Dunfermline

June 29, 2023

Dunfermline

Dunfermline 26th the 28th June

Walking into the Edinburgh city centre with our bags to catch the train we thought it would be easy but got caught in a rain shower. Most days Scotland has four seasons in one day. We met up with Matt for a while then caught the train to Dunfermline. We walked to our abnb where we stayed with a chap called Robert. He was a great host an ex teacher and musician with lots of yarns.

The trip to Dunfermline was to have a look around a small town nearby named Townhill where Jim's father was born and try to find the graves of his grandfather and family. Dunfermline was a pleasant surprise with plenty to see and do. On the first afternoon we decided to have a look for the graves as we thought it would take about a day to find as its a reasonably big cemetery. We were in luck and found the graves almost straight away. We celebrated by going to one of the local pubs and having a nice meal out at an Indian restaurant.

The next day we walked up to Townhill from where we were staying at Dunfermline, about a 30 minutes walk. Yes and it rained. We went to the local community centre and library and the staff were very welcoming. We got a bit of a yarn, free coffee and biscuits and shown several books of the town and local area. Found two of the houses the family lived in and then walked to the local park and Loch for lunch in the cafe then back down the hill to Dunfermline.

The next day Eilidh picked us up and we went for a drive to St Andrews along the coast, then on to see a few more of the local sites and attractions the St Andrews golf course, Gleneagles, Castle Campbell, and the The National Wallace Monument. We also went along the beach to the seal colony at Kinshaldy Beach. Another great day with Eilidh and excellent tour guide.

Beautiful day when we arrived in Dunfermline walking through the park to our abnb.

Dunfermline City Chambers and High Street.

Dunfermline Abbey

Robert the Bruce was buried, in 1329, in the choir, now the site of the present church. Bruce's heart rests in Melrose, but his bones lie in Dunfermline Abbey, where (after the discovery of the skeleton in 1818) they were reinterred with fitting pomp below the pulpit of the new church. In 1891, the pulpit was moved back and a monumental brass inserted in the floor to indicate the royal vault.

Dunfermline Palace ruin

Plenty of these little squirrels.

Dunfermline gardens

Matt and Maree at the community centre and library at Townhill (great staff)

The graves at Dunfermline Cemetery there is Jim's Aunty Janet, Uncle David, Grandfather, Grandmother, and Uncle Jim. The only one Jim meet was Uncle Jim back in the late 1960s when he was a boy and Uncle Jim came to NZ for a visit.

Location of Townhill and Dunfermline over the Firth of Forth waterway from Edinburgh

Elie Ness Lighthouse on the way to St Andrews.

The story of the tower in the photo above.

In the 1700s, Lady Janet Anstruther – a woman renowned for her great beauty – was built Lady’s Tower, a place for her to relax and sit. It was believed she often bathed nude in the waters and used the tower afterwards to recover from the cold of the water and contemplate the waves.