The land of Fife was formerly home to Scottish monarchs and is still home to Scotland’s ancient capital Dunfermline. It has a long coastline with rocky crags, sandy beaches and impressive views, as well as rolling countryside and historic towns and villages in its interior. Of course, one of the highlights is the town of St Andrews with its age-old university and the famous golf courses, but there is plenty to see and do throughout this region, still known by some as the Kingdom of Fife.

Scotland is famous for its golfing heritage and passion, and the region of Fife is no different; in fact, there are no fewer than 40 golf courses dotted around the region, culminating in the impressive St Andrews Old Course, used for The Open Championships on a regular basis. Fife is ideal for active, action-packed holidays as well as relaxing breaks thanks to its water sports, its scenic coastal areas and picturesque fishing villages.

The country is also known for its numerous castles and there are several of these, as well as other historic buildings, around the region. Among the favourites are Ravenscraig Castle, Balgonie Castle, Kellie Castle and St Andrews Castle, while other opportunities for some sight-seeing come in the form of Dunfermline Abbey, the palace at Culross, the ruins of Falkland Palace, Dysart Harbour and the Cathedral and St Rules’ Tower at St Andrews.

The Fife peninsula juts out between the Firth of Tay to the north and the Firth of Forth to the south. Just over the bridge to the north is the city of Dundee, while to the south, over the famous Forth Road and Rail bridges, is national capital Edinburgh. Fife covers a fairly small area and is just 50 miles wide at its widest point. It also encompasses a number of islands which are home to a mass of birds. Among them is the Isle of May which you can reach by boat. Some 360,000 Fifers live in the region, and the largest settlements are Kirkaldy, Dunfermline and Glenrothes.

The Kingdom of Fife has developed a pedigree for political leaders in recent years, with both Gordon Brown and Menzies Campbell from constituencies in the region. Meanwhile, on a different note, two major festivals take place in Fife each year; they are the Fife Music Festival and the Stanza Poetry Festival.