The ‘Kingdom’ of Scotland: A Weekend in Fife
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Scotland’s ‘Kingdom’ of Fife is steeped in history, the royal moniker stuck since the days when all Scotland was divided into Pictish kingdoms. Nowadays it’s loyal subjects are more likely to be interested in golf, beaches, farming and, er, golf. There’s proper fish’n’chips by the sea, and one world class restaurant.
Food fit for a king in fact.
OK. WE’RE HERE.
Fife’s bracing coastline, wide open space, and endless golf courses have all but eclipsed the area’s historic importance. The main town Dunfermline was once Scotland’s capital, before Edinburgh took over, and Alexander Selkirk, better known as Robinson Crusoe, started life here, as did Andrew Carnegie, before setting off for fame and fortune elsewhere. Kirkaldy manufactured enough linoleum to floor the entire British Empire and there were huge mines, large dockyards and heavy industry employing thousands of people.
Nowadays, Fife is less industrialised, attracting travellers to countryside where farm tracks and lanes lead you to small villages and neat little harbours by the sea.
Fife’s small hamlets may be attractive to the eye, but they do have the oddest names. Pitscottie, Pittenweem, Kippo, Upper Carnbee and Pittarthie are just a few from hundreds which are mimicked (with an approximation of the local dialect) by other Scots to their eternal amusement. Fortunately, Fifers are blessed with a sense of humour too. Books from the friendly public library in Cupar (free internet if you join!) throw light on a rich mix of ancient Gaelic and Pictish names peculiar to the region. More illuminating is a walk around the perfectly preserved village of nearby Ceres, which shows how life was way back when and houses the Fife Folk Museum too.
The coastline is dominated by St Andrews (see separate entry) but the villages of the “East Neuk” should be found and visited.
How to get here
The “Kingdom” has one watery border to the north (the River Tay) and one to the South (the River Forth) which means as long as you can get to Dundee or Edinburgh you only have to cross a bridge.
Trains and flights to Edinburgh are many and varied but one of the least known is from London City by Air France – which also serves Dundee (by the way, Air France has a cool desktop widget with travel reviews from, ahem, other websites. Anyway, it's nice to see an airline dip its toe into the 21st century). London City has its own DLR station so tube travel from Central London is easy.
Edinburgh Airport has all the car hire companies including Arnold Clark, the large Scottish chain, who serve Dundee as well.
STAY WHERE?
The area's carpeted with cheap and cheerful lodgings but there is one singularly special place in the middle of nowhere. "The Peat Inn" is a restaurant whose bedrooms were created to meet the needs of diners downstairs who didn’t want to drive home. It’s welcomed the great and the good through it’s doors for more than 30 years – from Fife locals to Hollywood A list - and is actually very easy to find, since the village itself is called Peat Inn too (what a coincidence!) and is signposted for miles around. It’s a short drive from either St Andrews or Cupar.
The ambience is informal and warm (a welcoming decanter of sherry awaits) but the accommodations are striking. Rooms include split level suites, downstairs to a big comfy bed, a modern bathroom and windows overlooking the garden, and upstairs to a sitting room/study with flatscreen TV and large picture windows overlooking neighbouring farmland.
It was originally created by David Wilson and his wife who won Scotland's first Michelin star in the restaurant, but who’ve now moved on. The new young owner Geoffrey Smeddie is behind the stove, (see below) and his wife Katherine has moved things forward in the rooms. Cynics declare that there is only one reason to go to Fife - to stay and dine at The Peat Inn. How dare they!
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