Crusoe Hotel
2 Main Street
Lower Largo
Fife
KY8 6BT

Tel: 01333 320759
Fax: 01333 320865
Email: relax@crusoehotel.co.uk

Attractions

The Crusoe Hotel at Largo harbour has an information and display area on the real Robinson Crusoe. It is located near the reception in an area resembling below decks on board ship complete with creaky floor. The sound of the surf pounding the shore and the sing-song calls of birds is clearly heard on board as the ship approaches Juan Fernandez. Look through the port hole and there standing on the shore waiting to be rescued is Alexander Selkirk - the real Robinson Crusoe.

The display gives an account of the life of Alexander Selkirk with reference to William Dampier and Daniel Defoe. There are also several seafaring items of interest along with the last will and testament of Alexander Selkirk.

The surrounding area is steeped in history and offers many attractions and activities for visitors. The main activitiy tends to be golf and there are over 20 courses with a 12 mile radius including St. Andrews.

Places to visit in and around the Lower Largo area include Silverburn Park - Gardens and Craft Workshops in Leven or how about fishing expeditions sailing from Lower Largo itself, Anstruther (which also hosts the Scottish Fisheries Museum) or Pitenweem. Kellie Castle and Gardens, Deep Sea World at North Queensferry and the Castle and Cathedral in St Andrews all offer excellent days out within easy drive of The Crusoe as does the Golf Museum also in St Andrews.

Scotland's Capital City is also easily accessible for day trip - simply jump on the train at Largo and Edinburgh's City Centre is less than an hour away.

Bird Watching

Adjacent to the golfing mecca of St Andrews in north-eastern Fife, the Eden Estuary is home to significant numbers of wildfowl and waders. Here, where the River Eden meets tidal mudflats, one can visit an observation centre in winter and hope to see great numbers of grey plover, oystercatcher, knot, dunlin and pink-footed geese. The estuary also holds the country's largest numbers of black-tailed godwit. In summer many shelduck and eider may be seen.

At the mouth of the Forth, off the coast of Fife's famous East Neuk, sits the Isle of May National Nature Reserve. This reserve is immensely important for a number of species, and is the site of a bird observatory from which much significant study has been carried out. In summer, the cliffs of the island's west coast are alive with seabirds - above these in a honeycomb of burrows nest most of the May's 25,000+ pairs of puffins, the number one attraction here. The island is increasingly important for breeding common and Arctic terns. It is also one of Britain's foremost eider duck nesting sites. Later in the year, the coast of the island accommodates the biggest grey seal population on the east coast of the UK, one that has grown steadily since the 1980s.

If you're looking to enjoy a walking holiday Fife has some impressive inland and coastal routes. Perhaps the most impressive and memorable is the Fife Coastal Path which stretches for 150km from the Royal Burgh of Culross, north to the Tay Bridge. Weaving in and out of pretty, harbour villages and meandering by historic buildings dating back to the 12th century. Along the way you'll uncover reminders of Scotland's proud heritage, the pre-historic caves at East Wemyss, castles of St Andrews and Aberdour and the Kinghorn Cliffs where Scottish King Alexander III fell to his death in 1286.

Each section of the Path has new riches for you to discover, Fife is not only the birthplace of the famous Cutty Sark's skipper Captain George Moodie but also home to the real Robinson Crusoe - Alexander Selkirk and every turn reveals another story.

Fife Coastal path is a real walk on the 'wild side'. Watch seals basking in the sun, and look out for dolphins as they play off the coast. Listen to the seabirds as they soar above the waves, inhale the fresh sea air, and feel the real sense of freedom.

Discover Fife's best kept secret - The Elie Chainwalk. If you have a sense of adventure and a head for heights this is definitely a walk with a difference. Starting at the Earlsferry Beach the walk consists of a series of carved steps accompanied by vertical and horizontal chains allowing access to the cliffs, several caves and other coastal features including columnar basalt. Finish your journey with commanding views across the Forth. Take a deep breath and really feel the sense of adventure.

What ever your walking ability or preference there is something for everyone, from the level and easy to the wild and demanding. The path can be enjoyed in bite size chunks, or as a long distance route and includes a mixture of woodland walks, sandy beaches and breathtaking cliffs, providing a variety of different experience for all walkers, there really is something for everyone, whether it be families or keen ramblers.