"Inverkeithing" Inverkeithing by carfan

Inverkeithing is a small town which lies to the north of the Forth Road Bridge.It is sometimes forgotten as its mainly used by motorists to access the Bridge.

It is in fact one of the oldest Royal Burghs of Scotland.Because of its closeness to Dunfermline, the ancient capital, it was quite an important place.

Many of the landed families had their "Lodgings" in the town.Trading with the continent flourished for many centuries.

It is said that Cromwell's forces used the 12th century tower of St Peter's church as a landmark on their victory over King Charles II at the battle of Inverkeithing on 20 July 1651.

Around the harbour and in the town itself a number of industries began:ship building, engineering, paper making, potteries, a distillery and brewery, tannery and dye works, but the main export was coal.

A large part of the old town wall still stands today.

Every August, it host one of the oldest Highland Games in Scotland, along side that comes the fun fair.The games go back as far as 1652 when they are mentioned in Burgh records. The records say that on the first day of August, all kinds of merchant goods and livestock were on sale in the Main Street. Another record states that it was a great day for " Fun, Frolics, Fit Races, Ale and Drunken Folks, gentle and simple.

From it many places can be reached by motorway.Nearby is Deep Sea World, home to sharks and a few friends.It has good transport links to Dunfermline, the ancient capital of Scotland, Perth and in to Edinburgh.

• Pros:Good links to other places
• Cons:Tends to forget its own history
• In a nutshell:I grew up here,so it will always be home to me!