Fife and Belfast

Dunfermline is definitely growing on us. Not only has it kept its historical attractions, it still retains a lot of those well-known high street stores that many cities have lost in recent years. Mix in all of the little artisan shops and tearooms and it’s a very pleasant combination.

The jewel in the city’s crown is the 12th century Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. As Scotland’s capital for 400 years, it is no surprise that the remains of many Scottish royals are buried here, including Saint Margaret and Robert the Bruce. To avoid the risk that someone might overlook the connection to the world’s most famous cobweb watcher, the words “KING ROBERT THE BRUCE” are spelt out at the top of the tower in 4-feet high letters. Ye cannae miss them.

The adjacent grounds at Pittencrieff park are another gem, especially when the sun is shining. We had a lovely walk down to the bottom and back up again with a stop for a bite to eat. Highly recommended.

Meadhbh and Jamie stay near Loch Fitty, part of the Fife Pilgrim Way that wends for 64 miles between Culross Abbey and St. Andrews. The route follows the causeway across the loch and we can say we’ve walked this Scottish camino – just not very much of it!

We are used to seeing the fisherman sitting expectantly on the bank, relaxed in the knowledge that they don’t need a licence. It was the first time , however, that we’d come across inflatable windsurfing, which must make it so much easier to transport and raise the sail after you fall in. Of course, it’s considerably easier still if you don’t do it at all but they looked like they were having fun racing across Loch Fitty. Maybe not as much fun as Keira had on our walk though, exploring all the smells and sounds and paddling her paws in the water.

Everytime we’re back near Edinburgh, we get a haircut. You can tell from our photos that Gerry is happy to take a chance with a barber in Malaysia or wherever but Mhairi is more sensible. While we were in the city, we thought we would walk past the castle, the Scott monument and St Giles’ catherdral to go and see the blossom in the Meadows alongside the crowds of Japanese tourists. As we watched them take their photos, it was obvious that our posing skills are seriously below par!

Despite living in Edinburgh for so many years, we’d never got round to visiting the Museum on the Mound situated within the Bank of Scotland. Anytime we remembered to go there, it turned out to be closed so we made the effort to plan properly this time. Meadhbh joined us and, because it was during the school holidays, they had plenty of attractions for young kids including making your own “medieval” coin. Meadhbh’s eyes lit up when she saw this and she had the hammer in her hand quicker than you could say “strike a replica of a 13th-century Scottish silver penny from the reign of Alexander III”. In some ways, none of us ever really grow up.

We had such a fantastic time visiting friends and family in Maybole and Belfast that we forgot to take any photos. 😂

Our time with Lynne and Rod was too short as always so we’re determined to make it a few days next time. Perhaps in Tenerife. And our stay in Belfast was great craic, although we think Niall was glad of the break from us when Kelly and Tim invited us out for dinner on the Ormeau Road. He ordered himself a takeaway from his favourite Indian restaurant from the far side of town – which turned out to be the same restaurant we were invited to! The food was delicious but we had the advantage of great company to go with it. Niall would probably say he had peace and quiet so he was the winner!