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Depart Edinburgh at 09.30 and travel north to
South Queensferry, stopping to view the Forth
Bridges overlooking the Firth of Forth. The rail
bridge, on completion in 1890, was hailed as the
"8th wonder of the world". She is made
entirely of steel and is one of the greatest testimonies
to Scottish engineering. North and South Queensferry
are named after Queen Margaret who married the
King of Scotland in the 11th Century. She used
to travel between Edinburgh and Dunfermline by
ferry along this stretch of water. The oldest
part of Edinburgh Castle, St. Margaret's Chapel
is named after her.
From here, we cross over the road bridge and into
the Kingdom of Fife. We travel Eastwards through
Kirkcaldy, the birthplace of Adam Smith, economist
and author of "The Wealth of Nations".
We follow the coastal route along the East Neuk
of Fife passing Lower Largo, home of Alexander
Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe, made famous
in Daniel Defoe's novel. This route is abundant
with traditional fishing villages : Elie, Earlsferry,
Anstruther and Pittenweem with its many caves
once used in the prolific whisky smuggling industry
of the 18th century. We stop at Crail, the most
picturesque of these villages, with plenty of
time to stroll down to the harbour and see the
traditional fishing methods used to catch crabs
and lobsters.
We now continue on our way to St. Andrews, arriving
at approx 12.15. Your driver/guide will take you
through the town, pointing out the many places
of interest. You can be dropped off either in
the town or down at the edge of the Old Course
and have 3 hours free time to explore this ancient
medieval city. A few attractions are the many
golf courses and golf museum, the vast Norman
cathedral dating from the 12th century, St. Andrews
castle (15th century), Deep sea world with the
many sea creatures of the region, and of course
the town itself, home to Scotland's oldest university.
There are many good shops, restaurants and cafes
here. St. Andrews is the home of golf and you
can take a walk along the hallowed turf of the
Old Course where the annual Dunhill Cup is played,
or take an exhilarating stroll along the white
sandy beach that was used in the film "Chariots
of Fire".
At 15.15 the tour continues inland to Falkland,
home to an amazing Royal Palace that was the favourite
residence of King James V, father of Mary Queen
of Scots. You can visit the palace with it's beautiful
gardens and the oldest real tennis court in the
world.
After spending an hour here, we return to Edinburgh
through the Lomond Hills. We pass Scotlandwell,
where Robert the Bruce used the water to cure
his leprosy. Also driving along Loch Leven where
Mary Queen of Scots was held in captivity, before
escaping and fleeing to England only to be imprisoned
by her cousin Elizabeth I and be-headed 19 years
later. Back over the Forth Road Bridge and arrive
approx 18.00 hrs.
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5
Day Tour
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