Visitor Attractions in Kirkcaldy Fife Scotland

Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy has all of the facilities you would expect of a medium sized town and more, indoor and outdoor shopping centres featuring both local and multinational stores like M & S, a swimming pool, golf courses (Fife has over 45).

Shopping

The lively pedestrianised shopping centre is a pleasant 5 minutes walk from your apartment in Alexandra Street, packed with shops both local and national, for food, clothes and souvenirs, including the modern Mercat indoor shopping centre and adjacent swimming pool, and an indoor market hall.

Its proximity to the apartment makes it ideal for an early morning stroll to pick up newspapers to read over coffee in the early-opening Costa. There are dozens of cafes and restaurants within just a few minutes walk to suit all tastes and pockets.

Fancy a new look, then pop into stylish Bryon Hairdressing at 88 Alexandra Street www.bryonhairdressing.com .

Feeling peckish at 2.00 o'clock in the morning! Then there is a 24 hour Asda a short drive away on the edge of town.

The Adam Smith Centre

Whilst in Kirkcaldy, take in a show at the Adam Smith Theatre. Wide variety of performances - music, plays, musicals by local groups and professional companies. Drop into the café for a coffee on your way into town.

Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery

Adjacent to the railway station is the museum and art gallery. It's free, so drop in whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Visit the local history display on the ground floor, and the museum shop where you can buy prints, books, cards and posters.

Rest yours legs with a snack in the popular Wemyss café, surrounded by displays of the celebrated Wemyss ware pottery including the pigs, familiar to anyone who watches antique programs on TV..

The Art Gallery has an impressive collection of works by Scottish artists including William McTaggart and S J Peploe, and Kirkcaldy-born Jack Vettriano, whose exhibition Days of Wine and Roses held here in 2010, attracted tens of thousands of visitors from around Britain. My favourite is John Henry Lorimer's Spring Moonlight painted in the Great Hall of Kellie Castle. View the painting then visit Kellie Castle near Pittenweem.

Cluny Clays

Visit Cluny clays just a short drive from Kirkcaldy where you can try your hand on the 9 hole golf course, or the golf driving range, or practice clay pigeon shooting. On a rainy day you can still do air rifle shooting or archery in the indoor facility. Never tried you hand at archery before then instruction is available at short notice for complete beginners.

Wellsgreen Driving Range

You can also practice your swing at the nearby Wellsgreen driving range. The bays are enclosed for all weather practice. Large modern family restaurant with golfing views for meals or snacks, whether playing or not.

Kirkcaldy Golf Course

A keen golfer, then Kirkcaldy Golf Course designed by none other than golfing legend, Old Tom Morris, is just a mile away. The club welcomes visitors and you can book a tee time in advance at www.kirkcaldygolfclub.co.uk. Visitors are also always welcome at Dunnikier Golf Club, Kirkcaldy.

Beveridge Park

Large open space with boating lake where you can feed the ducks, with lawns for playing games, woodland walks, park, bouncy castle in summer, flower gardens, childrens' play park.

Ravenscraig Castle and Park

The castle was commissioned by James II in the 15th century, in a good defensive position overlooking the Firth of Forth. To explore the impressive ruins, you can drive up the hill and park at Ravenscraig Park with its extensive lawns, woodland and coastal walks and children's play facilities.

Dysart

Make the short attractive coastal walk to Dysart along the coast from Ravenscraig Park. Once a prosperous trading centre the harbour is now mainly occupied by pleasure boats. The picturesque row of houses to the east of the harbour once housed the workers from the salt pans, extracting salt from sea water, hence the name Pan Ha'. They were renovated in the 1960s. Behind them is the imposing crenellated tower of St Serf's church, dating from around 1500, which also had a defensive function.

The 17th century Harbourmaster's House, the offices of the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, has a visitor centre opened by Kirkcaldy MP and former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown in 2006, where you can learn about the history of the area, its castles, caves, churches and harbours, and the wildlife of the coast. It comes complete with a spacious café with harbour views and souvenir shop and is open seven days a week.

Just above the harbour is Dysart House, mainly dating from 1726, when rebuilding was initiated by Lord John St Clair. It later passed into the hands of Sir Michael Nairn, the linoleum magnate and in 1930 was purchased on behalf of the Carmelite Order of Nuns. It remains an active monastery within the grounds of which are the two caves used by St Serf and his monks in the sixth century.

On the High Street is an attractive old tolbooth and houses dating from the 1700s and 1800s.