Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Fife is not closely associated with any one particular monarch, though it has been the home of various Clan chiefs over the years. It is however still a very rewarding area to visit, with fine beaches, gardens, and castles. The tour will start from Memorial Gardens, Leeman Road at 8.00 a.m. En-route to our hotel in Kinross, we shall call at the Falkirk Wheel – the modern-day solution to changing levels for canal boats. Close by the Wheel are the remains of some of the fortifications of the Roman Antonine Wall. We then move to the Royal Burgh of Culross where 16th and 17th century buildings have survived in a time warp and where much of the unique town is now preserved and in the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). On Day 2 we visit Falkland Palace (NTS), once a favoured place of retreat and leisure for the Stuart monarchs of Scotland. Amongst other things the interior is noted for tapestries and Stuart portraits. Outside there are attractive gardens and reputedly the oldest Royal Tennis court in Britain, built for James V in 1539. Fishing has traditionally been very important along the Fife coastline and we shall visit the Scottish National Fishing museum at Anstruther, where in an extensive series of converted cottages all aspects of the local fishing industry are displayed. Our third visit will be to ancient Kellie Castle with its beautiful panelling and fine plasterwork ceilings. There is also a pleasant walled garden. Day 3 will be a day of options with opportunities to join an included tour round the beautiful scenery of the Trossachs, or to take the hourly bus service to Edinburgh (not included in tour costs) to see some of the many attractions there, or simply to have a day of leisure at Kinross. On Day 4 we have a conducted tour of Glamis Castle, once home to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. After that we move to Dundee, one-time centre of whaling, jute, and marmalade. There we visit Discovery Point to tour Scott’s polar research ship Discovery and view the adjacent museum which explains about his Antarctic expeditions. We shall also visit Verdant works, the last preserved jute works in Dundee, to learn about this once very important industry. If weather and time permit we may also spend a while relaxing in the pleasant surroundings of Dundee University Botanic Gardens. On our final day we shall visit Rosslyn Chapel, a small church whose interior stonework is almost completely covered by intricate carving. In recent years it has shot to fame through being mentioned in the best-selling “DaVinci Code” book as containing clues to a conspiracy. Moving south then to Floors Castle, seat of the Dukes of Roxburgh, and claiming to be the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. There we shall tour the castle and see its splendid contents and also have some lunch. After lunch we drive through the Lowlands for a stop at the historic town of Alnwick. Its castle and gardens are the home of the Percy family, while the old railway station now houses what is reputedly the largest second-hand bookshop in Britain. After Alnwick we drive directly to York.