From Perth to Fife

I'm just back from a lovely couple of days break which started with a speaking engagement at the Perthshire Writers 40th anniversary of their writing group - a great achievement! I was leading a workshop in the afternoon, and husband and I drove up to Perth in time for me to join them for a buffet lunch while he wandered into the pleasant little town. We couldn't have asked for a better few days for driving north (and later east) in Scotland, with the sun shining and the scenery as beautiful as ever.

On the road to Perth, near DunblaneI've adjudicated a story competition for the group on a previous visit and it was great to be with such a lovely, enthusiastic group of creative writers, some of whom have seen great success with short stories, articles, poetry and memoir. It was such an honour and pleasure to be invited to their celebrations and a great excuse to revisit the north!

Keavil HouseAfterwards, we headed east to a favourite hotel in Fife where I enjoyed a couple of nights being wind and dined. We've been to Keavil House near Dunfermline many times over many years (for short stays now and then) and never tire of being in such a wonderful building full of history. It has a brilliant leisure pool and is one the most relaxing 'retreats' without being in the middle of nowhere, A five minute drive takes us to the lovely Pittencrieff Park where we can park the car at the entrance and have a good walk through it straight into Dunfermline's historic town.

Dunfermline AbbeyThe added pleasure this time was meeting up with wee granddaughter and her parents on Sunday morning as they can drive across the Forth Road Bridge and be in Fife in about half an hour. Great fun feeding the squirrels and exploring the nooks and crannies of the park. On the eventual walk up to the town, the first sight is the stunning Abbey, burial place of Robert the Bruce and others. Beside it is the remains of the monastery and the palace. My favourite medieval Abbot's House is currently changing hands and I can't wait for it to reopen soon.

Aberdour Harbour Silver SandsIn the afternoon, husband and I drove up the Fife coast to the beautiful little village of Aberdour where a walk in one direction took us towards the harbour, while a walk on the other side of the cliffs took us to the award winning Silver Sands. What a bonus when the sun came out and we sat and had a coffee without wearing jackets.

It might only have been a couple of nights away but we certainly made the most of the break and hopefully can now return to work fully charged!

Hope you all had a good weekend,
Rosemary