Back to the Fife holiday 2026 #7
The next day's walking promised to be much wetter, so it was on with the waterproofs! It didn't start off too badly, just drizzle, but by lunchtime the rain was pretty heavy. We joined the Fife Coastal Path more or less where the group had stopped the previous day in a village called St Monan's, another of the East Neuk fishing villages. The stocky looking building with the spire to the west of the village is its church, dating back to the 1300s, though it's no longer used for worship. It's known as the closest church to the sea in the whole of Scotland, perched on rocks. We didn't pass it so I didn't get to see inside.
Along the seashore we skirted one of several tidal swimming pools that seem popular along the Fife coast. I'm not sure that they are all still maintained and used but their outline is clear.
We passed the sole surviving (restored) windmill in Fife, built in the late 18th century to pump sea water into covered pans (see the ruins below). Coal from the local mine was burned in furnaces to evaporate the water and the salt residue was used mainly for food (fish) preservation. Production ceased in 1820.
Somewhere along this stretch of coast we saw these vibrant orange rocks. Whether the colour was caused by lichen or by some kind of iron deposit I'm not sure, but they were very striking.
As we approached Pittenweem along the coastal path we climbed up to a park, which had a small shelter covered in murals of local wildlife and boats. It was chucking it down with rain by this point so my camera was picking up rain spots. I put it away shortly afterwards and started using my phone, which is easier to keep dry! I liked the puffin picture, though I'm not aware that we saw any real ones on our travels.
Having 'done' Pittenweem the day before, I didn't take any photos here and we didn't linger anyway, trying to make headway in the rain. This picture below is looking back, as we walked on towards Anstruther and Cellardyke.
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