Summer garden tour in Fife
Sunday 22 to Thursday 26 June
Fife is a very distinct area of Scotland, bounded to the south by the Forth and to the north by the Tay, with many of its gardens having views across these rivers. It is best known worldwide for the small town of St Andrews with its ancient university and famous golf courses but there are many other attractions including coastal villages, historic houses and of course, interesting gardens. As usual, our tour will include a mix of gardens, public and private, large and small; it will also provide some insights into the ‘Kingdom of Fife’ as we move around. Driving distances between the locations are quite short so we can spend most of our time on the ground.
Programme:
Sunday 22 June: We will convene in the hotel early evening for a briefing about the tour followed by a buffet dinner.
Monday 23 June: We will visit four very different gardens in Northern Fife, namely Harthill, 600ft up above Auchtermuchty; The Tower at Wormit; Willowhill at Forgan and Earlshall Castle near Leuchars. At the end of this last visit, we will have a tour of the castle and a light meal served in the library. Our lunch stop will be at the new Eden Campus of St Andrews University.
Tuesday 24 June: We will make short visits to two town gardens in St Andrews, one old, one modern and between we will have a more extended visit to the Botanic Garden where we will also have lunch. There is an interesting story here because the garden ran out of money some years and is now in an ambitious process of strategic renewal, as the curator will explain. Finally, we will proceed to Cambo House to visit its famous walled garden and thence to the Kingsbarns Distillery close by, for a private ‘after hours’ tour.
Wednesday 25 June: In the morning we will visit two private gardens, South Flisk at Blebo Craigs and Rosewells at Baldinnie then continue to Teasses where we will have lunch followed by a tour with the head gardener. This is a large country estate and garden that have been substantially restored by the present owners.
No programme has been arranged for Thursday 26th because participants may have different onward travel plans but if there is sufficient interest, we could consider an additional visit to the restored Japanese Garden at Cowden, near Dollar.
Accommodation: We will be based in the Apex City Quay Hotel on the waterfront in Dundee, not quite the rural setting of many previous tours but very convenient for heading straight over the Tay Bridge each morning into the East Neuk of Fife. It is a four-star property with spacious rooms, a pool and spa; the V & A museum and the Discovery Centre are just a short walk away.
Cost: Total cost will be £780 with a single supplement of £245; this covers four nights accommodation, all transport, three dinners and three lunches, gratuities, drinks allowance, and entry fees where appropriate. A deposit of £250 should be sent with the booking.
Tuesday evening will be free for you to eat as and where you wish in Dundee.
Travel and tourism information: Given that most members live in the south of England, you may wish to add on additional days and the following notes may be helpful if using public transport.
- It may be difficult to reach Dundee by train on a Sunday in time for our evening gathering so you may need to travel north on Saturday and explore Dundee before the tour begins. Alternatively, if you stay elsewhere in Scotland, Dundee can be reached easily by train from all the main cities. The train station is close to the hotel.
- Loganair fly direct from Heathrow to Dundee at reasonable cost but please check the schedule on their website to see if it suits your needs. Unfortunately, there is no Saturday flight and the Sunday flight arrives late evening. The airport is just a mile or so from the hotel.
- If you wish to stay in the Apex Hotel, they will issue a discount code that you can use to book extra nights on their website.
- The south coast of Fife has several interesting villages and good walking paths between them; if you want information on self-catering accommodation in the area, you could check the website of Pittenweem Properties – pittenweemproperties.com Stagecoach have a good bus network in Fife so with a bit of planning, you can do one-way walks; they also have a frequent service from Dundee to St Andrews. The Old Course in St Andrews is closed to golfers and open for walking on Sunday. The Tentsmuir Forest Park near Leuchars is an excellent area for outdoor activities and is reputed to be good for wild orchids.
- Accommodation in St Andrews is expensive but the Agnes Blackadder Hall of Residence offers good value B & B on the University North Haugh campus and has ample free parking.
If you are travelling independently by car, there are three National Trust properties with gardens in Fife that we are not visiting during the tour, these are Hill of Tarvit, Kellie Castle and Falkland Palace.
If you would like further information on any of the above prior to booking, please feel free to contact Michael Turner, who is kindly organising the 2025 summer tour, directly at seedturner@gmail.com
Booking Form
Please note that MPG events are open to members of MPG and its sister organisations only.
Bank Transfer
By bank transfer with reference FIFE
Sort Code 40 40 32
Account 5161 4002
Account name: Mediterranean Plants and Gardens
IBAN GB63 HBUK 4040 3251 6140 02
Euros
For those wishing to pay in euros, payment can be made directly into our euro account. If you wish to pay by this means please contact the treasurer, David Mason, for an exchange rate and payment instructions. If paying from a bank in the euro zone into our euro account, this can be done with minimal bank charges provided you use a SEPA (Single European Payments Area) payment method.