Pittenweem

Fife holiday 2026 #5

I had lunch back at our base. Then I, and a friend who also chose not to do the long walk, drove over to Pittenweem, another of the East Neuk of Fife fishing villages. The village has existed since early medieval times, a fishing port that grew around an early Christian religious settlement. Monks had a priory on the Isle of May and relocated from there to Pittenweem in the early 14th century. 

The fishing port is still one of the largest and most active in the area. Unlike the small creel boats at Crail, this harbour has much bigger trawlers, with a daily fish market on the harbour-side where fish is unloaded, sorted, packed and sold.   

The harbour has apparently been extended over the years, notably in the 1770s when Sir John Anstruther needed capacity to ship coal from his mines and salt from his salt pans. There are two or three breakwaters and piers, with harbour lights to guide the boats in. 

I rather liked the collection of old buildings at the eastern end of the harbour, through which you could glimpse the Isle of May across the water. I've read that these were homes for the wealthy sea captains, whereas the other end of the harbour has smaller cottages built by the fishermen. 

Harbours have so many interesting details to capture: brightly coloured floats, tangled ropes and nets. 

Spot those rain clouds (above). There was an absolute cloudburst for about 15 minutes, bouncing rain and hail! Luckily I managed to find shelter but those on the long walk got drenched!

At the western end of the harbour area there is a lovely Fishermen's Memorial, erected in 2019 and sculpted by Alan Herriot. It's a bronze statue of a fisherman's wife and child, staring anxiously out to sea, waiting for her husband's return. Of course, many of them did not return. It's estimated that since the 1800s some 400 lives have been lost in the Firth of Forth off the East Neuk. The memorial's plaque has disappeared but apparently it simply said: 'The memorial is dedicated to the men and women who make their living from the sea and to those who have lost their lives in doing so.'