
and golf courses. his was once a popular bathing spot; east of Elie bay stands a tower
built as a summerhouse for Lady Janet Anstruther in the late eighteenth century, with a
changing room to allow her to bathe in a pool in the rocks below.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ELIE
By bus
Buses stop on the High St for Edinburgh (1-2
hourly; 1hr 55min) and St Andrews (2 hourly; 35-40min).
ACTIVITIES
Elie Watersports
Elie Harbour.
T
01333 330962,
W
eliewatersports.com.
Elie's sheltered bay is
understandably popular for watersports and this is the
place to come if you fancy a spin on a windsurfer (£20 per
hour), canoe (£14), sailing boat (£25) or even a fun pedal
boat (£10 per half hour).
June-Aug 10am-6pm.
EATING AND DRINKING
Ship Inn
The Toft, by the harbour
T
01333 330246,
W
www.ship-elie.com.
The essential (and child-friendly)
pub stop in Elie, the
Ship
has low timber ceilings and real
fires, while the beer garden to the rear offers sweeping
views over the golden sandy bay near the harbour. The bar
meals offered here are fresh and tasty if a little
unambitious; haddock in home-made beer batter and
chips for £11, always goes down well.
Mon-Thurs
11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 12.30pm-
midnight. Food Served: Mon-Thurs noon-2.30pm,
6-9pm; Fri & Sat noon-2.30pm, 6-9.30pm; Sun
12.30-3pm, 6-9pm.
8
Central Fife
With its undulating landscape of fertile arable land,
central Fife
has markedly fewer
settlements than its coastline and consequently sees less of the region's tourism. Notable
exceptions to this are
Hill of Tarvitt
, one of the country's finest Edwardian mansion
houses, and
Falkland Palace
, a medieval gem in the heart of Scotland's first conservation
village.
Falkland
sits at the foot of the twin peaked, heather-swathed
Lomond Hills
that
provide a grandstand view of the region from its easily walked ridge between West
Lomond (1696ft) and East Lomond (1378ft).
Falkland
On the eastern margins of the Lomond Hills regional park, ten miles north of
Kirkcaldy, the conspicuously handsome small town of
FALKLAND
is a popular
day-tripping destination thanks to its grand, medieval palace and narrow streets lined
with well-preserved historic buildings.
Falkland Palace
East Port • March-Oct Mon-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm • £12; NTS •
T
01337 857397
A hunting retreat to the Stewart kings for two hundred years, the construction of
Falkland Palace
began at the behest of James IV in 1500, and was completed and
embellished by James V. Charles II stayed here in 1650 when he was in Scotland for
his coronation, but after the Jacobite rising of 1715 and temporary occupation by
Rob Roy the palace was abandoned, remaining so until the late nineteenth century
when the keepership was acquired by the third marquess of Bute. He completely
restored the palace, and today it is a stunning example of early Renaissance
architecture, complete with corbelled parapet, mullioned windows, round towers
and massive walls. Inside there's a stately drawing room, a Chapel Royal (still used
for Mass) and a Tapestry Gallery, swathed with seventeenth-century Flemish
hangings. Outside, the
gardens
have well-stocked herbaceous borders lining a
