Letham Feus Park - Fun Days Out

Falkland Palace, in the Fife village of Falkland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings and was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots. It began as a royal hunting lodge, grew into a castle, and was later transformed by James IV and James V into a Renaissance-style palace. The Stewart monarchs used it as a retreat for falconry and hunting in the surrounding forest and parkland.

You can explore the palace and its gardens, which developed from the land around the old castle. Inside is the Chapel Royal, dedicated to Thomas the Apostle and reserved for Catholic worship. There are darker stories here too: the Duke of Rothesay was imprisoned at Falkland and died of neglect, a tale that makes this a good stop for anyone who likes their history with a bit of drama.

Tip: Look out for the Chapel Royal, dedicated to Thomas the Apostle, within the palace.

Deep Sea World is an aquarium at North Queensferry in Fife, set in a disused quarry below the Forth Rail Bridge. Its star feature is a 112 metre transparent underwater tunnel, one of the longest of its kind in the world. Most animals in the main tank come from British waters, alongside a large collection of sand tiger sharks. There are also tanks and rock pools of exotic fish, plus a seal enclosure that is home to resident seals and injured ones rescued by the SSPCA.

Talks and feeds run through the day, and the Bridge Cafe looks out over the seals and the bridge. Older children and adults can book shark dives, and there are junior dives for ages 8 to 15. The ramps run throughout, though there is no lift, and prams and wheelchairs must stay off the moving walkway. Parking on site is free.

Tip: Check the talk and feed times when you arrive and allow a couple of hours before closing so you don't miss them.

V&A Dundee is Scotland's design museum, set on Dundee's waterfront. It was the first building in the UK designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, whose idea was a "living room for the city", and its outer wing reaches out over the River Tay. It is also the only V&A museum outside London.

Inside, the exhibition galleries show temporary exhibitions, some with an entrance fee and some free to explore. The Scottish Design Galleries cover subjects from architecture and fashion to furniture and video game design, and include Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Oak Room, originally a Glasgow tearoom. Stories from the Building looks at how the museum was made. Free self-guided audio tours are available through the Smartify app.

When you want a break, Tatha Bar & Kitchen serves lunch, scones and afternoon tea, and there is a shop. For families, there is a buggy park and baby changing facilities.

Tip: Parking is in the nearby Dundee City Council car parks, and the free Smartify app audio tours let you explore at your own pace.

Kellie Castle is a National Trust for Scotland property in the East Neuk of Fife. Its oldest towers date back to the 14th century, and the Lorimers, a famous artistic family, overhauled the interior in the late 19th century. Take a guided tour to see the painted panelling, fine furniture designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and the library ceiling, one of the oldest ornamental plaster ceilings in Scotland.

Outside, the Arts & Crafts garden has herbaceous borders, old-fashioned roses, and fruit and vegetables all grown organically. In the stables, an exhibition covers the life of sculptor Hew Lorimer, and you can see his studio reconstructed as it was when he died. There is also a woodland and adventure playground, plus a tearoom for a break.

Tip: Some sat-navs send you to the wrong place with the postcode, so follow the brown National Trust for Scotland signs nearby.

St Andrews Castle is a ruin on a rocky promontory overlooking Castle Sands and the North Sea. It began as a bishop's palace and later served as a fortress and state prison. You enter through a visitor centre with displays on its history, some of the best surviving carved fragments from the castle, and a shop.

Highlights include the bottle dungeon, a dank, airless pit cut from solid rock, and the mine and countermine dug through the rock during the siege of 1546–47. Outside, the Hamilton Façade is worth a look. A spot marked with brick lettering shows where the preacher George Wishart was burnt. An audio guide is available on your own smartphone or on a device from the site. It's a good pick if you like castle stories with some real drama behind them.

Tip: Download the audio guide to your own smartphone to hear the stories as you explore.

St Andrews Cathedral in Fife was begun in 1158 and was the largest church ever built in Scotland. The ruins show it was around 119 metres long. It was the seat of the Archbishops of St Andrews and the centre of the medieval Catholic Church in Scotland, and legend says Robert the Bruce rode up the aisle on his horse when it was consecrated in 1318.

What survives includes the east and west gables, much of the south nave wall and the west wall of the south transept, along with parts of the priory wall and the archways known as The Pends. In the cathedral grounds stands St Rule's Tower, which is older than the cathedral and 33 metres high. Its tall, slightly horseshoe-shaped arches are its most notable feature. The cathedral was ransacked during the Reformation in 1559 and then abandoned, and the ground plan is cut out in the turf.

Loch Leven Castle is a ruined fortress on an island in the middle of Loch Leven, reached by ferry. Its five-storey tower house dates from the 14th century or early 15th, making it one of the oldest surviving tower houses in Scotland. The castle is a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

The big draw is the story. Mary, Queen of Scots was held here in 1567-68, lived mostly in Glassin Tower in the south-east corner, and was forced to abdicate before escaping with the help of her gaoler's family. Before that, the castle saw sieges during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and Robert the Bruce visited. Explore the tower house and the island's ruins, and enjoy the boat crossing, which is part of the outing. It's one for anyone who likes Scottish history.

RRS Discovery is the wooden three-masted ship built in Dundee in 1901 for Antarctic research. She carried Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on the Discovery Expedition, and she was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship built in the United Kingdom.

Her story runs well beyond that first voyage. She became the first Royal Research Ship, carried out the Discovery Investigations into the oceans and whale populations, and served as the base for Douglas Mawson's BANZARE expedition. She is one of only two surviving expedition ships from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, the other being Norway's Fram.

Returned to Dundee in 1986, the city where she was built, she is the centrepiece of a visitor attraction. It is a good stop for anyone who enjoys ships, polar exploration or the history of scientific discovery.