Most tourists who come to Scotland will pay a visit to the nation’s capital city of Edinburgh but many of them won’t know that Edinburgh hasn’t always been the capital of Scotland. Drive north across the Forth Road Bridge and you will very quickly come to the Royal Burgh of Dunfermline, a city which played a significant role in the early history of Scotland and a place bursting with history.
In the 11th century King Malcolm III established Dunfermline as the new seat of royal power and the town became the capital of Scotland for the next 350 years and there is no better way to learn more about the history of this fascinating city than to take a tour with Jack Pryde’s Discover Dunfermline Tours.
Let Jack guide you through 900 years of Scottish history. Explore with him the royal palace and abbey, the last resting place of no less than 12 of Scotland’s kings and queens (including Robert the Bruce, who is revered in Scotland as a national hero) and was also the birthplace of other royals.
He will introduce you to King Malcolm’s Queen, Margaret, Scotland’s only female saint, whose shrine is in Dunfermline Abbey and has been visited by many thousands of pilgrims over the centuries. You may visit St Margaret’s Cave where the deeply religious queen came to pray and, as you follow the tunnel and descend the 87 steps down to the cave, you can feel the weight of 900 years of prayer and history. This place has a special atmosphere.
Dunfermline is also the birthplace of one of the world’s most well-known philanthropists – Andrew Carnegie. The small cottage in which he was born is today preserved as a museum and monument to his life where you can hear the story of how he became the richest man in the world and how he gave away vast sums of money to worthy causes.
Dunfermline born and bred, Jack is well qualified to take you through the many interesting and historic places in the city and can also advise you on where to stay, where to shop, where to eat and where to go for entertainment. He is a veritable fountain of knowledge about Dunfermline and its surroundings and is full of fascinating snippets of information – did you know that the USA had a Consulate in Dunfermline from the late nineteenth century right up until the 1920s?
DIFFERENT TOURS
Through Discover Dunfermline Tours Jack offers a number of different tours of Dunfermline from one-hour or three-hour tours of the city and the immediate area to a full-day tour of Dunfermline which can also range further afield into Edinburgh and tell of the connections between these two capital cities of Scotland.
Jack also offers more specialised tours including:
Cooks and Coronets – a unique opportunity to learn the best of traditional Scottish cooking techniques from a top Scottish chef in their own kitchen followed by a meal in an exquisite family dining room and an (optional) relaxed tour of the City;
Daunder and Dine – a leisurely stroll around historic Dunfermline finishing off with a typical Scottish meal in a local restaurant;
Fish and Chip Tea Tour – an afternoon stroll around Dunfermline city centre for a closer look at some of the historic buildings and shops – see if you can spot the hidden details on some buildings. The tour ends with an (optional) Fish and Chip Tea in one of the city’s finest ‘chippies’ served with bread, butter and a pot of tea – a Scottish classic!
Jack can be quite flexible with your requirements and will strive to make your tour of Dunfermline as pleasant and knowledgeable as possible so if you’re thinking of visiting the ancient capital of Scotland and want a more in-depth experience Jack’s your man!
TAKE A WANDER AROUND HISTORIC DUNFERMLINE
YOU CAN CONTACT JACK AND HIS DISCOVER DUNFERMLINE TOURS HERE
Bill Kasman
A Scotsman born and bred I love to roam Scotland’s hills and wild places taking photographs and writing about my travels around the country and all things to do with my homeland.