Radio presenter Greg James has joked he wants to broadcast his show from Fife after enjoying a break in the area.
The BBC star took in sights around Fife and Tayside this week with partner Bella Mackie – whose family hail from Kirriemuir.
James shared snaps from the trip with his one million Instagram followers.
He wrote: “Final little trip of the year after seeing some funny pals up at The Fringe, Bella took me to where her family are from up on the east coast of Scotland.
“I made friends with Ian from Mac’s Model Railroading [in Kirriemuir], caught the biggest naan bread ever, disappeared under a castle (Bella too scared to), ate a year’s worth of butter and sweets, played cricket at The Ship Inn, saw Bella’s grandad (at the cemetery) and I return home completely in love with that part of the world and in possession of an electric train set.
“Petition to do the breakfast show from Fife starts here.”
Bella also posted to mention Scotland’s oldest sweet shop, Star Rock Shop in Kirriemuir.
The shop’s owner, Liz Crossley-Davis, says she did not know the pair had visited until seeing the Instagram post.
‘A really nice surprise’
Liz said: “I wasn’t in when they came to visit but it was my son Joshua that served them.
“I messaged them both after to ask if they’d managed to get everything they wanted and Greg actually replied to say everything was 10 out of 10.
“I just thanked him for including us in his photos from his holidays – that was a really nice surprise.
“Greg’s partner Bella said the past three generations of her family have always come to the shop so I hoped she was happy with her visit but she messaged me back too, to say it was ‘fab’.
The pair also made a trip to The Ship Inn in Elie on behalf of Greg’s cricket-based podcast Tailenders, after making a promise to owner Graham Bucknall to play a round of cricket on the beach.
Graham said: “I love their podcast – they were doing a feature earlier in the year about beach cricket and they asked, ‘I wonder where you can play actual cricket on an actual beach’.
“I sent them an email saying they could up in Elie and they read it out on their show.
“Bizarrely I sat next to Greg during a cricket match and he said he should come up, and this week I got a message from him saying he was in the area and we should get lunch.
“I think he’s one of the nicest people on radio and television, he’s so genuine and Bella couldn’t have been nicer.
“She’s from Kirriemuir and her mum’s favourite oatcakes are from Pittenweem so she was very excited to go there – they just loved the place.
“We’re really keen to get the Tailenders guys on the beach for a proper cricket match soon.
“Greg and I had a little practice, which was a lot of fun, and I was sort of pinching myself at times.”
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