Leuchars

Leuchars is a small town near the north-east coast of Fife in Scotland. In the area surrounding Leuchars you will find the village of Guardbridge, 2 miles (3 km) away to the south, which lies on the north bank of the River Eden, St Andrews, 6 miles (9.5 km) away to the south-east and the city of Dundee is 7 miles (11 km) to the north, across the rail and road bridges that span the Firth of Tay.

RAF Leuchars, which was established in 1920, adjoins the town. Leuchars has excellent transport links; there is an efficient bus service and a mainline train station that you can use to reach Edinburgh in an hour.

Leuchars has an array of small shops to cater for most needs; there is a SPAR, a Chinese and Indian Take-away, a butchers, hairdressers and a couple of pubs. The most striking feature is the 12th century St Athernase Church, which is one of the finest surviving examples of an unaisled Romanesque parish church in Britain.

St Andrews

St Andrews (6 miles away) was a former royal burgh which has contained an important church since the 8th century, and a bishopric since the 11th century. The burgh became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, until the Scottish Reformation and the famous cathedral, the largest in Scotland, now lies in ruins.

Today, St Andrews is known across the world as the home of golf. This is because the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, established in 1754, exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the USA and Mexico). Also because the famous links course, opened in 1894, has been the most favoured venue for The Open Championship, which is the oldest major championship.

An integral part of the burgh is the University of St Andrews, which is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of the most prestigious. Students make up one third of the town's population during term time.

St Andrews has few national outlets and chain stores, save for a few exceptions. Instead, the town centre offers an excellent range of independent, family-run shops and businesses, where you are guaranteed to find a unique range of goods matched by personal service.

Dundee

Dundee City (7 miles away) is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and it lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay.

Dundee first developed as a wool trade port but when it became cheaper to produce linen, the City turned its hand to weaving imported jute. In this period, Dundee was reknowned for excellent marmalade and its journalism, which labelled Dundee as the city of "jam, jute and journalism".

Nowadays, Dundee is toted as the City of Discovery, in reverence to a history of scientific activities and to the RRS Discovery, Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic exploration vessel, which was built in Dundee and is now berthed in the city harbour. Technological and biomedical industries made Dundee their home since the 1980s, and the city now accounts for one tenth of the UK’s digital-entertainment industry. Dundee has two universities – the University of Abertay Dundee and the University of Dundee. For shopping, Dundee contains a wealth of High Street names and offers a pedestrian friendly city centre with adequate parking.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh (53 miles away) is the capital city of Scotland and is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea. Edinburgh is famous for its spectacular, rugged setting and vast collection of Georgian and Medieval architecture, which make it one of the most picturesque cities in Europe.
Historically, the University of Edinburgh led the city as a major centre of the Enlightenment, which earned the city the nickname Athens of the North. The Old Town and New Town districts are listed as World Heritage sites since 1995 and there are over 4000 listed buildings within the city. The city’s most prominent feature is Edinburgh Castle, which provides a stunning viewpoint once you have climbed all those stairs! It should be noted that entry is free for Serving personnel and their direct families.

Edinburgh locals and visitors from around the world are treated each year to the Edinburgh Festival, which is a collection of official and independent festivals for 4 weeks from early August. The population of Edinburgh practically doubles during the Festival season. The events include the Edinburgh Fringe, which is the largest performing arts festival in the world, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Other notable dates in the Edinburgh calendar include the Hogmanay street party (31 December), Burns Night Celebrations (25 January), St. Andrew's Day (30 November), and the Beltane Fire Festival (30 April). As for shopping and entertainment facilities, every need is catered for.