The small Scottish coastal town of Carnoustie is synonymous with links golf, which has been played here since the game was first devised in the 16th Century.
Carnoustie also provides a base for visiting the historic town of St Andrews, with its thriving university and castle and cathedral ruins along with its links golf courses.
Travellers can also enjoy the fishing villages along the Fife Tourist route and the chance to walk parts of the Fife Coastal Path.
Near to Carnoustie is Glamis Castle, the 'ancestral seat' of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372.
The castle provided the inspiration for Shakespeare's Macbeth and was the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and birthplace of the current Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.
Hi-Ho Kuga. Away!
By Ashley Gibbins
After two days in Edinburgh, we pack up our Ford Kuga and head away from Scotland's capital for the first leg of our Scottish road trip.
This will see us taking a leisurely drive along the Fife Coastal Route to Carnoustie, a town synonymous with links golf.
With Edinburgh a very compact city, it was no time at all before we were crossing the stunning Queensferry Crossing.
For those who feast on facts I can tell you the 1.7 mile Queensferry Crossing is 'the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span'.
Fife Coastal Route
While it was a memorable experience driving across, the crossing also enabled us to pick up the Fife Coastal Route, which is one of a dozen national tourist routes in Scotland.
The Route runs for nearly 80 miles between the Kincardine and Tay bridges.
From the one the other it winds along a road lined with pine forest and through, or with easy access to, a string of small coastal villages and long stretches of sandy beaches.
With the need to be at Carnoustie come mid-afternoon, we chose to make Aberdour and Anstruther our two stops on the way.
Aberdour, a tranquil fishing village on the on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, offers views across the water to the Edinburgh we had recently left and to the ruins of Inchcolm Abbey.
These stand on a small island on the Firth that was first founded in 1223 and survived until the Reformation in 1560.
There is a ferry service to the island from South Queensferry in the summer months.
Anstruther, the largest of the fishing villages along this stretch of the Fife Coastal Route, is a thriving fishing port that makes good provision for the flow of tourists coming here year-round.
The harbour front is lined with cafes and restaurants, gift shops, a couple of chippies and two pubs.
The coastal path
Had we the luxury of more, it would have been good to walk a stretch or two of the Fife Coastal Path.
At 116 miles this is used by some half a million active visitors annually, with 35,000 of these walking its whole length over seven to 10 days.
www.visitscotland.com/see-do/tours/driving-road-trips/routes/planner/fife-coastal-route
www.fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk/walks/fife-coastal-path
Being a small part of golfing heritage at Carnoustie
While the small town of Carnoustie may not come naturally to mind, as a place to visit, we chose it as the first stop on our Scottish road trip.
The first reason for this is that Carnoustie is synonymous with links golf, and we were staying at the hotel and spa on the famous course.
And then it makes a great base for visiting the nearby historic seaside town of St Andrews and the 17th century Glamis Castle, which has been the home of the Lyon family, in one form or another, since the 14th century.
No need to be a golfer
While Carnoustie has three golf courses that attracts golfers from around the world, with the chance to play three seminal courses.
Others come to witness top-flight golfing tournaments. Carnoustie's Championship Course has hosted eight Open Championships, two Women's Open's and two Seniors Open's.
It also stages the annual prestigious Dunhill Links Championship, with Kingsbarns and the Old Course in St Andrews
Where it all started
From an historic perspective golf has been played on these links since the 16th century, so no surprise to discover that 'links' is the oldest style of golf course.
It was first developed in Scotland, with the word apparently coming from the Old English hlinc meaning rising ground or ridge.
The name now refers to a course laid out on a strip of generally undulating, but always sandy, terrain linking the sea and arable farmland.
This type of land was of little use for farming but found favour with those Scots who were devising a stick and ball game back in the 15th century.
The rest, as they say, is history.
No need to be a golfer
For non-golfers like Ann and myself, a stay at the Carnoustie Golf Hotel makes a delightful short break in its own right, as Ann explains below.
Just as well. My one golfing lesion saw me achieve the feat of hitting the ball (when I eventually did) sideways, and the hour lesson was curtailed after 25 minutes.
While here we enjoyed several bracing walks on and around the courses and along the small Carnoustie and also embrace the golfing heritage we felt a small part of.
When the Open Championship comes to Carnoustie I will watch with much greater interest.
www.carnoustiegolflinks.com/visitors
An historic town with a youthful vibe
The historic seaside town of St Andrews makes for a very interesting and enjoyable visit.
The University of St. Andrews, founded in 1413 is Scotland's oldest, and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Its campus buildings are a pleasingly dominant feature when strolling the town, with the students adding a vibrant, youthful vibe to the place.
On a headland close to the town centre are the ruins of the medieval St. Andrews Castle and nearby the ruins of the Cathedral of St Andrew.
This was built in 1158 but fell into disuse and ruin after Catholic mass was outlawed during the 16th-century Scottish Reformation.
St. Andrews is also known as a golfing destination with its golf courses led by the Old Course, with the landmark Swilcan Bridge at the 18th hole.
The town itself has excellent coffee shops, restaurants and independent stores.
www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/st-andrews/see-do
A rightful claim to be Scotland's most beautiful castle
Glamis likes to lay claim to being the most beautiful castle in Scotland.
Though it has stiff competition, Ann and I would not wish to argue having spent a hugely enjoyable long-half day there.
The castle itself, which is magnificent, is greatly enhanced by the gardens and woodland that surrounds it.
One gets a real sense of expectation when turning off the A94 and driving the mile long, treelined avenue to the Castle.
The history of Glamis is remarkable, as the introductory exhibition reveals.
It has been the ancestral seat to the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372, with the current castle built in the 17th Century.
It was the inspiration for Shakespeare's Macbeth, has direct links with Mary, Queen of Scots and was the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
The castle tour takes visitors through rooms filled, floor to ceiling, with antique furniture and paintings and a huge range of historic memorabilia.
Surrounding the Castle is a formal Italian Garden, an arboretum woodland with trees from all over the world and a 'Pinetum'.
The Macbeth Trail at Glamis, located in the pinetum, has sculptures in oak and fir trees grown on the Estate.
The carved figures look to capture the 'madness, mental turmoil and tempestuous nature of the 'Scottish Play'.
The place to stay at Carnoustie
The Carnoustie Golf Hotel and Spa
By Ann Mealor
With superb views across the championship golf course, the Carnoustie Hotel, is a top choice for golfing enthusiasts as well as those who just want to sit back and enjoy the stunning Scottish scenery, bracing country walks and the hotel's relaxing spa.
As you would expect, the hotel has a strong golfing vibe and a real 'golf club feel'.
Overlooking the first and eighteenth tee, our room, a Junior Suite, was large and very comfortable.
It was decorated with splashes of tartan and black and white photographs of champion golfer, Arnold Palmer, adorning the walls.
There was plenty of complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits, which we enjoyed whilst sitting on the sofa watching the professional golfers tee off in the morning.
It was a treat to have such a fantastic view across the golf course and watch the sporting action in comfort.
Particularly as it was blowing a gale with the rain was lashing down. I did pity the players.
Dining at the Carnoustie Golf Hotel
We enjoyed our walks around Carnoustie Golf Course and exploring the local area, including Glamis Castle, but we were always pleased to return to the hotel for dinner in Calders Bistro.
The food was excellent and the service friendly and helpful, with staff always asking about your day.
The first evening we went the whole hog and had three courses, plus a portion of warm artisan bread and butter.
The juicy West Coast Scallop starter with Panko fried belly pork, celeriac puree and port glaze was packed full of flavour.
My main course, rib-eye steak was cooked perfectly for me, well-done, but still tender.
The peppercorn sauce was light with a bite, the ideal accompaniment, and the chips hot and crispy.
I couldn't fault it.Ashley's Smoked Haddock Monte Carlo with creamed potato, spinach, soft poached egg and a white wine sauce was given the big 'thumbs up' too.
For the sweet course we chose two desserts and shared them.
Sticky toffee pudding- always a favourite of ours – was a rich, light sponge served in a pool of warm butterscotch sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
We were recommended the Carnoustie Sundae, so we had to try it.
This was a colourful blend of ice cream, chocolate brownie bites, marshmallows and chocolate sauce.We scraped both dishes.
The following evening, we decided, after tucking into the warm bread, to go straight to the main course.
Ashley chose the battered haddock and chips which was top rate with the fish soft and flaky and the batter light and crisp.
I went for the Americano burger with all the trimmings.
We just had enough room to share a full-bodied selection of Iain J Mellis Farmhouse Scottish Cheese with mini oatcakes, quince and celery.
Breakfast each morning was a hearty affair and set us up for the day.
The full Scottish breakfast had all the usual suspects plus haggis and the vegetarian version included spinach.
There was also cereal, porridge, cold meats, cheese, yoghurt, fruit salad and croissants.
The poached eggs were top notch, with a golden yolk that flowed effortlessly onto my hot buttered toast.
A perfect start to the day.
www.bespokehotels.com/carnoustiegolfhotel
Bespoke Hotels
The Carnoustie Golf Hotel is part of the Bespoke Hotels group of boutique and luxury hotels, whose Scottish properties includes :
- Tulloch Castle, the Scottish Highlands : www.bespokehotels.com/tullochcastlehotel
- The Bonham, Edinburgh : www.bespokehotels.com/thebonham
- Stonefield Castle, Argyll : www.bespokehotels.com/stonefieldcastle
In addition to this AllWays Traveller to Carnoustie, you can also enjoy :
- AllWays Traveller to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city
- AllWays Traveller to the Scottish Borders
- AllWays Traveller to the Cairngorms
- AllWays Traveller to the Highlands and Loch Ness
