Wherever you are from, we wish you a warm welcome from Citylocal Fife, ‘the business directory in Fife’ based near the Royal Burgh and City of Dunfermline and covering all the ancient Kingdom.
WELCOME to the Kingdom of Fife!
If you are visiting Fife by road from the North or South, then we apologise for taking your money for the privilege of crossing the bridge(s); and rest assured we wouldn’t do that if Dunfermline were still the Capital of Scotland instead of the young upstart, Edinburgh. It does however indicate that the Scottish Parliament places more value on Fife than Edinburgh.
Dunfermline is a city with many easily accessible and interesting attractions, from its ancient 12th-century Abbey to the restored 15th-century Abbot House where you can enjoy a snack and drink in its cosy café, or you can choose to explore the bustling High Street and once you have finished your retail therapy you can relax and absorb the atmosphere in ‘Oolahs’, a modern and well appointed café in the High Street.
Andrew Carnegie the world famous industrialist and philanthropist was born in Dunfermline in 1835, and as you explore the City you will find his ‘ghost’ is everywhere, no more so than in his family home, a humble weaver’s cottage which been preserved and extended to include a museum of his life.
Only a few minutes drive from Dunfermline, you will find several villages worth visiting, Culross (another Royal Burgh) to the West, is in my view the most interesting, and when you walk along the narrow cobbled streets you can imagine yourself back in the 16th or 17th century. The village is kept in first class order, and the pan-tiled houses with their crow-step gables have been sympathetically restored. There is plenty to see and do for both adults and children, and if time is short I would suggest that your priority is The Palace (built between 1597 and 1611) which was the home of Sir George Bruce, an enterprising merchant and coal baron. Its original interiors feature some magnificent painted woodwork and ceilings, and it has mediaeval gardens to the rear. The Palace has its own first class tea rooms, and ‘The Red Lion‘, a local pub, has an excellent restaurant with a varied and very reasonably priced menu.
Limekilns and Charlestown although not on the same scale as Culross are also both picturesque coastal villages, with their own character and history, and are well worthy of a visit, especially in the summer months. There is a good selection of beer and meals available at the ‘Ship Inn’ in Limekilns, and ‘The Elgin Hotel’ in Charleston is also worth a visit.
In our next edition we will cover the towns of Aberdour, Burntisland, Inverkeithing Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy as we move up towards the East Neuk on the way to St Andrews.
