You enter the Myres estate by the drive from the Auchtermuchty to Dunshalt road. When the Fairlies bought the estate in 1887, the gateposts were level with the main road, and this caused a "blind" entrance.

In 1890 the Dunshalt builder 'Suttie' built the present gateposts of dressed freestone together with the adjoining curved walls. In the same year Suttie built the lodge. In 1936 Reginald Fairlie designed the kitchen and bathroom extensions.

Straight in front of you is the main drive to the castle, and to your right the back drive. The lime tree lined front drive existed until 1895 when a new carriage drive was built off to the left, by the contractors James Strachan from Chance Inn, Fife. They picked up the stones from the old drive and used them in the new one. The lime drive was covered with soil and turfed, and a path made under the right hand row of trees. This drive was restored to its present state in 1950 by James Fairlie, using the broken up concrete floors of the war-time nissen huts as the bottoming. The 1895 drive was grassed over as it was far too long to maintain.

In 1962 David Fairlie had four mounds of soil dumped along the right hand side of the lime drive. These represent four loads of good topsoil from the Kirkforther Sand Pit excavations, suitable for planting rhododendrons. Each mound has a different variety. Starting with the group of three plants on the first mound at the lodge, they are:- Dr A.W. Endiz; Kluis Sensation; Souvenir of Anthony Waterer; Blue Peter; Pink Perfection. Along the left hand side of this drive are large shrubs of Rhododendron Ponticum, planted in 1896. The main castle tower is 49 feet to the parapet. If you walk to the right of the tower, you will see a doorway blocked up with glass bricks. This is the location of the original main entrance to the castle. The turret on your left is the garderobe. The buttress below it was added in 1890. On your right are the stairs leading to what used to be the private Roman Catholic chapel of the Fairlie family. Under the instructions of the architect Henry W Walker, Messers Suttie from Dunshalt converted one of the two John Swinton designed coach houses into a chapel up the stone stairs, and servants quarters on the ground floor. Mr Walker also designed the pulpit in the Auchtermuchty Parish Church in 1892. Messers Suttie built the belfry, and carved the stone cross and the armorial water bouget on the east gable.

From Edinburgh take the M90 North over the Forth Road Bridge. Exit at Junction 8 signposted to St Andrews and the Tay Bridge (A91). Continue through Gateside to Auchtermuchty, turn right onto the B963 signposted to Falkland and Kirkcaldy. The Lodge pillars mark the entrance to the castle on the right hand side just beyond the edge of the village.

The Fairlie's of Myres are Roman Catholics and David Fairlie's grandfather was a Private Chamberlain at the Vatican to three Popes - Leo XIII, St.Pius X, and Benedict XV. The first Mass was said in the chapel in 1890 by Father Bruce Geddes, who died at Myres on 25th November 1906. The last Mass before the castle was rented to the Wemyss family was said on 28th September 1920 by Father John Reoche. David Fairlie's father allowed the chapel to be used again from 1953 to 1959, when a Roman Catholic church was built in Auchtermuchty. The first Mass in 1953 was on Palm Sunday and said by Father Leo McCabe.

The large shrub growing to the right of the chapel stairs is a Cotoneaster Salicifolia Floxcosa , and to the left of it a Cotoneaster Microphyllia.

The climbing roses on the castle walls are:- on the east gable, New Dawn. On the tower itself is Madame E. Herriot. On the front of the castle to the left of the tower is Danse de Feu and on its left is Golden Showers. Growing from a concrete box on the left of the front door and between the large windows is Mrs Sam McGrady. On the front lawn there is an old Spanish chestnut tree. It has a circumference of 24 feet. A core sample was taken in 1983 which gave it an estimated age of between 370 and 400 years. It might be that Stephen Paterson planted the tree when he added to the castle tower in 1616. Behind the tree you will find the old curling pool.

The celebrated Lomond Hills, otherwise known as the 'Paps of Fife' are clearly visible from the castle and the conservation village of Falkland lies below. The usual approach to reach the top of either the East or West Lomond is to walk from Craigmead towards Leslie and rewards the climber with a view of Fife practically in its entirety.

Pitmedden Woods lie to the rear of the village and cross the boundary from Fife into Perthshire. A multitude of forest tracks criss cross the hill and the entire land is a conservation area both well marked and accessible. Take a half hour drive and the possibilities become endless - the walks around the southern areas of Perthshire are glorious and there are far too many to list here. Needless to say staff at Myres are always happy to recommend walks and there are guidebooks and maps readily available.

Scotland is a special place for sportsmen and is widely regarded as the spiritual home of salmon fishing. At Myres there is plenty of fishing and shooting to be done within a half hour drive and, working in conjunction with local estates and field sport specialists, the castle staff can assist in the organisation of these sports.

The salmon beats located on the Tay and Esk rivers are closest to Myres whilst driven pheasant and mixed walk up days can be organised at Scone and Hill of Tarvit.

There are over 100 golf courses situated within an hour's drive from Myres Castle and the link between Myres and golf goes back to the very beginning of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (The R & A). No fewer than three members of the Fairlie family were captains of the club. In recent years Captain Fairlie donated memorabilia diverse enough to cover a complete wall of the Golfing Museum at St Andrews.

There are some of the most famous golf courses in the world within striking distance of the castle, notably St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Ladybank and Gleneagles. The castle staff would be delighted to try and arrange tee times for you. It is always helpful if guests are able to provide the castle with as much prior notice as possible as tee times (particularly for the most famous courses) are difficult to obtain. As you will appreciate, tee times cannot be guaranteed but the castle staff will do their best to help you. The Old Course at St Andrews is particularly difficult and operates on a ballot system, bookable the day prior to play unless a tee time is reserved roughly a year in advance!

There is also a complete corridor at Myres devoted to golf where you can see original prints, photographs, golf book records and medals; tracking not only the progress of members of the household and their friends, but also featuring some very famous golfing personalities such as old Tom Morris.

Click here to see a list of golf courses in Fife


At present, tennis can be booked at the outside hard courts situated three miles from the castle, however a tennis court is due for construction at Myres and should be available from the early summer months.

The tennis court at Falkland Palace is known to be the earliest surviving court in Britain, having been built between 1539 and 1541 for King James V of Scotland. It is a rare example of the 'jeu quarré' court which was common in France: a more 'square' court, and with some very significant differences in construction (and therefore in the way the game is played), than the 'jeu à dedans' court which has survived elsewhere to become the most usual court for the game as played today.

With advance notice the castle staff can arrange for guests to play and even receive tuition on this historic court.