English (UK)
English (US)
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
简体中文
Museum
Scottish Fisheries Museum
Museum of the Scottish fishing industry and its communities, on the harbour front at Anstruther.
Directions Website Report a problem with Scottish Fisheries Museum
A mini guide to
East Neuk
Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and Elie: stone harbours on the Firth of Forth
Photos
1 / 10Welcome to the area
Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and Elie: stone harbours on the Firth of Forth
The East Neuk is the corner of Fife between St Andrews and Elie. "Neuk" is Scots for nook or corner. Its former fishing villages, Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and Elie, have enclosed stone harbours and houses with pantiled roofs.
Anstruther is the largest village and home to the Scottish Fisheries Museum; boats leave its harbour for the Isle of May. The Fife Coastal Path links every village, with caves, a windmill, ruined castles and the Elie Chain Walk along the way.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Island
Isle of May
National nature reserve island about 8 km offshore, with one of the largest puffin colonies in the UK; boats sail from Anstruther.
Castle
Kellie Castle
Castle with a walled garden 4 km north of Pittenweem, restored by the Lorimer family and run by the National Trust for Scotland.
Museum
Scotland's Secret Bunker
Cold War nuclear bunker built in 1951 and hidden under an ordinary-looking house, now a museum.
Directions Website Report a problem with Scotland's Secret Bunker
Harbour
Crail Harbour
Small harbour reached down steep lanes; its west pier was rebuilt by Robert Stevenson in 1828.
Museum
Crail Museum
Volunteer-run museum and heritage centre at the top of Tolbooth Wynd, with rooms on the burgh, the airfield and golf.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows East Neuk and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Walk one way, bus back
The Fife Coastal Path joins the villages; bus 95 runs along the same coast, so a one-way walk is easy to plan.
2
Book the Isle of May early
The May Princess gives about 2.5 to 3 hours ashore. The island is closed to visitors from 1 October until Easter for the seal pups.
3
Check the tide for the Chain Walk
The Elie Chain Walk, west of Earlsferry, uses chains fixed to the cliffs and should only be attempted at low tide.
4
Look for the fossil trees
On the beach beside Crail harbour there are fossilised trees from the Carboniferous period.
Tips from the Britlens editors
St Andrews and Fife
More areas to explore
Photo credits
- East Neuk (area photo): Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Scottish Fisheries Museum: James Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Isle of May: No machine-readable author provided. JeremyA assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Kellie Castle: MaggieMayRose, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Scotland's Secret Bunker: Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0, source
- Crail Harbour: E-JG79, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Crail Museum: Dbrooke1829, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Crail Parish Church: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- St Monans Church: Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St Monans Windmill: Chris Combe from York, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- Newark Castle: John Allan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pittenweem Harbour: Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- St Fillan's Cave: Gordon Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pittenweem Priory: Scott MacDonald, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Elie Harbour: Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lady's Tower: Drkirstyross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Elie Chain Walk: ronnie leask, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dunfermline and the Forth: Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- St Andrews: Bartolo Creations, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring St Andrews and Fife