Looking for information on Fife area

ailey

We would like to go through to Fife area possibly some time in the first half of July. Having never been to this area, I'm not sure which town would be best. I thought St Andrew's but have looked at some of Google images and not sure from that. Some nice buildings and ruins but would like to know what else there is to do if we came through for 3 or 4 nights. Can someone please advise me which of the towns would be best to stay in and is there a train service between the other towns or a good bus service? Not looking for a lot to do but things like museum, nice restaurants and some decent shops (hubby doesn't like shopping too long, same as most men lol) and a few other things of interest and maybe a cinema for the evening. Appreciate any help given. Cheers. Ailey :beer:

avasgranny

Hi there ailey. I would suggest St Andrews for your break. We have a brilliant museum courtesy of the university, a cinema, sealife centre, lots of different wee shops - not the usual town ones although we do have Tesco's, New Look, H & M, Boots. Of course we also have the 2 brilliant beaches. I work in a local Hotel and we always have people through to stay for a wee break, luckily they are not all here for the golf! Everyone says how much they love the town, restaurants, bars etc. There is a local train station at Leuchars then a very regular bus service to St Andrews. If I can help you more give me a shout.

ailey

Hi Avasgranny - Many thanks for all the information about St Andrews. Sounds just what we would like: a brilliant museum, cinema and even a sealife centre (which we love), also love when a town has some different wee shops to the normal malls. So no train service to St Andrews? That's surprising though but as long as there is a good bus service. Can you please help me again by telling me how long it takes by bus from Leuchars to St Andrews. Also could you advise me on any middle of the road (pricewise) hotels. I like nice hotels but don't like paying over the top either. As long as it's nice, clean and safe as we're only sleeping there really. Very much appreciate your help. It's always great when someone with local knowledge helps. Thanks again. Ailey :T

purplerose

You're also not too far from Dundee City Centre where there's shopping, nice places to eat, the science centre, HMS Discovery etc. Easy to get to by bus from St Andrews too. In Fife itself I'm told Pittenweem is very nice, my partner and I plan to head out that way in a few weeks. My work colleagues also reliably inform me that Anstruther is the place to visit for the best fish and chips ever!!

ailey

Thanks purplerose. I've copied your information also onto the page(s) I'm compiling to take with me. I've never been to Fife area so every piece of information is welcome. Many thanks again for taking the time to pass this on. :beer:

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I would suggest travelling up the Fife coast along Pittemweem, Elie, Anstruther etc.. gorgeous little 'sea-side' towns with lovely expanses of beaches and little cafes/arts galleries. Have lunch in Anstruther at the world famous fish and chips http://www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk/ there are nice farm shops along the way as well. Approximately ½ mile west of St Monans are the remains of the once great Newark Castle, a 16th century manor that has since fallen to ruin through cliff erosion. There's loads to see. There is a really big fair on with rides and games at Burntisland too, which is before the other places on the coast http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=burntisland+fair&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-Address&prmd=imvns&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1192&bih=519&wrapid=tlif134104660666710&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

There is also Dunfermline, http://www.dunfermlineabbey.co.uk/ which dates back to 800 AD where the King of Scotland once 'sat'.

enjoy!

ailey

Thanks very much for your information, GoldenJill. We will be going through by train so, depending on bus service may get to some of the places mentioned. Just wondering if there are any local bus companies who run tours around the nearby towns. Thanks again and I've added to my pages as it's always useful to take this information with us to refer to when away. Cheers. Ailey

avasgranny

ailey wrote: »

Hi Avasgranny - Many thanks for all the information about St Andrews. Sounds just what we would like: a brilliant museum, cinema and even a sealife centre (which we love), also love when a town has some different wee shops to the normal malls. So no train service to St Andrews? That's surprising though but as long as there is a good bus service. Can you please help me again by telling me how long it takes by bus from Leuchars to St Andrews. Also could you advise me on any middle of the road (pricewise) hotels. I like nice hotels but don't like paying over the top either. As long as it's nice, clean and safe as we're only sleeping there really. Very much appreciate your help. It's always great when someone with local knowledge helps. Thanks again. Ailey :T

Hi ailey, bur journey from Leuchars to St A is about 10 mins. Unfortunately we don't have a rail station anymore. The Hotel I work in is the Ardgowan, you can look up reviews on Trip Advisor. If you don't want to stay at ours then there are lots of other hotels, guest houses etc. x

wifefaefife

Hi,

St Andrews is a great place, I love it. The hotels are expensive, you might want to look for a smaller hotel or a B&B. I would reccomend the Apex hotel in Dundee if you are looking for a hotel with a pool but not as expensive as the St Andrews hotels. St Andrews does have a community swimming pool too. I hope you get some nice weather went you come.

ailey

Hi avasgranny - 10 mins by bus - that's great! I'll have a wee look at the Ardgowan Hotel and see what other ones also are suitable pricewise and location wise. A lot of them I looked at yesterday seemed to be KY16. Would that be the centre of town as I thought most towns started with a '1' in the postcode? Just so that I know how far out they might be. Good reviews for the Ardgowan but a bit pricey so I need to keep looking at what else is available. I'll need to have a look and see if there are flats and cottages available and how they compare as we could make our own breakfast and be eating out at night anyway. Our son could always come through for a wee break if we did this too and maybe our other son in Edinburgh if he could get some time off work although he's just stated a new job. Thanks again avasgranny for all your help. Very much appreciated.

Hi wifefaefife - How long does it take to get from Dundee to St Andrews by bus as we are coming through by train? I've checked out some hotel prices in St Andrews and they are very expensive. I'll have a wee look tomorrow at Dundee hotels and also check more thoroughly for smaller St Andrews hotels and B&Bs. As above, I'll see if I can find any website which offer cottages and flats which we could maybe rent for one week to maybe give our son/sons a break also. We planning on coming through for 3 nights if it's a hotel we book or a week if we can get a flat or cottage for a reasonable price. We'll be coming through anytime from 4 July as long as we're home again for 17 July. Is there anything on during this time which would be good to see? We don't need a swimming pool so not too bothered if the hotel doesn't have this. Again, many thanks wifefaefife (like your MSE forum name lol) for all your help and any more would be very much appreciated.

Cheers to you both from ailey x

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Use this website to plan your journey by public transport
http://www.travelinescotland.com/journeyplanner/enterJourneyPlan.do?hss=gRS3K77942854


or google maps to check distances