Riverside Park - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Balgonie Castle is a 14th century tower-keep and later courtyard built on a river cliff overlooking the River Leven a short distance east of Glenrothes in Fife. It is privately owned and has been partially restored, and is open to visitors by appointment. Balgonie has a special place in my heart because it was where my wife and I were married in 2006.

The Fife Pilgrim Way is a new long distance route opened in July 2019, connecting West Fife with East Fife via routes used by medieval pilgrims. The overall route brings together a network of existing paths, tracks, core paths and rights of way into a single journey across the heart of Fife. Much of the route is on hard surfaces , hence trainers may be a better choice than boots for footwear.

Also known as Falkland Hill, the 424m East Lomond is a popular outing and is easily “summited” from the high car park on its eastern side. Other well used routes are from Craigmead to the west and Falkland to the north. The southern approaches from Glenrothes and Holl tend to be a bit quieter. The remains of Iron Age hill forts can be found around the summits of both East and West Lomond as well as at Maiden Castle, a grassy knoll that lies between the two.

Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. There are a profusion of flowering shrubs and trees in the Spring and the adjoining orchard is full of apple blossom - just ideal for a picnic. There is a peaceful pool garden where you can sit and take in the magnificent scenery.

West Lomond is the highest point in Fife. It is thus a very popular hill no doubt contributed to by the ease of the ascent along the “motorway” from Craigmead. Its cone-shaped summit, which is the remains of a volcanic plug, rises above an escarpment of Carboniferous sandstone and limestone layers, capped with a quartz-microgabbro sill. One of the nice trekking destination and also you can spend some good time in the middle of nature.

Wemyss Castle is an old castle and mansion, long held by the Wemyss family, on cliffs above the sea on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. After the second world war the walled garden at Wemyss Castle became largely redundant. Since 1993 it has been lovingly overhauled and redesigned by Charlotte Wemyss. The six-acre walled garden has become a symphony of spring and summer flowers. Clematis, roses and ornamental trees are the stars of the show supported by herbaceous planting.