5 Things You Never Knew About Fife

Are you looking for holidays in Fife? Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a whizz when it comes to general knowledge and facts? If so read on and wow your family with some wonders as you cross into Fife to start your holiday with some unusual Fife facts!

An Ace Fife Fact

Tennis ball on a court

So Wimbeldon is nigh and right here in Fife we are proud to say that we are home to Britain’s oldest tennis court dating back to 1539! And no it was not tennis King Andy Murray who graced its surface but that of King James V and young James VI of Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II also visited it in 1958, so it has ‘served’ a great deal within the royal circle. Housed at Falkland Palace it is still in use today and is the only surviving example of jeu quarré design.

Putt this in your fact file

Golf club about to hit a golf ball

St Andrews can lay claim to the fact that it IS ‘the home of golf’. The Royal and Ancient Golf club was the authority that set the rules for the game worldwide between 1897 and 1952. Golf was first played here in the 1400 and became so popular that King James the II prohibited it due to it interfering with archery practice of his subjects. It was here in St Andrews that Mary Queen of Scots was a member of the local golf club and was probably the first female golfer.

Fishing for Facts

Back in medieval time Crail was extremely important in the Scottish fishing industry, so Robert the Bruce granted it the rare right to hold a Sunday market back in 1310. Evidence suggests that fish were exported from the port as early as the 9th century. On the 25th January 1765, 8 fishermen lost their lives at the mouth of the harbour in a fishing disaster, leaving the local population devastated.

Oats so interesting

Fife is the home the one of the largest Oats companies ‘Quaker’. Owned by Pepsico, Quaker has been producing Oats in Cupar for over 100 years and uses much of the oats that are grown in the Kingdom of Fife to fuel the nation. Quaker lays claim to the fact that a bowl of Quaker Oats will keep you fuelled up for 4hrs and 21 minutes!

DRAMatic Fact

Glass of whisky on a barrel

It is said that Lindores Abbey near Newburgh holds the oldest record of distilling whisky. John Cor who was a monk here was apparently distilling as far back as 1494. “Eight bols of malt’ were granted to this clever monk by King James IV through the Royal Scottish Court at Falkland so that he could make whisky for him. The nearby Ormiston Hill supplied the spring water via Monks Well and Abbots Well. The Abbey is set to get back to distilling whisky with a £5 million project to construct a distillery and visitor centre.

So there you have it. You will now be able to start your holiday full of wisdom and you may be mistaken for a local given your local knowledge! Who thought holidays in Fife could be full of such wise and wonderful things.

There is much more to discover in this Kingdom. If you are looking for holidays in Fife then check out some of our great offers and come along for some fun!