By Largoward, St. Andrews, Fife - The sun had already plunged into the west by the time we made our way along the winding, country road that took us south from St. Andrews on the A195 towards Kirkaldy. The wind picked up and there were spots of rain among the gusts.

As we came around yet another curve, we could see the pale outline of the Inn to our left, the sign swinging back and forth in our headlights. Crunching over the gravel drive that sweeps behind the Inn, we three tired travelers zipped up and half ran, half staggered along the stone path to the back door that leads into the reception. And that's when the wet, blustery night changed completely.

Before we left to stow our bags, we were given a hand-written invitation to join Judy Routledge, the general manager, and her husband, Tony, for a drink before dinner. Plants swayed gently in their hanging pots as we walked the few steps along the covered verandah from our room to the bar. "The Inn is haunted, you know," Judy confided as we sat, warm and cozy, in front of the fire in the bar. The Inn is more than 400 years old. The oldest part of the original building, The Stables, is now the bar. The front house was built in the late 17th century. Iona Kirk and Ewan Lindsay were married in the local church in 1718 and their wedding stone was placed above the fireplace as its lintel. Their union was blessed in front of the fire before the wedding festivities began.

Ewan and Iona ran the Inn from that day until her death in 1736. According to local legend, the pair were so in love that the stone cracked when Iona died and Ewan passed away shortly afterwards of unknown causes.

You might see the friendly ghost, the Grey Lady, putting away her horse in the former stables.

The current version of the Inn has been established for more than 200 years, but has been thoroughly modernized and now offers 14 individually designed ensuite bedrooms. But the legends remain. For instance, one of the Inn's most famous visitors was a local highwayman who was known as Wee Mad MacGregor, who stalked the area between St. Andrews and Lundin Links. Under five feet tall, and disfigured on one side of his body so that his face drooped to one side and he drooled from one corner of his mouth, he's said to have enjoyed drinking and eating at the Inn following his criminal outings.

In the late 1800's and into the 1920's, the Inn had its own golf course for local coal miners who mined the area behind the Inn and towards the village of Largoward for more than 100 years until the pits flooded.

Since then, the Inn changed hands several times. Its owners included a retired sea captain, an American couple who sold at the height of the local property boom in the 1980's and James Bell, who refurbished the Inn prior to his retirement in 1997. The Inn is now owned by Nick and Jocelyn White, who have also purchased and operate a restaurant in St. Andrews: Inn Town at the Merchant's House.

The Inn at Lathones is literally surrounded by golf courses: there are 20 within a 15 minute drive of the Inn, including the world famous Royal and Ancient at St. Andrews, just five miles away. "We arrange golf programmes for our guests," Judy told us. "There are plenty of other activities, if you're not a golfer, such as coastal walks, shopping, boat tours, and the like."

But comfortable as the Inn may be, numerous the local activities, plentiful the stories of ghosts and wild robbers, our biggest surprise came when Judy led us into the dining room and sat us down to a dinner that we'll always remember.

All prices for accommodation include dinner, bed and breakfast - and that's a good thing, because Chef Marc Guilbert's creations are thoughtful, wonderfully attractive and downright delicious.

"What do you like best?" my wife asked, to which Judy and Tony answered in nearly the same voice: "Grilled Angus Cote de Beouf!"

The daily menu includes soups, salads, seafood, vegetarian, and meat dishes. I don't know about the beef, but the Highland Game Casserole with Herbes de Province was wonderful. And my wife was equally delighted with the Penne Pasta with Cheese and Chive Sauce.

The highlight of the meal, however, was yet to come: tiny samplings of Chef Guilbert's incredible desserts. The light was a bit too low for decent photography, and words can't adequately explain how good they looked, and how they tasted even better.

"He's a genius with deserts," Tony White told me when we chatted about a week later. That may be an understatement.

And we're not alone in our assessment. Chef Guilbert, who is committed to using fresh, local produce in his creations, was runner up in the British Dessert of the Year competition, second only to the pastry chef of one of London's finest restaurants. He also won the Scottish finals of the Minotel Chef of the year competition and recently took second place in the British finals.

After a long, pleasant sleep, we reluctantly packed our bags, said goodbye to Judy, and promised to return again for a more leisurely visit on our next trip to Scotland. I'll be sure to bring my golf clubs, but I'm afraid that too many evenings in the dining room at the Inn at Lathones and I'll have to be wheeled around the links.

George Butters, February, 2000