Balbirnie Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite

Golfers strike gold when they stay at Balbirnie Park. There’s a golf club next door and a choice of 30 other courses across Fife, including the famed Old Course in historic St Andrews (40 minutes’ drive). Once there, non-golfers can browse upscale shops, explore the castle and cathedral, or take bracing walks along the West Sands beach. There are more beaches in East Neuk of Fife villages like Elie (35 minutes), which has views south to North Berwick, and Leven (15 minutes and dog-friendly all year). You can swim in the tidal pool at St Monans, and pick up sea glass on the small strip of sand at Anstruther (both 40 minutes), where there’s a well-known fish and chip shop to cure any hunger pangs. On the cultural side of things, rugged Falkland Palace and Gardens (10 minutes) was once the hunting lodge of Scottish monarchs; it has ornately painted interiors, a fine collection of Flemish tapestries and a real tennis court dating from 1539. You can also take the train from Markinch railway station (five minutes) to the spectacular museums and galleries of Dundee or Edinburgh.