Leuchars
Leuchars
Four miles northwest of St Andrews is Leuchars, best known as an RAF base, but in the centre of the village is one of the oldest churches in Scotland. The 12th-century chancel and apse, incorporated into the parish church, are exceptional examples of Norman architecture.
Earlshall Castle
One mile east of Leuchars is the privately owned Earlshall Castle built in 1546 by Sir William Bruce, ancestor of the present owners. This is a fine example of a 16th-century Scottish castle, very strongly built with 5-ft thick walls, battlements and gun loops. The castle is set among beautiful gardens with unusual topiary chessmen, but is not open to the general public.
Tentsmuir Forest
Just beyond Leuchars is the B945 turning for Tentsmuir Forest, on the northeastern tip of Fife. There is an excellent broad sandy beach, the perfect spot for a picnic, as well as a Nature Reserve where you can see wildfowl waders and a large colony of seals sunning themselves on the sands. In 1957, on a site near Morton Farm on the Tentsmuir peninsula, evidence was found of a settlement visited seasonally by hunter-gatherers about 8,000 years ago. This remarkable site is one of the earliest human habitations in Scotland. Finds from the site are in the Dundee Museum and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.