Exploring West Fife By Robin McKelvie

One place I do know that is certainly no secret is where I start my adventure – Culross. This remarkable royal burgh is a real timewarp, awash with perfectly preserved and renovated 16th and 17th century stone buildings. It offers a window into Scotland’s past when West Fife traded with the Low Countries and on into the Baltic. It is a world Outlander fans will know well as tracts of the popular time travelling historic romance were spectacularly set in Culross.

I check out the abbey up the hill, then drift down by the Mercat Cross I recognise from books and Outlander. Culross boasts a real wealth of historic architecture and I recommend devoting at least half a day to this royal burgh. Don’t miss Culross Palace, where I spend much of my time. If you buy their souvenir guide it handily outlines a wee walking tour of Culross, as well as opening up the palace’s rich history. There are a myriad of rooms and nooks and crannies to delve into, as well as the remarkable gardens to the rear where all manner of flora blossoms. I take a bench here and just watch the world drift by for a bit with fragrant floral scents filling the warm air.

Next up is my meeting with Roz Artis at the visitor exhibition at the Scottish Lime Centre in Charlestown further east. She tells me all about the 5th Earl of Elgin, Charles Bruce, who had a huge part to play in the story of the Industrial Revolution by working lime for export here on an industrial scale. “Bruce was a real pioneer”, Artis tells me. “He built houses for his workers in neat rows with a public square you can still see, which was enlightened for the time. He had an influence on the better-known New Lanark too, which came later. We have an exchange of letters, which sheds light on that remarkable connection between the two sites.”

It is a remarkable connection and the centre is a remarkable place. I content myself today just chatting to Artis and looking at the fascinating exhibition that really illuminates the lime days and the creation of Charlestown in the 1750s. You can also in advance arrange group sessions where you work the lime and learn all about a craft that can often seem mysterious, but which Artis is determined to open up to all.

Artis directs me south down to the old limekilns that still stand sentinel over the Firth of Forth. The massive harbour remains where large ships would busy in from all over the UK and further afield to spirit off the worked lime. The huge kilns I stand below today once formed the largest lime-burning complex in all of the UK.

My next port of call is the village of Limekilns, whose connections to lime go back even further, but are not on the same scale as Charlestown. Here I wander along the waterfront admiring the prettily painted stone cottages and harbour dotted with wee yachts in the shadow of the Forth Bridges. It’s quite a spot. And a great spot for lunch. I pop into the legendary Ship Inn to savour a smoky Cullen Skink tartlet – they do Cullen Skink fishcakes too. I also treat myself to their signature fish and chips in a light and airy batter. Delicious.

I walk a section of the Fife Coastal Path now, a handy artery that connects the towns and villages on the Fife Forth coast. My next target is Rosyth. I can see it from my office window, but presumed there was little to visit. My interest, though is piqued when I hear it was Scotland’s first purpose-built ‘Garden City’ with some architectural legacies. It is also home to Rosyth Castle. I have this grand ruin all to myself as I sit and admire its rugged grandeur. Nearby I seek out the impressive doocot, which dates to the 16th century and would once have supplied the castle with fresh pigeon meat.

I admit I felt the same way about Inverkeithing as I did about Rosyth – it was just somewhere to pass through, with a handy rail connection. But taking time to explore this royal burgh a whole world of delights reveal themselves. An information board outside the 15th-century Friary building opens up the rich history of the town. I learn about the Friary and the impressive gardens that lie just behind. I’m also inspired to walk along the main street and check out the Tolbooth and one of the oldest Mercat Crosses in Scotland, a unicorn-topped wonder that dates as far back as the 14th-century.

My last stop is a spectacular one in North Queensferry, a gem in the shadow of the three great leviathans bursting from the Forth. There is nothing quite like the Forth Bridges: I cannot think of anywhere else in the world with three architecturally significant bridges from three successive centuries in such proximity. And North Queensferry is a brilliant place to appreciate their scale, elegance and sheer drama.

I have admired the bridges here many a time en route to taking my kids to the massive aquarium at Deep Sea World. This time instead I’m at the Pierhead Museum. This museum is a real Tardis. Garry Irvine shows me around and introduces it, “We may be small, but there is so much history in North Queensferry and associated with the Forth Bridges that people find our museum fascinating.” Irvine is right – there is a lot to see and learn about, a highlight for me is the scale model of the old Queen Margaret ferry that used to ply these waters.

Stepping back outside I’m struck by the Miniature Light Tower, the only one of its kind remaining anywhere in the world. Irvine takes me inside, up the wee stone spiral staircase to the light. He tells me about how the technology behind it was invented and then I have the privilege of watching him light it up. It’s a special spot that devotees love. Irvine tells me, “People come from all over to see it. It’s like Munro bagging, they want to tick it off their lists and they love it too.”

I’m almost finished my exploration of West Fife’s secret coast, but have one final attraction to savour. Literally. It has been years since I dined at the superb Wee Restaurant in North Queensferry. I realise my tardiness is a mistake as soon as co-owner Vikki Wood hands me the wonderful menu in their cosy, welcoming space. It’s easy to see why they have been recognised by Michelin, with 17 years of experience here under their belts. Local produce like Anster cheese and fresh Scottish delights like Orkney king scallops and Shetland mussels burst from a menu that shows real creativity. The wine list is spot on too and it’s great value for this quality cuisine.

As I gather my thoughts together about West Fife and the delights that many people – me included – don’t always know much about, I’m already planning a trip back. As Wood says, “There are more well known parts of Fife that get the crowds. It’s much more relaxed here in West Fife and we’ve got so much just waiting to be discovered.”