Situated at the centre of Dunfermline in W Fife, Dunfermline Abbey stands on a ridge that falls steeply on the south and west to the course of the Tower Burn which flows through Pittencrieff Park. The original Benedictine priory was founded in the 1070s by Queen Margaret on the site of an earlier ch apel of the Celtic Church and in 1128 her son David I extended the building and increased its status by making it an abbey. The western part of the present building is the nave of the Abbey church built by David I between 1128 and 1150. The eastern end, with the tower bearing the words 'King Robert the Bruce', is the new parish kirk that was built on part of the ruins of the old abbey in 1818-21.
  In medieval times the abbey became a major ecclesiastical centre and was the burial place of several Scottish monarchs including Malcolm Canmore, his wife Queen Margaret and Robert the Bruce whose tom b was rediscovered in 1818. Queen Margaret was canonized in 1250 and a chapel and shrine were built at the east end and centre of the abbey. Subsequently in 1303, the abbey was destroyed by Edward I of England who recognised the significance of the site as a focal point of Scottish nationalism. Parti ally rebuilt, it was further damaged during the Reformation in the 16th century.
  The adjacent royal palace of Dunfermline grew out of the guest house of the abbey after its closure during the Reformation and was given as a wedding present to Anne of Denmark by her husband James VI in 1589. Prior to the Union of the Crowns in 1603 Anne of Denmark stayed here from time to time, and in 1600 her son, later to become Charles I, was born here. Today there is a Dunfermline Abbey and Palace Visitor Centre.

  A museum illustrating the social, economic and cultural history of Fife located at the centre of the village of Ceres in West Fife. Opened in 1968, the exhibition is housed within a 17th-century tolbooth and weigh house.

  An Edwardian mansion house with 500 acres of garden, forest and farm land in E Fife, situated near the A916, 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Cupar. Built in 1696 and attributed to Sir William Bruce, the house at Hill of Tarvit was originally called Wemyss Hall. In 1904 it was bought by Mr F.B. Sharp and r ebuilt to a design by Sir Robert Lorimer to form a suitable setting for his collection of French, Chippendale and vernacular furniture, Dutch paintings, Flemish tapestries and Chinese porcelain. In 1949 the property was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland by Miss E.C. Sharp.

  Founded in 1410-12, the 'Town Kirk' in South Street, St Andrews, replaced an earlier parish church which had been situated close to the cathedral. It was drastically altered in 1798-1800 and reconstructed in 1907-9 to a design closer to its original form. In the south transept is a monument of Dutch craftsmanship constructed in the 1680s to the memory of Archbishop James Sharp who was murdered at Magus Muir. Other features include the magnificent pulpit and modern stain glass.

An island in the Firth of Forth off the south coast of Fife opposite Braefoot Bay, separated from the mainland by a stretch of water known as Mortimer's Deep. It was the home of a religious community linked with St Colm or St Columba, the 6th-century abbot of Iona. Alexander I was storm-bound on the island for three days in 1123 and in recognition of the shelter given to him by the hermits promised to establish a monastic settlement in honour of St Columba. Though the king died before the promise could be fulfilled, his brother David I later founded a priory here for monks of the Augustinian ord er. This was eventually erected into an abbey in 1223. The well-preserved abbey and ruins of the 9th-century hermits' cell attract visitors to the island which can be approached by boat from Aberdour and South Queensferry.

  Lying 5 miles (8 km) off the Fife coast, the Isle of May is the largest of the islands of the Firth of Forth. It is 1.5 km long and 0.5 km wide and amongst naturalists is noted for its colonies of seabirds, its migrant birds and its colony of grey seals. Designated a national nature reserve in 1956, i t is now recognised as an important seabird research centre. The island is accessed during the spring and summer when a regular boat service operates from Anstruther and Crail to the landing at Kirkhaven. Weekly stays are possible in the Bird Observatory by prior arrangement.
  Close to the Kirkhave n landing stand the ruins of the Chapel of St Aidan which are all that remain of a priory built in the 12th century and dedicated to the Christian missionary who was killed on the island by marauding Danes in AD 875. The Isle of May was an important religious centre until its monks moved to Pittenweem in the 16th century, but the island remained inhabited until the early 18th century.
  In 1636 Alexander Cunningham built a lighthouse beacon, the first permanently-manned lighthouse in Scotland and in 1844 a subsidiary 'Low Light' was built on the east side of the island. During both World Wars the island was under military occupation and in 1989 the Main Lighthouse became fully automated prior to the ownership of the island passing from the Northern Lighthouse Board to the Nature Conservancy Council, now Scottish Natural Heritage.

  Situated 3 miles (5 km) north of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife, Kellie Castle largely dates from the 16th and early 17th centuries. Mentioned in charter of David I c.1150, Kellie was owned by the Oliphant family from 1360 to 1613 when it was purchased by Sir Thomas Erskine a childhood friend o f James VI who created him Earl of Kellie. Restored by the Lorimer family who bought the castle in the 19th century, the building contains magnificent plaster ceilings, painted panelling and furniture designed by Sir Robert Lorimer. The castle and its organic walled-garden were acquired by the Nationa l Trust for Scotland in 1970.

  The ruins of a foundation of the Benedictine Order established in 1178, situated on the eastern outskirts of Newburgh in North-West Fife. The monks who cultivated fruit growing in the area were ousted during the Reformation in the 16th century. Since then the greater part of the abbey's red sandstone has been plundered for local house building.

A town house in the centre of Auchtermuchty, dating 1597.

  A monument at the western end of The Scores, St Andrews, commemorating the Protestant reformers Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart, Paul Craw, Henry Forrest and Walter Myln who were martyred during the Reformation.

  A 76-acre park in Dunfermline, W Fife, known locally as The Glen, formerly the privately-owned Pittencrieff Estate. In 1902 the house and estate were bought by the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who donated the whole property to the town as a public park. It is said that as a child he had been forbidden to play in the grounds of the lairds of Pittencrieff. Today the beautifully landscaped park has within its bounds a statue of Andrew Carnegie, the Pittencrieff House Museum, the remains of Malcolm Canmore's Tower, nature trails, paddling pools, playgrounds and an animal centre .

  Formed in 1754 as the Royal and Ancient Society of St Andrews Golfers for the purpose of organising an annual competition; the society changed its name to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club 8 years later. In 1854 a clubhouse designed by George Rae was built on the edge of The Links in St Andrews and c. 1897 the Club became the governing body for the game of golf in all countries except the USA, Canada and Mexico. It has a membership of about 1,800.

  An underground nuclear command bunker in the East Neuk of Fife, built by the Government during the Cold War to accommodate 300 people and to withstand nuclear attack. Kept a secret for many years, this is where central government and military commanders would have run the country in the event of a nu clear war. It was opened to the public for the first time in 1995 and comprises a labyrinth of tunnels and operations rooms 100 feet below ground all encased in 15 feet of reinforced concrete.

  A five-storeyed 16th-century keep overlooking the Howe of Fife and situated a mile to the north-west of Craigrothrie in E central Fife. During the early 17th century it was occupied by Sir John Scott of Scotstarvit, a noted antiquarian and topographer who compiled a directory of contemporary politic ians and administrators entitled The Staggering State of Scots Statesmen. The tower was abandoned in 1696.

  A museum overlooking the harbour of Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife. Established in 1969, the museum explores every aspect of the Scottish fishing industry from whaling to salmon fishing and includes some 15 full-size vessels, a restored wheel-house, fisherman's house and fishmonger's shop as well as a large photographic archive.

  Situated between the Kinness Burn and the Canongate on the west side of St Andrews, St Andrews Botanic Garden moved to its present site at Bassaguard ('farm of the priests') in 1960. The original garden just south of St Mary's College in South Street was established in 1889 by Dr John Wilson who laid out beds of plants for university teaching and research. In 1987 the University of St Andrews leased the 18-acre garden to North East Fife District Council.

  Situated on a cliff edge looking out over the North Sea, St Andrews Castle was built c.1200 as a defensive residence for the bishops and, later, archbishops of St Andrews. During 400 years of turbulent history it was destroyed and rebuilt several times but after the Reformation it declined in import ance and much of its stonework was used to rebuild the harbour wall of St Andrews. Interesting features include a bottle dungeon of 1386 and a mine and countermine dating from the siege of 1546-7. There is a visitor centre adjacent to the castle which is open to the public throughout the year.

  Founded in 1160 and consecrated in 1318 in the presence of Robert the Bruce, the building of St Andrews Cathedral established St Andrews as the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland and a major centre of pilgrimage. It stands within the old city wall at the east end of St Andrews and was by far the large st cathedral in Scotland and one of the longest in Britain with a 14-bay nave, five-bay choir and an internal length of 357 feet (109 m). Established as an Augustinian foundation and used for over three centuries, the Cathedral was eventually destroyed by Protestant fanatics in 1559 during the Refor mation.  In its churchyard are the graves of many famous Scots including the sociologist Adam Ferguson, the publisher Robert Chambers and the championship golfer Tommy Morris.

  Located in Kinburn House on Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, the museum explores the history of St Andrews from medieval to modern times. Kinburn House, which was named after a Crimean War battle (Kinporn), was built in 1855 by Sir David Buddo after he retired from the Indian Medical Service. The house and surrounding park were eventually bought by St Andrews Town Council in 1920 and the museum was opened in 1991.

  A local history museum at the east end of North Street, St Andrews, located in a 17th-century pantiled house. Displays include reconstructions of 19th-century grocer's and chemist's shops, furniture, photographs and paintings. The museum was established by the St Andrews Preservation Trust which was founded in 1937 to secure the preservation of the amenities and historic character of St Andrews.

  A cave in the cliff face at Pittenweem ('The place of the cave') associated with St Fillan, an early Christian missionary from Ireland whose bell and crozier are still preserved in the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It was perhaps one of these relics that was carried by the Abbot of Inchaffray into the Battle of Bannockburn after which the Scots attributed their victory to the support of St Fillan. Many miracles of healing were attributed to the saint and to holywells associated with him. One of these wells is to be found within the cave which was rededicated as a shrine in 1935 by the Bis hop of St Andrews and is still a place of worship.

  A cave in the centre of Dunfermline where Queen Margaret came to meditate and pray in the 11th century. Located near the Glen Bridge Car Park and open to the public from Easter to September, it is one of Scotland's Holy Shrines.

  A 35-m-high medieval square tower prominent on the skyline of St Andrews, all that remains of the church of St Regulus or St Rule which was probably built in the 11th century.
It stands immediately south-east of the ruined St Andrews cathedral that succeeded it in the 12th century. The tower is ded icated to the Greek monk St Rule who is said to have brought the relics of St Andrew, Scotland's patron saint, from Patras c. AD345 to prevent them from being taken to Constantinople by the emperor Constantine.

  The West Port or entry to the old burgh dates from 1589 and is the best example of its kind in Scotland. Situated at the west end of South Street, it comprises a central archway flanked by semi-octagonal 'rownds'. It was reconstructed in 1843-45 with the addition of relief panels on either side carryi ng the arms of the city and of David I.

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