Fancy taking a stroll through some of the prettiest and most interesting gardens in Fife? Newly launched for this summer is The Fife Garden Trail. Nine gardens, all different in size and style, will be open to visit from 1 May until 30 June. The trail includes Gilston House at Largoward, Willowhill near Newport-on-Tay, Logie House in Crossford, Earlshall Castle in Leuchars, Barham House in the Bow of Fife, South
‘Between 92 and 96 degrees is the perfect water temperature to make coffee’ – so says barista-trained Derek Rankin who opened Rankin’s cafe/deli in his home village, North Queensferry, Fife. The barista classes were run by his coffee supplier, Mathew Algie, one of the few companies to have a coffee roasting plant in Scotland. Barista classes are open to the general public/ non-customers of Mathew Algie at a cost of
It is well-known that the famous running-along-the-beach scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed in St Andrews but the University town is not the only part of Fife to have had a starring role. Pittenweem and North Queensferry have both put in appearances and the historic village of Culross often provides a period setting for tv and film – and more suprisingly – for Captain America, the First Avenger. Thanks
There’s nothing more powerful than shared nostalgia and The Kronk disco stirs fond memories for many. The club ran from 1989 to 1992 in various venues in Dunfermline, eventually ending up in a nightclub called Banners in downtown Lumphinnans. By the time it reached the West Fife mining village, buses were travelling from all over Scotland to this notorious rave club. Now, Dunfermline artist Alan Grieve has produced an exhibition
STAnza, Scotland’s international poetry festival will be filling venues in St Andrews, Fife from 6-10 March 2013. The issue of venues must have been a fraught one this year with the sudden closure of the Byre Theatre but every event, with the exception of one exhibition, is going ahead. Eleanor Livingstone, festival director explains: ‘The Town Hall in Queens Gardens, which has always been our secondary hub in all its Victorian
Little did Niall Campbell realise when he was travelling from Glasgow to Culross every week for the pottery classes that he would later take over the Biscuit Gallery Cafe from his tutor, Camilla Garrett Jones. Two years after taking over from Camilla, and Niall is making some changes to the cafe and gallery. Upstairs the cafe has expanded into the gallery space and the ceramics and art are now displayed
Times have changed for the humble snowdrop. The ‘venturous harbinger of Spring’ as Wordsworth described it has moved centre stage in recent years with a host of activities celebrating its arrival each February. The Cambo Estate near St Andrews hosts a fortnight long Snowdrop Festival where you can wander around 70 acres of woodland glittering with over 300 varieties of snowdrop. Even more enchanting, this weekend you can experience Snowdrops
Edinburgh (above and below) Television journalist David Cowan has recently seen his creative hobby develop into a popular sideline. Scotland in Detail is a series of montages of Scottish cities and towns focusing on small, often unnoticed elements. ‘They say the devil’s in the detail,’ says David, ‘and he may well be hiding somewhere in these photomontages. Many of the images are decades old; names of long-forgotten landlords, chimney sweeps, hat makers and
Keith Laing and Anne Crawford didn’t start out with the idea of a cafe – Keith just wanted a walled garden and had done since working in a garden nursery years ago. Living in a mobile home during building work five years ago, Keith fulfilled his ambition by shipping in 1,200 square metres of yellow sandstone, 680 square metres of block and 60 tonnes of builders sand to build the wall.
Fife Diet, Scotland’s leading local growing and eating movement, have lots of interesting information on their site about cutting down the food miles this Christmas. You’ll find alternative Christmas recipes, a handy local producers map, tips for saving on power usage and ideas for making the most of your festive leftovers. You can also download their charmingly illustrated seasonal growing calendar which shows you what to eat and when. It