Kingdom of Fife

Today we traveled through the other part of the Kingdom of Fife.  Yesterday we checked out the beginning points of what was the pilgrimage route to St. Andrew's by visiting Culross and Dunfermline.  Today we rode through the Fife countryside where pilgrims long ago and today walk the way to St. Andrew's.  

We first visited Falkand Palace, a favorite palace and hunting lodge of Mary Queen of Scots.  Gorgeous gardens, the oldest tennis court and some great history.  Falkland, for any Outlander fans, is the place where Jamie's ghost spying Claire in the window is filmed by the town fountain.  The Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) is consolidating/selling alot of churches due to decline in their membership.  Falkland is one of them and it sits right in the middle of town. One of the tour guides in the palace told me they heard an American may have bought it to turn it into an Outlander museum.  That would be extremely successful for the town. Outlander has brought so much tourism to Scotland.

Next, we traveled to the Lindores Abbey distillery.  It is written the first fermented drink was made for the king here and it is known as the spiritual home of whisky.  We had a wonderful tour telling us not only a history of the monks making the whisky but the current distillery practice of keeping the whisky today as true to the original as possible.  After a tour and tasting, we wandered the Abbey ruins and had a lovely lunch there as well!

Then off to St. Andrew's, which was revered for having pieces of the bones of Andrew, one of Christ's apostles.  In St. Andrew's, the cathedral ruins are immense.  Only a few towering pieces still remain after much was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation. 

We also had a chance to walk along the North Sea and the Castle at St. Andrew's.  The other part of the town that is noticeable is the University.  Inside the university is St. Salvatore's Chapel where we opened the door to someone rehearsing on the organ...an unexpected treat.  

And for all you golfers...we did go past the Old Course but the Dunhill tournament was in its first round and we couldn't get that close this time.

From St. Andrew's,  we took a short ride to a place called Dunino Den.  Long thought to be a place of druid/pagan or maybe pictish worship but then taken on Celtic and Christian worship as well.  There is a carved stone depression to collect water and a carved footprint...we will see this again on the other side of Scotland where kingdom leaders declared their land.  This place is thought to be a place to ask for protection or blessing by leaving natural items or tying cloth etc to the trees, these are called clootie offerings. It was an adventurous climb down and searching for the various stone carvings.  There is a little Kirk at the top of the Den as well. 

Then on to Anstruther, a village on the northern coast of the Firth of Forth which is famous for their fish and chips!  Lovely sunset bonus. 

As we have been traveling some of the various places of ancient pilgrimage, we are also on our own pilgrimage and listening and looking each day for how God is being revealed and what God is saying.

 Pastor Carolyn