Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Anstruther Harbour, Fife Coast, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on Anstruther, a charming former fishing village on the Fife Coast and now very popular with tourists.

I invariably inlcude a visit to Anstruther in course of my Scotland tours. Attractions here include:

• Pleasant ambiance arising from a juxtaposition of (a) the old architecture dating back to the fishing port golden days of about 200 years ago (b) the busy marina full of a wide variety of boats and (c) shop attractions including the famous Anstruther Fish Bar which holds awards for the quality of its fish and chips.
• The Scottish Fishweries Museum which is located close to the harbour and provides a comprehensive display of vessels associated with Scotland’s long involvement in the fishing industry.
• Life Boat visitor centre.

Fife Coast Architecture, Anstruther, Scotland

Beach at Anstruther, Fife Coast, Scotland

Anstruther Fish and Chips, Scotland

This morning we departed our Dunkeld lodgings and proceeded as follows:

Dunkeld Cathedral. Historic site on banks of River Tay. As a Christian site dates from 6th century AD with current structure built in 13th C.

View of Dunkeld Cathedral, Scotland

Town Square, Dunkeld, Scotland

St Andrews. Here we visited the Old Course, town centre, Cathedral and Castle. Drove through the town passing various university buildings.

Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland

Cathedral at St Andrews, Scotland

Castle at St Andrews, Scotland

Anstruther. Here we availed of lunch at famous Fish Bar which is ranked as one of Scotland’s top fish and chip shops.

Anstruther Fish Bar, Scotland

Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire. This features on guest’s ancestry trail. A former textile mill town with now just one business in the sector (producing kilts). We spent time in this town finding relevant addresses and generally exploring. Had refreshment at good local cafe.

Ochill Street, Tillicoultry, Scotland

Popular Institute, Ochill Street, Tillicoultry

Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, Scotland

Alva. Another former milltown linked to guest’s ancestry. A brief stop here.

Finally, we got into Edinburgh and checked into lodgings about 6.15pm.

Overall, a productive day aided by clement weather.

Tomorrow we explore Edinburgh.

This evening, I am focusing attention on Lower Largo on the Fife Coast of Scotland. This is one of a string of quaint and historic coastal villages , many with architectural interest and most with distinctive pantile roofs which point to historic trading links with Germany and Holland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

On its own Lower Largo is not as famous as neighbours such as Pittenweem, Anstruther or Crail. However, It does boast a pleasant enough sandy beach but perhaps Lower Largo’s main claim to fame is the ‘Robinson Crusoe’ connection. Few visitors appreciate that the story of Robinson Crusoe was based on the real life exploits of one Alexander Selkirk who was born in 1676 and grew up in Lower Largo. However, Selkirk ran away to sea at age 19, a career which initially proved a success but in 1704 he was put ashore on an uninhabited island off Chile where he stayed until rescued in 1709. Selkirk’s exploits were used as the basis for Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Here is the statue of Selkirk.

Alexander Selkirk Statue, Lower Largo, Fife

Beach scene at Lower Largo

Beach at Lower Largo

I usually call into Lower Largo when taking a tour from Edinburgh up the coast to St Andrews, principally to show guests the Selkirk birth place and statue.

Elsewhere today,  I have:

• Been working on an itinerary for a private Scotland tour for two persons.
• Ditto Clan Tour for next August.
• Responded to enquiry for a prehistory tour of Scotland.

The weather here in Glasgow has been below freezing all day with snow falling this evening.