The Noble's Guide to Scotland

Should you happen to find yourself with two weeks of nothing to do and a ticket to Scotland,

but unsure of where to go and what to see,

the Farmboy and I have put together this handy dandy guide of our favorite places, activities, tips and general commentary on traveling the land of lochs and legends...

and men with strong, nice looking legs.

{the Farmboy would like to interject that the last one there was all me and he did not say that}

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Part 2: The Kingdom of Fife

The Noble advice for stage 2 of your Scotland trip would be to hop into your rent car and aim it for the Firth of Forth bridge.

{again, good luck fighting the city grid on your way out- especially if there is construction}

Once over that bridge,

and your eyes take in the yellow flower of the gorse shrub everywhere you look,

jump onto the Coastal Trail {aka A921}.

The Coastal Trail will take you through many tiny, quaint fishing towns.

 

  As you pass by the most darling cottages you've ever seen, you will most likely squeal in glee with visions of puttering the rest of your life away in them.

And as you round corners you'll probably squeal again, with eyes closed tight in fear, as your side of the car comes perilously close to the rock wall shouldering the tiny country road, because the driver, unused to driving on the right side of the car, is concerned about grazing the side of the lorry speeding down the opposite lane.

You will tootle through the morning this way, on the Coastal Trail {now aka A921 & Kinghorn Rd} until you come to Kirkcaldy...

where there is a good chance it might just take you two or three tries to get through the multiple round abouts in order to continue on the Coastal Trail {now aka A921 & Esplanade} and then immediately onto A915.  Follow that to A917 on into Pittenweem.

We would also like to advise at this point that is probably a good idea to keep a few snacks in the car so bickering doesn't ensue due to low blood sugar levels.**

And that Kirkcaldy is probably a good place to stop for some lunch...

because by the time you've rolled into Pittenweem one of you may possibly be really, really crabby if you have not invested in those snacks.

However, if all blood sugar levels are a-okay you can probably make it to Pittenweem for lunch without any altercations.

Though there are small restaurants in several of the villages you will pass through on this route, note that most will be closed if you happen to be traveling on a Bank Holiday. 

**See note on snacks.

A hop, skip and a jump from Pittenweem will find you in Anstruther. 

Spending several hours in Anstruther on a daytrip ferry over to the Isle of May,

for a flora and fauna adventure,

is a great place to find yourself on a beautiful, sunny day...

at least that's what we're guessing.

We advise calling ahead to make sure the boats are actually going out to Isle of May instead of just assuming they run everyday and not just on Wednesdays.
Should they not be running, the Scottish Fisheries Museum might just have to do instead.

Anstruther is also a nice place to get "luxury Scottish ice cream". 

The plum cake is a lovely choice.

Eat it outside while walking the pier.  Don't mind the cold and crazy, strong wind.  You can warm up afterwards with a hot cappuccino at the coffee shop across from the pier.

As the day comes to a close we advise staying at a B&B in Crail.
The Hazelton House is a pleasant, cozy stay.

{this is where I got down on my knees and pleaded with the Farmboy to move to Crail}

Before heading out the next morning be sure to take a stroll down the shore path to spend a little time gazing out onto the North Sea.

Afterwards jump back onto the A917, following it all the way into St. Andrews, gasping and yapping on and on about the gorgeousness of the flowering rapeseed fields.

In St. Andrews we advise visiting both St. Andrews Castle and St. Andrews Cathedral.

While at the castle be sure to venture down into the mine/counter mine tunnel if you don't mind small spaces.

And over at the cathedral you might find yourself enthralled with the vast grandness of it... even with only parts and pieces of the architecture still standing.

Activities.

Obviously if you play golf, this is the place to do it, as golf was invented here...
many believe.

Food.

The Glass House Restaurant in St. Andrews.  Nice place for lunch, though the Margarita pizza might not be like what you get at your favorite restaurant at home.

Til next time...

Part 3: Aberdeenshire

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All photos: Farmboy Photography

With the exception of photo one and photo four...

those come to us via A Girl with an iPad Photography

{and if your name is Jemellia, don't judge}

 

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Part 1