Day 13: Adventures in Scotland
Dunnottar Castle
I had checked the Dunnottar Castle website a couple days before we were going to visit. The castle was closed due to high winds, so we made back up plans for Day 13: Adventures in Scotland. Fortunately we were blessed with beautiful weather the morning that we left Cullen.
It had been hard to think about doing something else when my heart was set on Dunnottar Castle. While writing Destination: Aberdeenshire Castles, I was fascinated with it’s history going back to the Picts. Then I discovered the connection to Kinneff Old Kirk where the Honors of Scotland were hidden from Cromwell. There are many versions of the story, but the gist is that to keep Oliver Cromwell from taking the crown jewels they were furtively removed the from castle. The minister of Kinneff Kirk buried them in the church and kept them hidden for 9 years. Since we were going to see the crown jewels at Edinburgh Castle, I wanted to follow with my own pilgrimage from the beginning of the romantic tale.
I also wanted to go because my dad is one of my biggest supporters and the only place that he said that he thought that I should visit is Dunnottar Castle. These pictures are for you, Daddy!
Following the Honors of Scotland to Kinneff Kirk
If only the walls could talk, can you imagine the tales they would tell? The crown jewels of Scotland would especially have many interesting stories to share!
The history contained in all of the ancient Scottish castles, churches and stones is fascinating to me. I feel blessed to have followed the legend of the Honors of Scotland from Dunnottar Castle to Kinneff Kirk, and finally to see the crown jewels on day 14 at Edinburgh Castle.
Usually Kinneff Old Church has a display with facsimiles of the Honors of Scotland. However, they were out for cleaning when we were there.
St. Andrews
Getting to St. Andrews
Parking in St. Andrews is a nightmare. I was aware of this from the Scotland Travel groups and blogs. I thought that I had my GPS set to St. Andrew’s Public Parking. It is close to the West Sands Beach and convenient for walking around town. Instead I ended up having to navigate out of a very tiny, completely full parking lot back onto a busy road. Actually, driving in St. Andrews is scary! It is a modern day college town, but the roads were not set up for current traffic when the University was built in 1413. I would love to see more of Fife, including St. Andrews. However, I would use public transport to get to St. Andrews! It’s also a great place to explore on foot.
West Sands Beach
Chariots of Fire was filmed in St. Andrews. It had been decades since either my aunt or I had seen the movie. Of course, we had to watch it before our trip. And we definitely had to spend time on the West Sands Beach. I even played the Chariots of Fire theme song while we walked on the beach!
Walking Around St. Andrews
When I was working on Destination: Fife Council, it seemed to me that you needed at least a month in Fife. With the Fife Coastal Trail, the history from WWI and WWII, and the history that goes back to the Picts there is so much to soak in.
St. Andrews is a lovely town in which to walk around. We stopped at Mellis Cheese and Jannettas Gelateria. Both were recommended in the bestselling guide Scotland the Best by Peter Irvine. We walked back to the parking lot by way of St. Andrews Cathedral, and then past St. Gregory’s and St. Andrews Castle.
Looking Back Over The Day
When I was planning the itinerary for this trip, I made spreadsheets for each day. I would check Google map for how long it would take to get from point A to point B, and so on. Most places offer a suggested amount of time for your visit. I quickly learned to add 30 minutes to the Google map drive time. Day 13: Adventures in Scotland provides an excellent example of what you can plan into your day and highlights the necessity of adding extra time.
- Leave Cullen 8am
- Google maps to Dunnottar Castle: optimistic 1hr 39min.
- Reality: closer to 2hrs
- Google maps to Dunnottar Castle: optimistic 1hr 39min.
- Arrive Dunnottar Castle a little before 10am for a 2 hour visit
- Leave Dunnattar Castle about 12pm
- Google maps to Kinneff Old Kirk: very optimistic 11min.
- Reality: 30 min.
- Google maps to Kinneff Old Kirk: very optimistic 11min.
- Arrive Kinneff Old Kirk at 12:30 for a 30 minute visit
- Leave Kinneff Old Kirk about 1pm
- Google maps for St. Andrews: spot on 1hr 30min
- Arrive St. Andrews 2:30pm
- Leave St Andrews 6:30pm
- Google maps to Letham AirBnB: fairly accurate 30min
- Arrive Letham AirBnB
- Leave Letham the following morning
- Google maps to Kinnoull Hill: fairly accurate 30min
- Kinnoull Hill
In planning the stays, I wanted AirBnBs that were either a good walking distance to places or convenient to the next day’s activities. There were four days that we didn’t have to drive anywhere.
This AirBnB was perfectly placed in the middle so it was only a 30 minute drive to the AirBnB with another easy 30 minute drive to the next mornings destination.
The Room in Letham AirBnB was one of my favorite stays. First of all, we were met by this sweetie and our hosts were every bit as welcoming! Secondly, the views are absolutely spectacular. And third, there are so many interesting places surrounding it. Scroll down to Cupar on Destination: Fife to see a long list of places to visit.
Views from the Letham AirBnB include Monmail Parish Church.
