Tour Scotland on the Best Scottish Tours

Tour Scotland on the Best Scottish Tours. One of the American visitors demonstrates his accomplishments after attending the Clown School in Dunoon.

Bramble Flowers North Fife

There are many free foods for the taking in North Fife and this complete guide will help you to safely identify edible species that grow around us, together with detailed artworks, field identification notes and recipes. First published in 1972, this updated edition of Richard Mabey's cult bestseller has been revised to reflect the ever-increasing eco-awareness and popular interest in finding different, and more natural, sources of food. Each of the 240 types of fruit, nut, flower, seaweed, fungi and shellfish featured has its own identification field notes and artwork. Understand and learn about the fascinating edible species that you may come across and, with the help of the numerous recipes also included, find out the best way to pick and enjoy them. Beautifully illustrated and written, 'Food for Free' will inspire you to take more notice of the natural harvest that surrounds us, learn how to make use of it and conserve it for future generations.

Walking today I was drawn to this particular Blackberry Blossom which is super-abundant in Stamens. (male) I'm not sure if the plant will produce small or large fruit as a result. Perhaps a reader could comment if known. It's true that here in North East Fife Brambles produce large amounts of fruit but of varying quality and size.

Sharons Hairdressers High Street Newburgh North Fife

Lindores Abbey Newburgh North Fife

The Bear and Ragged Staff dug into Parkhill Newburgh.
Norman arch entrance to Lindores Abbey ruins. Strangely it has a wooden keystone, inserted when? Who knows but slippage can be clearly seen as the wood shrinks with age.

Newburgh, in North Fife, on the banks of the River Tay, has had a settlement or a village on the present site from a period much earlier than the end of the twelfth century, but it was at this time that the village grew in importance, due to the founding of Lindores Abbey.

Perhaps the most important and historic event ever witnessed at Lindores Abbey was the meeting here in 1306 of three puissant knights, Sir Gilbert Hay of Errol, Sir Neil Campbell of Lochaw, and Sir Alexander Seton, and the sealing before the high altar of the vow they made to " defend the King Robert Bruce and his crown to the last of their blood and fortunes. "

William Wallace was also here when he stole hither out of Black Earnside Wood for water for his wounded men. And in Newburgh tradition, the Clatchard Craig, which faces the Abbey with a sheer cliff of two hundred feet, is pointed to as the stone whereon he whetted his great two-handed sword !

Lindores Abbey, which was once a wealthy Abbey, older and more famed than Balmerino, is now deserted and in ruins. Yet, Kings Warriors and Statesman who had a considerable part to play in Scottish history have frequented this ancient site. Brave men have walked here. Brave words have been spoken here, and for centuries men worshipped and praised God in this now inconspicuous site.

David, Duke of Rothesay, the ill-fated heir to the throne was quickly buried here in 1401 after having been put to death in Falkland Palace. For many years James the ninth and last of the line of the " Black Douglases, " found retirement here.

David, Earl of Huntingdon, was the founder of this Benedictine House of the Tyronesian Order, which was colonised by monks from Kelso at the end of the 12th century and dedicated to St Mary and St Andrew in gratitude for the taking of Ptolemais in Palestine. Other visitors were William the Lyon; the second and third Alexanders, one of whom brought interdict on Lindores and Scotland through his quarrel with the Pope, while the other had his son and heir buried here.

Edward I, the " Hammer of the Scots, " was here in 1296. Lindores also saw David II, many Stuart sovereigns, including of course, Mary. Before her visit, and angry Dundee mob had, in 1543, assailed the abbey, ejecting the monks and destroying much of the furnishings.

The most famous Abbot was the great theologian and inquisitor Lawrence, one of the founders of St Andrews University.

The village of Newburgh was erected into a burgh-of-barony by Alexander III, in 1266 in favour of the Abbot and Convent of Lindores. In 1457 it was converted into a royal burgh. In 1631 Charles I, confirmed the ancient royal charter, but the burghers never exercised their right of sending a member to the Scottish Parliament. In the wall of a building in Newburgh High Street, and facing north, is an interesting relic of Lindores Abbey. It shows a badge with a shield above surmounted by a crosier or pastoral staff. The badge is the same as was borne by the ancient Earls of Warwick - namely the bear and ragged staff. The stone must have at one time been part of the Abbey's decorations or the Abbot's residence.

The bear in the stone harks back to the time of Arthur and the Round Table. One of his knights was Arthgal, whose name in the British language was Arsh or Narsh, signifying a bear. The ragged staff is attributed to Morvidus, an earl of the same family remarkable for his courage and skill, who slew a formidable giant by means of a young tree, which by his great strength he had torn up for the task.

Lindores Abbey Newburgh North Fife

Here one can see Gothic arch construction, the entrance gate is earlier with a Norman arch. Lindores Abbey Newburgh North Fife.




Newburgh funday arriving at Lindores Abbey.

Bumblebees North Fife

Bumble bees are far more evident than honey bees at present but do the work of pollinators very efficiently.Here they can be seen working the Hebe and Honeysuckle flowers. I am pleased with way that my Samsung NV7 digital camera has captured the little buzzers.

Bear Tavern Newburgh High St North Fife

In The Bear Tavern Newburgh High St North Fife on Tuesday nights traditional folk music sessions take place where anyone may join in and contribute to the music. See in the posts below.

Scottish Folk Music North Fife

Scottish Folk Music North Fife

Newburgh North Fife River Tay Boats

Newburgh North Fife River Tay Boats pass by inward to Perth and back to sea.

Newburgh North Fife

Newburgh was once a royal burgh of Fife, but somehow this registration fell away, the Community Council preferring instead to be purely Scottish in allegiance. The British Conservative Government under Maggie Thatcher was too much to bear for some.

Pop. (1901) 1904. The population today is only a little greater, at 2040 (est 2004). Being a small town, most residents are aware of each other and their occupations and activities. There are still many public houses but their number is dwindling, they are patronised by about 10% of the population who do the rounds.

It is situated on the Firth of Tay, 7 m. N.W. of Ladybank Junction by First Scotrail. Newburgh railway station closed in 1951 (pre-Beeching), and has never reopened, despite frequent local campaigns to re-establish some sort of rail link, as trains run through Newburgh on a regular basis.
For some time, its industries chiefly consisted of the making of linen and floorcloth, malting and quarrying, and there were fisheries, especially of salmon. The harbour was used for the transhipment of the cargoes of Perth-bound vessels of over 200 tons. But most of these industries have now gone. A linoleum factory, owned by Courtaulds, which had been the town's principal employer, closed in May 1980 after a large fire destroyed much of the building. After many years of lying derelict, the factory has since been completely demolished and cleared and its site is now a recreational waterfront. Local services and a few shops provide limited employment, but most residents now commute to larger towns. However, one quarry, for many years owned by Bell Brothers, is still operational, and is now owned by Ennstone Thistle. T Robertson & Sons, of Whinpark Quarry, still run a road contractors' business, although the quarry itself is no longer in operation.

Newburgh Waterfront North Fife

Newburgh Waterfront North Fife
A MAJOR project to honour Newburgh's history is one step closer with news the community has bought two sections of the River Tay waterfront.
Newburgh Community Trust achieved the £35,000 purchase deal under the Land Reform Act's right to buy legislation, one of the first such deals in the east of Scotland.
Trust chair Councillor Andrew Arbuckle said one of the sections included three now disused piers.
Owning this area would allow the community to repair the existing sea walls and then improve a footpath alongside the river.
The trust would work alongside Tay Salmon Fisheries chair David Clarke to develop the other section, known locally as Robertson's pier.
Mr Clarke said a comprehensive plan for the development would now be designed, with the goal of a planning application submitted in October and a start in spring 2008.
The proposal could include a restaurant, cafe, toilets and a heritage centre that remembered Newburgh's once-thriving waterfront industry.
Mr Clarke, who is also behind plans for river taxis between Newburgh and Perth, said the development would become a destination point for both boats and cars.
Councillor Arbuckle said the waterfront purchase had been a lengthy saga, but the people of Newburgh wanted to be able to decide on what happened along the river front.