Cheap Hotels in Fife

Lying between the Rivers Tay and Forth is the county of Fife, traditionally known as the 'Kingdom of Fife'. Along the coast the land is low-lying, fertile and largely agricultural, and inland it gradually undulates upward to the Lomond and Ochil hills.

First occupied in prehistoric times, Fife was a stronghold for the Picts, later inhabited by Romans and Danes. Up to the 11th century the area came under the jurisdiction of the MacDuff family. For a long time the area was a base for several Scottish Kings, and the palace at Falkland, 7 km (4 miles) northwest of Glenrothes, was regularly visited by royalty until it was partly burnt down by Oliver Cromwell's troops. Many historic counties in Scotland were merged together or altered due to local government reorganisation in 1975 and 1996, but Fife is one of the few that remains with its original name and boundaries.

Largely agricultural, Fife has a busy tourist industry, with places of note including the ancient settlement of Falkland near Glenrothes, with its royal palace and real tennis court; Dunfermline, the burial place of Scottish kings; the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, founded in 1754, and numerous coastal settlements that have narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed houses, pantile roofs, and picturesque harbours.