Tayport
Tayport & Tay Road Bridge
Nearby, on the shores of the Tay, is the mainly unremarkable village of Tayport, from where a ferry used to cross the river to Dundee. Tayport's church tower dates from the 17th century and a plaque commemorates General Ullysses Grant's visit on his way to see the first Tay Rail Bridge, which was blown down in 1879 while a train was passing over it. A new bridge has been built since, along with the Tay Road Bridge, which carries you from Fife into the city of Dundee.
Known as Ferryport-on-Craig until 1846, it was for many centuries a ferry port linking Fife with Dundee and Broughty Ferry. The town developed in the 19th Century, firstly with the arrival of the railway and the creation of a railway ferry in the 1840s, and secondly with the opening of the Tay Rail Bridge in 1878. In 1847 its harbour was rebuilt by Thomas Grainger for the Northern Railway Co. to accommodate paddle steamers. [1]
Only 12 miles from St. Andrews in the rolling Fife countryside. Enjoy a relaxing stay in this imposing rural Victorian villa with views over the rolling hills more details about Kirkton Barns Farm
Balmerino Abbey
Five miles west of the Tay Rail Bridge, off the A914, is Balmerino Abbey, on a hill overlooking the river. It was founded in the 13th century by Alexander II, whose mother Ermengarde, widow of William the Lion lies buried there. Little of the abbey remains today. In 1547 it was set on fire by the English Army during the 'Rough Wooing' and in 1559 Knox's Reformers completed the destruction on their way back to St Andrews after 'reforming' Lindores. Some of the pillars and part of the cloisters are still visible and in the orchard is a great Spanish chestnut tree, planted by the monks some 700 years ago. Unfortunately, the buildings are unsafe and inaccessible. All year. £1 (honesty box).