If I do say so myself, this is the type of day when I think the driver’s skills come into their own. It’s pretty dull and driech (wet and cold); but if you come to Scotland and don’t get at least one day of ‘weather’ then you’ve been lucky. Or maybe you’ve missed out? Depends on your perspective I suppose.
We’re off to St Andrews and The Kingdom of Fife today – one of my favourites.
Quite a quiet tour with only 4 on board today. One couple from Germany and a couple from Australia. The Germans of course speak better English than I do, but they do humour me and I get to practice my limited language skills.
It’s always a leisurely start to this tour as we head of the busy city of Glasgow but I like that as it gives me a chance to talk about my home city. Once we’re on the motorway, the guests sit back, relax and wait for the clouds to lift as we head East.
Lift they do just in time to see the Forth Rail Bridge at Queensferry. It really is an incredible feat of engineering. It’s always great to see one of the many commuter trains heading towards the Capital.
As we get back in the coach I spot a small pod of dolphins in the Forth. We don’t see that every day but the guys with the long lenses manage to take a couple of decent pics – we are still waiting for copies and will post them when they arrive.
At Dunfermline, my guests head into Dunfermline Abbey and Palace and soak up some Scottish history, including the chance to see the last resting place of Robert the Bruce.
I can hardly wait to get back on the coach. This next section, along Fife’s ‘Coastal Road’ takes us through some of this area’s most beautiful villages. We’ve made good progress and make a quick unscheduled stop in Elie just as the sun starts to shine. I suggest to my guests they take a wander down to the beach – one of the best in Scotland.
Back on the road, we head to St Andrews after a quick stop in the fishing village of Anstruther. All my guests today are golfers so this is the Holy Grail. The chance to stand inches from the 1st tee of the Old Course and soak up the unique atmosphere is something very special for lovers of this ancient game.
We’re in St Andrews for a couple of hours so there’s time for a walk on the huge beach (as seen in Chariots of Fife), a quick glance around the shops and a visit to the ruins of the Cathedral.
I’ve never had a tour to St Andrews where guests are back on time. I can’t blame them, this is a great little town.
Finally rounded up, we head back West to Glasgow with talk of Dolphins, famous golfers and the superb ice cream at Nardini’s, St Andrews accompanying my musical choices for the day.
Another cracking day on the road – looking forward to a 3 day tour starting tomorrow!
