We came to visit the impressive and historically important Dunfermline Abbey. And to pay respect to…read moreRobert The Bruce. We didn't know about this park though which is right across the street from the Abbey. And it's a wonderful park. There are several sights along the way, the small "Tower Burn" river goes across the park, there's a café, a playground and several trails leading you through woodland and open spaces. Some urban wildlife as well. A good number of pretty tame squirrels too. A nice place to spend some time in. Alone, with family, with your dog.... Really enjoyed it.

Pittencrief Park or as locals call it "The Glen" is a huge park in the heart of Dunfermline. The…read morepark was gifted to the town back in 1902 by Dunfermline's famous son, Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who made his millions in the States (think Carnegie hall in NYC). Before internet, reality TV and crime dramas people actually used to flock to the park on sunny days from across Scotland to spend in the 70 something acres of manicured lawns and gardens. It may not have the same draw today, but when the sun is shining it can still be really busy. Not only is 'The Glen' a wonderful park, but it has some other very interesting features such as Pittencrieff House Museum, the remains of the 11th Century King Malcolm Canmore's Tower, (when it was the royal residence of Malcolm and his queen, Margaret), greenhouses, woodland walks and a statue of the man himself, Andrew Carnegie. There are also fantastic views of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace from the gardens. The Glen Pavilion in the centre of the park holds many local events from gigs, to arts and craft fairs. The Pavilion is also where you can get a quick caffeine fix as here you will find the park's cafe. There are also 3 kiddies play parks, ideal if Mum and Dad fancy a wee break from entertaining the kids. Anyone who grew up in the area will have such fond memories of the park. It's still really easy to spend a good day here. There is also a great chance to see peacocks and squirrels, so take a bag of nuts for some close up fun of these cute little critters.

Went here today as suggested by the bf as a wee cheer me up day and im so glad he suggested it as i…read morehad so much fun. Its a bit fiddly to find at the moment with the diversion due to the new forth rd bridge but if you follow the diversion you will be ok. Cost was £14 per adult however if you book in advance online its slightly cheaper. We got to see sharks being fed and a giant turtle but for me the best thing was seeing the seals being fed. They are so cute and clever and the tricks the handlers have taught them are briliant! There are tv screens dotted around the place that show you the times of all the feeds so you dont miss anything. The underwater tunnel is a brilliant way to get up close and personal with the sharks too. There is a cafe but we didnt visit that. The gift shop has all your usual cuddly toys and gifts. Plenty of parking available on site too. A great day out for young and old alike!

Deep Sea World is a great day out for all the family. I came here with my friend and her two little…read morecousins a few years ago and they were fascinated by everything, I've never seen them so well behaved. They even saw a bit of seaweed move and ended up mesmerised by it for ages. They were also huge fans of Finding Nemo and started screaming at the top of their voices when they were faced with Nemo in the flesh living it up in his Coral Reef. There are also plenty of sharks to marvel at and you can even dive with sharks... I don't know if I fancy that though. My personal favourite underwater critters are stingrays and was pleased when I saw a good few swimming around. Tickets are rather pricey, £12 adults and £8.25 but it's an excellent day out and there's so much to see and do and it's only a 20 min drive from Edinburgh city centre.

Every parent I have ever met asked if I went here so eventually had to visit . It is the most…read moredelightful place to take children . The staff are friendly, helpful and place is always very clean. The play areas are spllit up and my toddler loves going from ball pool section to the toddler part with slide. The cafe here serves fresh food and has a exactly what good parents want- fresh food for children. My daughter loves the platter where you choose 5 different things like grapes/raisins/ sandwiches/ cheese chunks etc and they put it on a round plate for the children . Its a novel idea which is great as children pick at food when playing so its perfect. ;) The people in this place have thought in depth about what parents want when they take children out. Also they do a play card when you go 9 times and the tenth play is free. Very friendly and pleased we eventually tried this place.

First (and it will be our last) visit to the Play Planet this week. It was awful. The empty tables…read morein the cafe were dirty and sticky; there were lots of tables which hadn't been cleaned and were piled high with dirty plates for most of the time that we were in there. The play equipment was filthy and in some areas was burst with the foam coming through. Staff weren't very vigilant in regards to asking kids to take shoes off or keep socks on, which is obvious for hygiene reasons. The toilets were an adventure in themselves. There was toilet tissue everywhere all over the floor, on the surfaces near the sink etc. The baby change mat was filthy, and I didn't use it, leaving instead to go to the car to change. There was no hot water to wash hands with either, despite running the tap for a wee while. Don't know what the quality of the food was, as given the poor state of the other features, I wasn't really willing to risk it. Staff members seemed more interested in standing about chatting and turning a blind eye to the state of the toilets and the dirty tables. I think it's rather obvious that they receive complaints on a regular basis given the fact that the managers contact information is posted on nearly every available surface. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't expect a soft play centre to be somewhere that you could eat your dinner off of the floor, but I do expect that basic hygiene standards are met. We certainly won't be back, and will visit another soft play centre in future.

Rock climbing is rubbish. It's rubbish. It's rubbish, it's rubbish, it's rubbish rubbish rubbish…read more Well, this is what I initially thought, until I lived with two ex-punk, Spanish rock climbers who, as you'll probably have guessed by the way I've described them, really liked rock climbing. It's a fantastic facility, even if I don't trust crash mats to fall on even from half an inch away, the staff are really professional and didn't laugh at my inability to get more than a metre off the ground as much as my pals... which was really nice of them and they helped me as much they possibly could. It had a real community spirit and sense of family. I actually had a really great time because I laughed so much. My arse felt great the day after too... Maybe if I could do it every day I'd look like Hulk Hogan like I've always dreamed of.

Okay kiddos, let's talk business. Are you a climber? Or, having never climbed before, would you…read moreconsider yourself an adventure-seeker? Someone who likes trying exciting new things? Don't mind the gritty feeling of chalk beneath your fingernails? The ache of muscles long-unused? If you're already a climber, then I can guess that you, like me, will pretty happily take whatever climbing venue you happen to be gifted with! If not, Alien Rock 1, happily nestled within the walls of an old church, complete with an upstairs observation deck, a small bouldering room, facilities that offer tea, coffee, and snacks, and a team that would be happy to teach you--well, go on then!! If you've never climbed before, you should know that this is not the sort of adventuring you can sashay your way into and pick up on the fly. Climbing gyms like AR1 are affairs where a little know-how and training are musts in order to not injure yourself or others. (If you're not sure if you would even like climbing in the first place, I would recommend scoping out nearby AR2 which specializes in bouldering, in which you can come and go as you please with little instruction except in the way of safety, and free climb without the aid of ropes). Climbing at AR1 means it is essential that you, or at least one or more of the people you are with, know what they're doing in order to safely belay and tie the knots involved to keep anyone from well... hurtling to meet the floor from great heights. Do I honestly have to stress this? Nah, didn't think so. If you've no experience belaying or tying the knots involved in top-rope climbing, no worries: Alien Rock 1 will teach you all the things you need to know, guaranteed. While it is pricey at around 45 pounds, I was lucky enough to have discovered a Meet-Up group for climbers in Edinburgh that allowed sessions for special discounted rates of learners that made it a much more tolerable 25 pounds or so split between a group of 6, arranged for a three-hour slot between 6:30 and 9:30 pm. (If you're looking to learn on the cheap and meet new folk at the same time, I would absolutely recommend sniffing around for this group: pennypinchers rejoice!) On the other hand, if you're just starting out but know a friend who's registered at AR1, if you sweet talk 'em some they may be willing to show you around the place and even belay you. If they do this willingly you certainly may owe them as it does end up a one-sided affair, as they can't climb themselves when you can't belay them in return. But you could certaily get an idea for if you like it! If you decide you fancy climbing more at AR1 on a long-term basis, or at least once a week, I would certainly recommend a few things: first of all, purchasing a white card, which allows you to enter at a discounted rate. Not only that, you should absolutely consider buying your own set of shoes and a harness, because honestly, who wants to stuff their own feet into the rented, smallish shoes that so many others have worn time and again? (Not only that, but watching my learning group attempt to sort out the variously colored straps and clips on their harness vs. putting on my own super-simple one made me feel quite lucky to avoid all that!) It's a sound investment as it'll save you hiring both accessories each time you visit for a fee of around a fiver ON TOP OF your entry fee of 9 pounds. (For more pricing, http://www.alienrock.co.uk/alien_one_pages/alien_one_prices/alien_one_prices.html should do you!) But enough of all that garbage. For those climbers who know their stuff, well, AR1 is certainly a pretty cool place to climb. Out of the gyms I've been to in the past it's extremely laid-back, with the staff appearing as needed to help but otherwise letting their climbers sort themselves out. The church-turned-gym itself is novelty enough, but having the upstairs observation deck filled with seating area that you can take a break and have a chat or a tea in is pretty cool. Also the tiny bouldering room available for warm-ups, learning, or just escaping the crowd downstairs is nifty as well. My only real beef with AR1 is mild at that, and it's merely the wish that while there are plenty of climbing routes to scope out on the main floor, I do wish that they'd have a bit more difficulty ranges to choose from at each section. Tying in over and over to just have one in your range means you do feel you kill some time roping up, so it'd be nice if there was at least an easy, medium, and hard per wall. Some it seemed to my untrained eye had only hard, some only easy. But routes change all the time, so who could say what'll be up on my next visit! What more can I say here that I haven't already? Climbers gonna climb, and AR1 is a lovely wee facility to get your game on. You'll certainly find me flexing my puny climbing muscles at AR1, and are welcome to shout a hullo if you do, after all climbers are normally the friendliest of folk! So go on then!! Climb on!!

Squeezed in between the railway line and the main road to Kinghorn, Burntisland Links is the main…read morepark in the town. In the past it used to have an open air swimming pool and a brilliant crazy golf. However, these things are mostly all gone, however the Links is still a place full of activity. The Links has a few play areas for young and older children , which always seem to be very popular with the locals. The main bulk of the Links is green grass, rolling up and down the low bumps and humps of the landscape where dogs run about and amateur footballers play there trade! During the summer, the Links is taken over by the shows. The shows are on the large side for the town and are dead during the day, however by night the dodgy disco music is pumped out at full volume whilst people try their hand at the dodgems!

There are a number of 'out of town' gyms in Dunfermline and some private fitness studios. What is…read moregreat about the recently refurbished Carnegie Leisure Centre is its town centre location and affordability. It doesn't have the quiet late night opening pool of my old gym but the variety of fitness classes is good and I can walk to them. Memberships are available but you can also turn up and pay for a single class on the door. I haven't ventured into the pool which understand has maintenence issues and seems mainly used by families.

Following it's rather expensive refit Carnegie started off well. However I've noticed a…read moredeterioration in how the place is functioning, it's starting to look shabby which doesn't bode well for the future. The jacuzzi pool has been out of action for weeks now, one of the cold showers had packed up, the sauna wasn't very hot and the drinking fountain was kaput! Mention any of this to the numerous but not very busy staff and your treated to a shrug. If management can't provide all the services advertised then they should reduce the admission charge otherwise it might be construed as a Trading Standards issue.

Went to a class here recently with my wee one, and after the class, we visited the rest of the…read moreaquarium. It was really disappointing, we must have managed round the entire thing in under an hour. Glad that we didn't pay the actual ticket price (subsidised due to class) otherwise I think I might have complained! The main tank is sparsely stocked, and the overall image of the place was a bit run down. Felt sorry for the seals in the 'sanctuary' who have to live next to a big smelly pond!

Deep sea world is a good family attraction. It has a lot of information and exhibits for children…read moreto enjoy and the underwater tunnel that takes you under the sharks is something all kids enjoy. There is also a restraunt and shop but the prices are a bit on the expensive side. At £38 for a family ticket these days it is definately something you only want to do once, it's good for a rainy day during the summer holidays though. Staff are friendly and knowledgable and will answer questions about the sealife.

It was quiet. It was empty. It looked out of place. It looked terrible. And I paid it a visit…read more Kingdom Amusements is one of those arcades full of coin machines, puggy machines and game machines that I on the whole dislike. I don't mind the coin machines with the coppers and twenty pence coins, I have always admired these coin machines since I was a kid. However, I cannot stand the shoot em' up games and gambling machines! I don't like the annoying noises that these machines make, and I would rather waste my money on something else! Not my cup of tea, and by the look of things, many of the residents of Burntisland feel the same way! Only some teenagers inhabited the amusements, however as time goes by they will realise how awful they are!

This place is great and john and his brother are really great people very old school amusements…read moreunlike the rest travel from ayr to come hear for a few hours won loads from head very caring kind staff and every time I come I bring under £15 to £20 and always come out with 2/3 teddys. sweets and a few kids toys even won ornaments and watches. its open till 8pm and its my day off so I mite just head up there soon and take dogs to the beach after