For most families, a day trip is a walk in the park, so to speak. With mine, it’s another story. It goes more like this…
Fourteen of us – eight children – head to Edinburgh for the day, to visit the fabulous (free entry) National Museum of Scotland.
We park our three cars in what we think is the railway station car park at Kinghorn, then we have to move them when we discover it’s actually the doctor’s surgery car park.
We arrive on the platform in plenty of time to catch the 10.37 to Edinburgh, only to discover it’s cancelled due to engineering works. So we press a button on a pole and a lovely lady announces that if we head over to nearby Kirkcaldy station, we’ll be in time to catch the 10.42 to Edinburgh, and save waiting around.
So we pile back into the cars and speed out of Kinghorn to find Kirkcaldy. Cue the Benny Hill chase scene, as none of us know where it is, neither do we have sat-nav, and end up lost in the countryside – and, you guessed it, miss the 10.42.
The 14 of us walking back on to Kinghorn’s platform with our tails between our legs must have been a pretty sight for all the passengers who’d decided to just stay put and wait patiently for the next train…
Anyway, our day out in Edinburgh was great, despite thousands of festival-goers crowding the pavements.
But we couldn’t wait to get back to The Bay Hotel at the Pettycur Leisure Complex in Kinghorn – our base for the annual family get-together. With a magnificent view over Pettycur’s sandy beach and the Firth of Forth, you can see the road/rail bridges and watch ships go sailing by.
Edinburgh, Arthur’s seat and the castle can also be seen without even leaving the comfort of the hotel – a hotel the children described simply as “cool!”
Although you are close to the city, you’re not so close to be paying city prices, and the hotel is beside a beach, too.
If you are thinking of a bucket and spade, seaside holiday in the UK, this family-run luxury resort is very special. These are my top reasons for choosing The Bay:
1. Location. The miles of beach are right opposite, it’s within easy reach of the capital, and surrounded by so many things to do.
2. The food. The hotel’s Horizons Restaurant serves delicious breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner – with those views – but there’s something else. The gluten-free menu.
The chef has to cater for his wife who has coeliac disease (those who have it will know how difficult it is to eat out safely) so he has developed a menu which proved to be perfect for the coeliac in our family, and which led her to write to Coeliac UK to ask for the hotel to be listed on their venue guide – the bible for gluten-free people looking to book a decent hotel. This is what she wrote: “I cannot praise too highly the gluten-free food at the Bay Hotel. I wanted to let you know that we have just returned from a week’s visit there.
“When we arrived, I was very cautious about the restaurant. The gluten-free menu is extensive, and I was not convinced that they could cope effectively with such variety and still maintain safety and quality. I was wrong!
“Craig, the chef, is very knowledgeable about gluten-free requirements. He produces delicious food, including a variety of super puddings. At every meal, I was spoilt for choice and was served as much as I could eat. He even came to talk to me to discuss my likes and dislikes. This is a novelty for me: if I am lucky, I usually have to settle for the one item on the menu (most often a plain salad with grilled meat or fish) and watch everyone else eat gorgeous puddings. If I am unlucky – well, you know what that means!
“The restaurant staff managed our various requirements very efficiently and were pleasant and cheerful at all times.”
Coeliac UK said it will list The Bay as soon as the hotel confirms they are happy for it to do so.
3. The pool. The children in our party would have happily stayed forever in the heated, indoor pool, with sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, children’s paddling pool and soft play area. All very clean and well maintained, they loved it and had to be dragged away to visit the beach.
4. The rooms. The very reasonably priced, comfortable executive family suites are big enough for six people, with two floors and balconies where you can soak up those stunning views. The fresh, modern rooms are fitted with intelligent, energy-efficient lighting; air conditioning and wireless broadband internet access. Each bedroom has a 32” flat panel digital satellite TV; a mini-fridge and movies on demand. Rooms are well serviced, beds made every day and towels changed, with plenty of coffee/tea and biscuits provided.
The cliff-top caravans around the resort (with access to the hotel) looked amazing and made us think about coming back for a camping trip.
Pettycur is open year round, not just to residents, and is well used by locals for meals out, shows, parties, celebrations and as somewhere to meet for lunch or a coffee, especially for those with young families and the retired. It’s perfect for big family get-togethers, as we discovered.
The hotel’s website isn’t doing it justice as the eye-catching glass building on the hillside is a sparkling gem hiding its light under a bushel.
But not for much longer, we think… Book soon for the October holidays, or think about a family get-together next year. You won’t be disappointed.
- Midweek rooms at The Bay hotel cost from £96 per room rising to £120 per room at the weekend – family suites cost extra and prices vary due to season and availability. Guests are advised to contact the hotel direct for the best rate. For further details on offers at The Bay Hotel check out www.thebayhotel.net or call 01592 892222, and for general information on the Pettycur Leisure Complex check out www.pettycur.co.uk
ACTIVITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF FIFE
According to a recent poll, people in Fife are the happiest in Scotland, and I can see why.
It’s a daytripper and holidaymaker’s paradise with a wealth of things to see and do all within a short distance. Just a few of the activities and places of interest near Pettycur Bay include:
• Coastal path walks and the beach.
• Traditional funfair and stalls at Burntisland.
• Golf – there are a total of 40 golf courses nearby and you are not far from the golfing mecca of St Andrews, and The British Golf Museum there (www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk).
• Food – we tore ourselves away from our hotel to visit St Andrews, a favourite town of mine, as we’d promised a visit to the aquarium, and lunch at one of Scotland’s top fish and chip shops – Cromars, on Union Street. Lip-smackingly gorgeous it was too. Cromars deserves to win the 2017 National Fish & Chip Award – widely considered as the ‘Oscar’ of the fish frying industry – when it’s announced in January.
• Cluny Clays, Kirkcaldy (www.clunyclays.co.uk). We had a great afternoon here, with archery, the superb golf driving range and outdoor playpark with giant pillows for the kids to merrily bounce on. Nice cafe, too.
• The Maid of the Forth Boatrip to Inchcolm Island & the Isle of May Ferry, Anstruther.
• Cairnie Fruit Farm – pick your own strawberries; kids attractions; maze in summer months.
• Deer Centre, Cupar.
• Deep Sea World, North Queensferry.
• Traditional East Neuk fishing villages of Anstruther, Crail etc.
• Historic former Capital of Scotland Dunfermline with its Norman Abbey, Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Abbey Ruins and Abbot House Visitor Attraction.