We had to get up early because we had to go through a passport check before we could get tender tickets.  Our tour was originally scheduled for 8:30, but a few days before we left on the cruise they changed it to 9:30.  We went to the earliest time for passport inspection and went straight to the tender tickets after and we still did not get on the tender until 9:10.  

We found the driver and were surprised to find out that we were the only people on the tour!  The description of the tour was a little vague.  It said we would tour some coastal towns and then get a walking tour of St. Andrews.  Gordon, our guide, asked us what interested us the most. We said we liked castles and architecture.  He offered to bring us to Falkland Palace.  He said it was located right in the middle of a small town and famous for having the world’s oldest tennis court.  After that visit, we would head to St. Andrews. 

Falkland Palace is located in Fife, Scotland.  It’s an adorable town.  When we arrived the castle was not open for another half an hour so we walked around town and looked in a bunch of stores. 

We went into one store that had some vintage items.  Another store had a lot of paper items, but also a lot of quality souvenirs. 

Our last stop was a bakery.  I got a latte and my husband and I shared a macaroni and cheese pie and a cream filled pastry.  

The castle was open and we opted to see both the building and the grounds.  I think it was 18 pounds each.  It was 2 pounds less for just the castle.  The castle is owned by the same family for the last century.  They still live in part of it today.  There were a few famous kings and queens that also lived there such as King James V, who died there at the age of 30 and his daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. 

First you climb up a spiral stone staircase to the third floor to visit the Keeper’s rooms.  I love this window seat in the office area. 

The bathroom (as well as most of the palace) has some amazing woodwork. 

Speaking of woodwork, this hand carved bed was unbelievable. 

I also loved this little corner to get read for your day. 

This living room was re-created with wood work that was popular in the time that Queen Mary lived here and  the walls are filled with paintings of people who lived there in that time period. This room is still used by the family in the winter. 

This secret little door leads into an unreal chapel. 

I don’t usually take pictures inside churches, but this chapel was so impressive.  I loved the wood ceilings and the seating on the left. 

Sadly, there were a few rooms that were closed while we were there.  One was located up this staircase.  I thought the curtains were a cool way to block out any breezes. 

When we stepped outside, there was a man with this beautiful female falcon.  

The gardens were in bloom, which was beautiful and peaceful to walk through. 

The views of the palace from the gardens.

This is the oldest tennis court in the world.  It was built in 1541 for King James V.  Obviously it has been renovated many times over the years.  

A royal tennis club was formed in 1975 and it still uses this court today.  Many famous people have sat in this viewing area watching a match. 

There were swallow nests along the edge of the ceiling in the viewing area.  Several swallows came out to make sure we would not disturb their nests. 

We drove to St. Andrews and did a drive by of the golf course.  Although I know how to play golf (my grandfather started to teach me at 5 years old), I am not a golfer.  The course at St. Andrews looks like it is super tough because of the winds.  They are quite strong. 

Gordon found a parking spot and let us go explore on our own.  We started with the Cathedral area.  It was standing in the 1400s.

They are working on making the gravestones more stable so there are a lot of chain link fences surrounding different areas.  

The gravestones are always fascinating to me.  I love reading what is written on them. 

This one happened to be champion golfer of Scotland in the 1800s.  He died at 44 in 1856. 

I am very curious what they did with the bodies from these gravesites and how long ago they moved them. 

There were so many cool pictures to take of this area.  

We had a nice lunch and then walked around town.  We checked out St. Andrews University.  

The architecture is so beautiful. This was a courtyard we wandered into. 

These buildings look like dorms to me. 

Lastly, we walked over to St. Andrews’ castle.  Since it is basically ruins, we decided not to pay to wander around the area.  

The pictures are amazing because the location of the castle is right above the water.  There were several people down on the rocks exploring the coast line. 

It took awhile to get back to South Queensferry.  There are three bridges.  The red bridge is called Forth and it is only for trains.  There are two other bridges.  One is only open for buses right now.  I think that is why there was so much traffic. 

We happened to get back at the same time as several tours, so the line for the tender was very long.  We decided to go shopping in town and found some good deals right across from the dock.  

I really like Scotland.  It was so nice to travel around in a van so we could go on the smaller roads and really see the countryside.