🧭 The Queensferry Crossing Ballot is Open!

Good morning, Fifers! This week, I’ve made a change to one of our sections based on your feedback. When you reach the section, please take a moment to answer the poll, your input is invaluable!

Here’s what’s coming your way today:

• Apply for Queensferry Crossing Tour Tickets Now

• A Fife Castle Goes on the Market

• 68 Events to See This Week

Let’s jump in, there’s plenty to talk about!

— Duncan

TOP STORIES AROUND THE KINGDOM

🌉 The Queensferry Crossing Ballot is Now Open!

As highlighted in our newsletter at the start of July, BEAR Scotland is giving people the chance to see inside the Queensferry Crossing for the very first time, and for free! Completed in 2017, this will be the first time members of the public have been invited to tour the bridge as part of Doors Open Day 2025.

The 1-hour 40-minute tour will take visitors into parts of the bridge usually off-limits, including the interior of the box girder deck and the central reservation where the massive cable stays are anchored. However, there are only 180 tickets available, and with more than 12,000 people applying for last year’s Forth Road Bridge open day, competition will be fierce.

To be in with a chance, you’ll need to enter the ballot before it closes on August 22nd. Tours take place on September 27th, so make sure you're free that day and note that you’ll need to be able to “climb several flights of stairs and walk for several hundred metres.”

👉 Enter the ballot here.

Even if you’re not successful, you can still head to the Forth Bridges Contact & Education Centre in South Queensferry on the day to learn more about the bridges, and enter a charity prize draw for a once-in-a-lifetime tower top trip. Good luck!

🧭 Want to help keep Fife Insider going? Join Fife Insider+ to support us and enjoy extended event outlooks every Sunday, exclusive giveaways, and more! Get 25% off for your first 3 months!

LOCAL HEADLINES YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 🚶‍♀️ Fife Council’s new “I Can” campaign is helping over-30s get moving with free, friendly activities like walking groups, gentle yoga, and family walks. Sessions are social and open to all levels. Check your nearest session here.

• 🎓 Twelve Fife College students have received ExxonMobil Scholarships, sharing £5,000 to support their studies in care, health, science, and wellbeing.

• 🍽️ The Tailend, a popular family-run restaurant in St Andrews, has submitted plans to create a rustic outdoor dining area for 35–40 guests. Located behind the Market Street venue, the space would feature picnic tables, fairy lights, and a pergola roof to provide flexible shelter.

• 🌱 A new Fife Environment Bank is in the works thanks to major funding secured by a local consortium. Led by Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, the initiative will channel private investment into habitat restoration, carbon capture, and biodiversity projects.

• 🏋️ Fife Sports and Leisure Trust has launched Club 18–24, a new £23.50/month membership for young adults, offering full access to gyms, pools, classes, and more across all 14 venues.

• 🏬 A new leaseholder is being sought for the former Dunnes store in Glenrothes, vacant since 2018. Despite interest from Sainsbury’s and The Range, both passed due to layout and access issues.

• 🔧 St Andrews Men’s Shed has been named East Coast (North) Regional Winner in the Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year Awards 2025! The award celebrates their transformation of an empty site at Craigtoun Park into a thriving hub with workshops, gardens, and social spaces.

• 🐟 Rosyth-based MOWI has netted a Great Taste Award for its Scottish Salmon Fillets, marking the first time fresh Scottish salmon has earned this honour.

• 🚦 Lidl’s plans for a new store in Dunfermline will require them to contribute £23,573 towards new traffic lights at Grange Drive/Queensferry Road, due to increased traffic.

FEATURE OF THE WEEK

Based on reader feedback, we’re experimenting this week with a new section to replace one of our usual news deep dives. This section will feature a weekly spotlight on something standout in Fife, such as a unique home for sale, a new local business, an exciting upcoming event, or a hidden gem staycation spot. Let us know in the poll below: should we keep this feature, or stick with the usual news?

🏰 Home of the Week: Couston Castle

💷 Offers Over £2,650,000 | 5 Bed | 5 Bath | 5.37 Acres

For our first feature in this new section, we’re unapologetically in dream-home territory with a property I couldn’t resist highlighting: the stunning Couston Castle. Sitting just outside Aberdour, it offers 12th-century origins, lochside views of Otterston Loch, and 21st-century luxury, all just a short hop from Edinburgh.

Lovingly rebuilt in the 1980s from centuries-old ruins (and awarded for it), this 5,872 sq ft residence features:

• A vaulted sitting room with a rescued fireplace

• Glass-walled living/dining space with Caithness stone floors

• Gaggenau-equipped kitchen with double islands

• Cinema room, gym suite with sauna, oak-panelled drawing room

• Principal suite with copper bathtub and views over Otterston Loch

The 5.37-acre grounds include a guest flat, triple garage, two-storey barn, orchard, outdoor kitchen, and even dog kennels. Not bad for a home once dismantled for farm rubble. Check out the full listing here!

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WHAT’S ON IN FIFE?

⭐ Featured Event

📅 Friday, 1st August

Escape Room Experience: The Last Exhibit - Can you escape the Bell Pettigrew Museum that has been taken over by a rogue technology?
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Bell Pettigrew Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ £15

Rocket League Bootcamp - Enhance your skills in car control, aerials, and teamwork through fun activities and mini tournaments!
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 9am | 📍 Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £27.80

Artisan Fridays Market - A lively weekly food market offering hot & cold food on Kirkcaldy High Street.
📁 Market | 🕢 9am | 📍 Kirkcaldy High Street | 🎟️ Free

Wee Wardlaws: Wonderful Weather - Help your little one explore the world around them through museum objects, stories, songs, crafts and things to do and spot.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 10am | 📍 Wardlaw Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Hillview Animal Park: Summer Visits - Come along and meet our friendly animals.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 10:00am & 1:00pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £5

Learn Photography @ Fife Zoo - Full day course with Drew Cunningham and Grant Keelan for beginners, amateurs and enthusiasts.
📁 Art | 🕢 10:00am | 📍 Fife Zoo | 🎟️ £50

Big Seaweed Search - Join this fun and free citizen science event to help track seaweed and coastal change on Fife’s shoreline!
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 11am | 📍 Dysart Harbour Car Park | 🎟️ Free

Drop-in Lego Session - Build cars, houses, dinosaurs- you name it, if you can imagine it you can build it!
📁 Family 7 Children | 🕢 11am & 2pm | 📍 Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries | 🎟️ Free

Fortnite Frenzy - Level up your skills with epic building, combat tactics, and fun team challenges.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 1pm | 📍 Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £27.80

St Andrews Heritage Tour - Discover hidden gems, stories, and secrets by exploring St Andrews Castle, Cathedral, and more.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 2:00pm | 📍 St Andrews War Memorial | 🎟️ £10

Grass to Grill Tour - A showcase of our organic farming landscape and produce from Balcaskie.
📁 Food & Drink | 🕢 4:00pm | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ £65

A Real Pain - Two cousins embark on a tour of Poland in honour of their beloved Jewish grandmother.
📁 Movie | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £6

Meryl Streek - Politically-outspoken Irish avant garde punk producer.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 PJ Molloys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £16.50

Splintered Halo - Support from The Starry Wisdom Cult and Kamihamiha!
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £8

The Ultimate Irish Hooley - Irelands No.1 Folk n Roll band, Keltic Storm, and an all-star cast of award winning musicians and singers.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Rothes Halls, Glenrothes | 🎟️ £27

Fons Scotia - Single release including special guests.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 The Monarch Bar, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £8

Gimme Abba - For over 25 years, this sensational ABBA tribute has been captivating audiences worldwide.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £25

Open Mic Night - Bring your talents, your friends, and your sense of adventure to a night full of creativity.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

Dark & Haunting Tales - Meetings with the devil, ghostly stage coaches, accused witches, and body snatchers.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Abbot House, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £20.21

📅 Saturday, 2nd August

Hillview Animal Park: Summer Visits - Come along and meet our friendly animals.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 10:00am & 1:00pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £5

Ian Anthony Thompson: I am Curious Blue - Re-imagining images from Popular Culture to voice social and political comments on the pressures from social media.
📁 Art | 🕢 10:00am | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

Feta, Halloumi and Mascarpone Masterclass - Step into the world of artisanal cheesemaking in this hands-on workshop led by cheesemaker Kristen Allan.
📁 Food & Drink | 🕢 10am | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ Sold Out

St Andrews Market - Independent producers and creatives, fresh produce and food, handmade crafts, and more.
📁 Market | 🕢 10am | 📍 South Street, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

VR Free Demo Day - Come and try out our Virtual Reality Drop-In Workshop at the Design Suite in the Adam Smith Theatre.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

Inverkiething Highland Games - Great day out featuring the traditional games events including pipe bands, highland dancing, heavy weight, running and cycling.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 Ballast Bank Playing Fields, Inverkiething | 🎟️ Free

Family Fun Day - Stalls, face painting, kids crafts and more. Plus to end the day a Duck Race!
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 11am | 📍 252 Memorial Hall, Markinch | 🎟️ Free

Teddy Bears Picnic - Bear themed tale and craft, finishing with a tasty teddy bears picnic and tea/coffee for parents.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 11am | 📍 Rothes Halls, Glenrothes | 🎟️ £6

Leven Promfest - Open air 2 day festival that takes place on Leven's beautiful Promenade.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 12pm | 📍 Leven Promenade | 🎟️ Free

St Andrews Heritage Tour - Discover hidden gems, stories, and secrets by exploring St Andrews Castle, Cathedral, and more.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 2pm | 📍 St Andrews War Memorial | 🎟️ £10

Aladdin - A street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their wishes come true.
📁 Movie | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £1+

Lughnasadh Music & Art Festival - Afternoon and evening of live music and family-friendly art activities in the Centre’s lush grounds.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Forgan's Art Centre, Ceres | 🎟️ £27.50

The Spirits of the Palace: After Hours Tours - Join us on an exclusive tour of the Palace and find out the fascinating spirits of Culross Palace.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 5:00pm | 📍 Culross Palace | 🎟️ £25

Falling into Place - Love story set in Scotland and London that follows romance between Kira and Ian.
📁 Movie | 🕢 5:30pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £6.50

Racewall Nights - Action from BriSCA F2, Saloon Stock Cars, ORCi Ministox & Prostocks.
📁 Sport | 🕢 6:00pm | 📍 Cowdenbeath Racewall | 🎟️ £18.50

Forgan's St Andrews Ceilidh - Head to Forgan’s and experience one of our unforgettable ceilidhs.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 7:00pm | 📍 Forgans St Andrews | 🎟️ £6.13

Bearfoot Comedy - Night of stand up comedy.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £16.96

Celtic Cabaret - A celebration of Celtic music and dance in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation for MND.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £20+

Harvest - On the morning after harvest, the inhabitants of an English village awaken looking forward to a day of rest.
📁 Movie | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £6.50

Nicola Madill - Ambitious and original folk-rock.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Jock's Bar & Grill, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £9.05

The Glastonberries - Kirkcaldy based live covers band.
📁 Music | 🕢 8:30pm | 📍 Weavers, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

📅 Sunday, 3rd August

Hillview Animal Park: Summer Visits - Come along and meet our friendly animals.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10:00am & 1:00pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £5

Walking With Giants Tour - Pete and Ronnie will take you around our foals where you will be allowed to walk through the paddocks with them.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10am | 📍 R H Black, Newton of Collessie | 🎟️ £11.55

Spoon Carving Workshop - Discover the timeless art of spoon carving.
📁 Art | 🕢 11am | 📍 Fife Folk Museum | 🎟️ £20

Ratatouille - Story of Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a great chef in Paris.
📁 Movie | 🕢 11am | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £6

Leven Promfest - Open air 2 day festival that takes place on Leven's beautiful Promenade.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 12pm | 📍 Leven Promenade | 🎟️ Free

Sunday Summer Picnic Brunch - An elevated celebration of seasonal food, world-class Champagne and laid-back DJ sets.
📁 Food & Drink | 🕢 12:00pm | 📍 Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa | 🎟️ £70

Sunday Storycraft - Session of themed crafts and stories.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 12:30pm | 📍 Kirkcaldy Galleries | 🎟️ Free

Steam Sundays - Travel behind our narrow-gauge steam engine Big Dave!
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 1pm | 📍 Lathalmond Railway Museum | 🎟️ £6

Murder on the Orient Express - Detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
📁 Movie | 🕢 1:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £6

Sunday Crafts - Pop along and find out what you can cut, stick, paint and make every Sunday during the summer holidays.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries | 🎟️ Free

Sunday School of Rock IV - We are back in the Legion for the brilliant Sunday School of Rock! Come join us for a cracking afternoon!
📁 Music | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Royal British Legion, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £11.25

Sing Sing - Divine G, imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, finds purpose through acting.
📁 Movie | 🕢 6:45pm | 📍 Dreel Halls, Anstruther | 🎟️ £6

📅 Monday, 4th August

A Round of Hickory Golf - Talk by Hannah Fleming.
📁 Talk | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Fife Folk Museum | 🎟️ £3

Hillview Animal Park: Summer Visits - Come along and meet our friendly animals.
📁 Family & Children | 🕢 10:00am & 1:00pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £5

🎉 Multi-Day Festivals & Exhibitions

Coastlines - Exhibition showcasing dynamic drawings by Fife school pupils.
📅 Thu, 10th July - Sat, 2nd August | 🕢 11am (Wed-Fri) & 1pm (Sat) | 📍 Methil Heritage Centre | 🎟️ Free

Aberdour Festival - Packed 10 day programme of family activities, workshops, music, and more.
📅 Fri, 25th July - Sun, 3rd August | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Aberdour | 🎟️ Varies

Making Waves; Breaking Ground - Unique exhibition of large scale paintings and artwork.
📅 Sat, 19th July - Mon, 4th August | 🕢 10:00am (Tue-Sun) | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ Free

Pittenweem Arts Festival - An inspiring journey through creativity, community, and the vibrant village.
📅 Sat, 2nd - Sat, 9th August | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Pittenweem | 🎟️ Varies

Cafe Inc - Free lunch club for children and young people.
📅 Mon, 7th July - Sun, 17th August | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Across Fife | 🎟️ Varies

Fife Sports and Leisure Trust’s Summer Programme - Quid a Kid, weekly activity sessions, sport drop-ins, crafting, family fun days, and more.
📅 Mon, 7th July - Sun, 17th August | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Across Fife | 🎟️ Varies

Deep Sea World Fantasea - This summer, Deep Sea World transforms into a mythical world of magic, mystery, and marine marvels.
📅 Sat, 28th June - Sun, 17th August | 🕢 | 📍 Deep Sea World, North Queensferry | 🎟️ £13.75+

Burntisland Fairground - Rides, stalls, and attractions lining the town’s seafront.
📅 Sat, 31st May - Sun, 24th August | 🕢 1:00pm | 📍 The Links, Burntisland | 🎟️ Varies

Forthlines - Displays of squares made by people living in Fife, of places that they know and love.
📅 Sat, 24th May - Sun, 31st August | 🕢 10:00am (11:00am Sun) | 📍 Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther | 🎟️ Museum Entry

Unearthed - Step back in time to discover how Scotland was formed and explore prehistoric creatures.
📅 Sat, 8th February - Sat, 27th September | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 St Andrews Museum | 🎟️ Free

Rewrite the Future - Explore how today's choices can shape a fairer, more sustainable tomorrow.
📅 Sat, 31st May - Sun, 28th September | 🕢 9:45am | 📍 Wardlaw Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

The Lost Words - Featuring original artwork by artist Jackie Morris and spell-poems by writer Robert Macfarlane.
📅 Sat, 28th June - Sun, 26th October | 🕢 10:00am | 📍 Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries | 🎟️ Free

Jack Vettriano Exhibition 2025 - Collection of Jack Vettriano prints, including rare and sold-out pieces.
📅 Tue, 4th March - Tue, 28th October | 🕢 10:00am | 📍 Affordable Arts, Methil | 🎟️ Free

Bunker Shots: Stories of Golf and Conflict - Surprising connections between golf and conflict, including the impact on golfers and their equipment.
📅 Fri, 18th April - Tue, 31st March 2026 | 🕢 9:15am | 📍 The R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ £17.50

Fife Insider+ members got these events two weeks early. Upgrade today to get 25% off for your first 3 months and get an extended event outlook every Sunday.

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THANKS FOR READING

Thanks for reading Fife Insider today. If you found something useful, please share it with a friend in Fife.

Cheers,

Duncan

Got an event or news you want to feature? Or perhaps you’d like to promote your business to readers in Fife? Get in touch with us at [email protected] - let’s make it happen!