Day 84: Crail to Buckhaven, Fife

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

 29th March 2021: 37.79km walked today taking the total to 8376.41/8868km. 7% of 71 entries submitting 539.88km.

From Crail we continue our walk along the south coast of Fife passing through the towns of Anstruther, Pittenweem, Earlsferry, Leven, Methil and Buckhaven.

Route 23: St Andrews to Glasgow

The next 5 kilometres will take us along the coast into Anstruther. We see the salt pan ruins as we leave Crail, once the producers of much-needed salt for the fish industry in the area, now under threat from coastal erosion. After another stretch, we see the geological feature ‘The Coves’ or the Caves of Caiplie, an eroding sandstone outcrop which is the exterior of a cave system. The caves within were used for early Christian worship and housing livestock but were abandoned after 180 AD. One cave, however, called Hermit’s Well was lived in by a man for several months before the start of World War 2. We continue on the grassy path, over a stile and footbridge past Caiplie, with a fantastic view of Isle of May and Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth.

Continuing on our plotted route we reach Cellardyke (named also Nether Kilrenny & Sillardyke in the past), a village immediately next to Anstruther. The harbour, also known as Skinfast Haven was completed in the 16th century then reconstructed in the 19th century. The area was a Royal Burgh from 1592 and was a thriving place by the mid-1800s. The fish curers of Cellardyke salted or smoked cod and herring for export to London and as far away as the West Indies. There was a 200 strong fishing fleet here at its peak which was brought to an abrupt end after a storm in 1898, which saw most of the vessels destroyed and the few remaining move to Anstruther Harbour. These days a few creel boats operate, it's home to a few leisure craft and the occasional washing line. We keep to roads nearest the coast to reach the centre of Anstruther.

Anstruther is a busy commercial harbour, and its history is also in fishing. Its fortunes were made in the herring industry, these days it relies on tourism. The town is made up of 2 settlements Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester, divided by the Dreel Burn, and it's the largest of the communities in the East Neuk. We are currently in Anstruther Easter as we pass the Scottish Fisheries Museum to arrive at the harbour. It is an attractive place and behind the busy Shore Street, there are cobbled streets, wynds and alleyways to explore.

From the harbour, we take a sightseeing tour boat to the Isle of May, which we saw as we walked towards the town, just 5 miles off the coast. It is a National Nature Reserve, cared for by NatureScot, and home to a variety of wildlife. We arrive at Kirkhaven and, once on land, we enjoy the spectacular scenery as we walk to the south of the island.

We pass the remains of St Adrian’s Chapel, built in the 12th century as part of a priory, in memory of a monk martyred by the Danes here in 875AD. The monks moved to Pittenweem on the mainland at some point in the 16th century and this is all that remains of the priory. At the South Ness we watch the puffins nesting, but don't go too near else they’ll peck your head! The island’s birdlife numbers over 200,000 at nesting time; puffins are regulars here and April-August is the best time to see them. They have many other sea bird varieties as neighbours, along with grey seals on the beaches.

Following the cliffs northwards, we pass the south horn, no longer in use, to reach Pilgrim’s Haven. Boats for the island’s former priory landed here but it is now home to a PuffinCam, monitored by North Berwick Seabird Centre. We continue along Prior’s Walk to enjoy further scenery before retracing our steps and following the trail to Fluke Street, where the lightkeepers' cottages stand. From here we bear left to walk up Palpitation Brae to the main lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson in 1816. Following the loss of 2 frigates, Nymph and Pallas, near Dunbar in 1810 a stronger light was needed to guide ships. The ships had confused a lime kiln on the mainland for the ‘beacon’ lighthouse erected in 1636 on the island.

As we walk towards the north of the island on High Road, we pass Scotland’s first lighthouse, which burned coals as a beacon here before its replacement. We detour to view Bishop’s Cove, named for the sea stack The Bishop where the cliffs are teeming with nesting seabirds. At the north of May, we reach a barrier, where there was once a bridge taking you to the Isle of Rona, now removed because the island is used for research, so we fork left and follow the Low Road towards the Low Light Lighthouse. This is now a bird observatory and closed to the public, so we follow a track passing through a tunnel to access Holyman’s Road heading south to the Visitor Centre and Kirkhaven jetty where we await our return to Anstruther. If we’re lucky we may spot porpoise, dolphins and even a whale, on our return sail.

Continuing around the harbour, we pass the Mercat cross, seeing and smelling many fish and chip shops on the way. Once across the Dreel Burn, now in Anstruther Wester, we see Dreel Halls as we walk, formerly Wester Parish Church and Wester Town Hall. There has been a church building on this site for centuries, hence the large graveyard. It was deconsecrated in 1961 and renamed Hew Scott Hall, in honour of one of its 19th-century ministers. The Town Hall was built in 1794 and has been used for several purposes, as has the Church Tower, called St Nicholas’ Tower; all used as community halls today. On the opposite corner to these buildings is Buckie House. The house dates back to 1692, decorated by a local slater in the mid-19th century with ‘buckies’ or shells, and is also known as ‘Shell house’; he used to charge people to see his shell-encrusted coffin!

As we leave Anstruther behind there are a couple of places, a few kilometres inland, worth a mention; Scotland’s Secret Bunker and Kellie Castle. The bunker at ‘Troywood’ was used as a radar station by the RAF during World War 2. With the Cold War already a reality, and the threat of nuclear attack looming, the station was rebuilt and extended in the 1970s to hold the Scottish Government in the case of such an attack. The bunker sat dormant until 1992, then converted into an unusual visitor attraction, opening in 1994. Kellie Castle began life about 1360, and over the centuries after several additions and many owners, the Lorimer family began to lease the property in 1878, at which point it was in a bad state. After many generations and much restoration work, it was purchased by Hew Lorimer, an architectural sculptor in 1948 (remember ‘Our Lady of the Isles’ on South Uist?). After his wife died in 1970, he sold the castle and grounds to the National Trust for Scotland.

We follow our route out of town alongside Anstruther Golf Course around Billow Ness. After a short coastal walk, we reach Pittenweem, whose name is derived from Gaelic meaning ‘the place of the cave’. We admire the harbour here before turning up Cove Wynd to visit St Fillan’s Cave built into a sandstone outcrop. The cave behind the ornamental gate is linked to the Irish missionary, St Fillan, who is said to have lived in the cave for several years in the late 8th century; he is said to have sat writing his sermons in the cave, illuminated by his left arm! He was revered after his death and Pittenweem Priory was built just by the cave, the monks carving stairs and a cellar into the rock, linking it to the priory garden. The cave remained their property until the Scottish Reformation. Inside the cave is St Fillan’s well, which during Medieval times was thought to have healing properties. St Fillian, being the patron saint of the mentally ill, saw mentally ill people being left here overnight tied with ropes; if they were loosened in the morning, they were cured. The doorway and window at the entrance are thought to have been installed about 1600 and the cave continued life less respectfully; it was used as a prison during the witch trials of the 17th-18th centuries, a dump, fishnet store and smugglers hide. In the 1930s it was restored and re-consecrated, adding the iron gate. It is open regularly for visitors, but if locked you can get the key, for a small sum, from Pittenweem Chocolate Cafe.

Returning to the harbour, what we see today was due to the arrival of the Augustinian Priory which moved from the Isle of May. The village grew up around the priory, becoming an important place for trade and was thus granted Royal Burgh status in 1541. By 1650 it was the 14th richest town in the UK. The harbour breakwaters began construction in the 16th century, with further additions in the 19th century. The harbour still has an active fishing fleet and a fish market open weekdays. At the end of the harbour, when we look back east, we can see a large house at the other end, Gyles House built in 1626. It was built for Captain James Cook, not the one of explorer fame, but this Captain did see Charles II into exile in France in 1651. The captains built their houses to the east of the harbour, whereas on the side we now stand, are smaller cottages built by the fishermen.

Pushing along the coast for a couple of kilometres we pass St Monans Windmill on our way to the village. The windmill served in salt production at this site; salt has been a valuable commodity throughout history. The word ‘salary’ comes from Roman times when the soldiers were at times paid in salt. Many locations throughout Scotland sprang up due to the increasing need for salt in food preservation, in particular as a fish preservative for export. Salt production began here in 1771. Coal was extracted from an area just behind the windmill, now an area called Coal Farm. There were 9 salt pan buildings in front of this windmill, used to provide power to pump water into the pans from tidal pools cut into the rocks below. The operation ceased here by the 1820s. The windmill has been restored and the areas where the pans sat are still visible. The air is so clean as we look at it all today but during the time of production the air would have been dominated by thick smoke and fumes.

St Monans was named after a missionary and was another thriving fishing port by the 1200s, which is evident as we arrive on ‘The Shore’. As we wander along East Shore, Mid Shore then West Shore we admire the mixture of lovely houses and cottages along its route. The harbour piers were added across the centuries due to expansion. For over 200 years boat builders produced ‘fifie’ fishing boats, yachts and other larger vessels until 1992; the last to leave here being CalMac ferries MV Loch Tarbert and MV Loch Buie. Sadly, the boat building ceased, and the sheds were demolished in 2009, and the fishing has also drastically reduced; the harbour now mostly used by leisure craft. As we cross the Inverie Burn to leave the village we come to St Monans Parish Church, standing just above the beach surrounded by a graveyard. A shrine placed here to St Monan was developed into a church in the 13th century. It was rebuilt in the 14th century by David II and it is believed that this is the church we see to this day, restored in 1899. The church was used for a funeral scene in ‘The Railway Man’ (2013) and it is open to visitors during the summer months.

Not far along the coast from the church is Newark Castle & its doocot, occupying an impressive clifftop position. The ruins are in a bad state, despite attempts to preserve them in 2002, which failed. Care must be taken as it is actively crumbling away. Little is known of its early history; a lot is presumed. We do know that in 1649 it was sold to David Leslie, a prominent person in the Scottish and English Civil Wars. He was captured by Cromwell in 1651, imprisoned for 9 years in the Tower of London to return to Newark Castle where he remained as 1st Baron of Newark, dying in 1682. It was passed down to a few others after him but, at some point, was left to decay. In the late 19th century, shipping magnate Sir William Burrell attempted to restore the castle, however, the owners refused to sell.

We don't have to walk much further before we come across the scant remains of Ardross Castle, sitting on low cliffs looking out over the Firth of Forth. Constructed in the 14th century, the castle continued in use until the late 17th century, what remains today is from the 1400-1500s. How it got into this state is unknown, possibly quarried.

As Elie & Earlsferry comes into view we are walking on East Links past Lady’s Tower Beach. A strange name but all will be ‘revealed’. As we reach Elie Ness, we can see the remains of Lady’s Tower perched on Sauchar Point, built in the 1770s for the daughter of a merchant, Lady Janet Anstruther, who had a bit of a reputation. She enjoyed a skinny dip on the sheltered Ruby Bay, on the other side of Elie Ness, so the tower was built to include a vaulted changing room at sea level for that purpose. Before her ‘dip’, she would send a servant out into the town ringing a bell. advising the townsfolk to stay away from the bay. After her dip, she would sit in the tower and watch the world go by whilst recovering. Thomas Carlyle, the historian, described her as Jenny Faa, ‘a coquette and a beauty’. Fantastic views across the Firth here to Bass Rock & Berwick Law.

On the tip of Elie Ness is a lighthouse, a late arrival compared to most, erected in 1908 by David Allan Stevenson. It was the first to have an LED lamp installed in the UK. We continue on our path to Ruby Bay, whose name comes from the stones which can be found in the sand among the rocks, ‘Elie Rubies'. Extremely small you need to have a keen eye and, unfortunately, they aren’t rubies but garnets, but we have a bit of fun trying to find some anyway!

Elie and Earlsferry were merged in 1930, prior to that they were separate villages. Earlsferry is the oldest village, having been mentioned in local tradition in the 11th century. By the 12th century, the Earls of Fife had put into place a ferry for those who were making the pilgrimage to the shrine of St Andrew, sailing from North Berwick to here leading to the name, Earlsferry.

A chapel ruins sit on Chapel Ness in the village, built for the pilgrims to worship en route. It was made a Royal Burgh in 1373 by Robert II. The pilgrimages continued until the Scottish Reformation, after which Earlsferry became an important trading port which continued into the 18th century.

Elie first appeared in documents with the building of a parish church in 1639, so there had been a settlement before that time. The harbour was more sheltered, so it began to poach trade from Earlsferry. A huge storm in 1766 filled the Earlsferry Harbour with sand and all the boats moved to Elie Harbour which was expanded in 1850. Since the merger, the town now shares amenities, but the ‘villages’ maintain their distinctive character.

As we wander through the Elie side of town, we pass Elie Harbour and the award-winning beach. At Earlsferry Beach, we see the gable wall of the chapel ruins standing proudly on Chapel Ness. We walk Chapel Green to take a closer look before continuing on the Fife Coastal Path, and as we leave Elie and Earlsferry we say farewell to the East Neuk of Fife, passing Earlsferry Links Course as we head for Kincraig Point and Shell Bay. The Elie Chain Walk is based here, not for the faint-hearted and only recommended for those fit and agile, capable of a grade 2 scramble. A set of 8 chains are embedded into the cliffside for people to clamber across hazardous coastal terrain at low tide, enjoying the hidden caves, coves and pools, where wild swimmers can enjoy a dip. Since the 1920s it was the Uk’s only Via Ferrata until recently, and it is still the only free one.

We walk up the slope to the top of Kincraig Hill, where a World War 2 gun battery casement still sits, then continue around the Point to the secluded Shell Bay. The view across the bay is of Ruddon Point and further west Largo Law. A fairly sandy beach, with pebbles near the waterline, it is suitable for swimming and there is a holiday park just behind the beach. We push on for nearly 5 kilometres on grassy paths through links areas, Dumbarnie Links Wildlife Reserve, then past Sandhaven into Lower Largo.

The village of Lower Largo sits on Largo Bay at the foot of Largo Law (290m). It has its origins as an ancient fishing village with Burgh of Barony granted to hold markets in 1513. It is the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk (1676), the Royal Naval Officer who spent over 4 years as a castaway on a South Pacific island before being found. His highly publicised survival inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe. A life-size statue stands outside the cottage where he was born.

With the arrival of the railway, here from 1857-1965, the village became popular with tourists; Lundin Links was built to accommodate the influx of visitors in the 19th century. The name Lundin comes from the owners of the land at the time. Lower Largo has many 17th and 19th century buildings which earned it conservation area status in 1978. We pass through the main street of the village, seeing the cottage where Selkirk was born, crossing the Keil Burn to Lundin Links, where we pass the Lundin Golf Course as we continue west.

Further golf courses along the coast see us into Leven, a thriving seaside town still on Largo Bay with a promenade and beach. A settlement formed here at the mouth of the River Leven, its name coming from a Pictish word for ‘flood’. It is now part of a conurbation with Methil and Buckhaven, its neighbours, called Levenmouth. Tourism is the main draw to the town these days with its sandy beach and surrounding attractions. Although we don't go through the area there is a woodland valley at Letham Glen. We head along the Promenade, over Bawbee Bridge crossing the River Leven into Methil.

Methil has been around since the Bronze Age, having been recorded as ‘Methkil’ in 1207. It sits between Largo Bay and Wemyss Bay. It developed initially as a tidal harbour, continued to grow and by the early 20th century was Scotland’s greatest coal port. The town’s prosperity was built on its export, a trade which peaked in the mid-1920s but ended by the late 1970s. Shipbuilding also took place here, in fact, the oldest intact iron-hulled sailing vessel in the world was built here. The ‘Santiago’ was built at Methil harbour by local iron founder, Henry Balfour, in 1856 and was used for trade with Chile and Australia. Her hull lies abandoned at Port Adelaide, South Australia, having done so since 1945, and is now designated a historic wreck.

The Bayview Stadium, home to East Fife Football Club is the first place we pass to then arrive at the docklands where all the coal export took place. Just beyond it is Fife Energy Park, once the site of the oil platform construction in the 1970s, now being put to use in the field of renewable energy and there is hope that it will become a significant employer for the area in years to come. The famous artist Jack Vettriano (OBE) was born in Methil and was an apprentice mining engineer when his girlfriend bought him a painting set for his 21st birthday.

At the end of the Fife Energy Park area, we reach Buckhaven, the last town in the conurbation of Levenmouth. It was once a thriving weaving and fishing village. Buckhaven was a settlement as far back as the Stone Age, but it didn’t get its name until the Vikings landed in the 9th century. Then the religious refugees of Dutch origin settled on the narrow beach, having gained permission from the Earl of Wemyss when their boat ran aground here in the 1640s. They had a different accent and manners from the other surrounding communities as they didn’t mingle with their neighbours.

By 1831 it had the second largest fishing fleet in Scotland but by the 1860s it had turned to mining for its industry, which blackened its beaches and filled the air with fumes. There is a story from the early 1900s about a lost local neighbourhood known as ‘Fife's Pompeii’. The Links of Buckhaven and its houses lay between Methil and Buckhaven and were wiped off the map by the ever-advancing heap of coal mine waste. The Links were evacuated in 1906 and by 1909 countless tons of waste were poured in, burying the Links of Buckhaven permanently. The mines eventually closed, and the area has gone through hard times, but it is now regarded as a decent, cheap holiday resort, and property prices are on the rise given its proximity to Edinburgh.

As we walk along the front, we pass Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital, opened in 1909 in memory of Randolph by his widow, to care for local people and injured coal miners, still a local NHS hospital today. We head down onto College Street passing Buckhaven Museum where you can learn about the fishing and mining history of the town.

Slightly further down the street, we turn up Church Street to pass the Buckhaven Theatre. In 1869 Buckhaven fisherfolk purchased a church building in St Andrews, transporting it, stone by stone, back to Buckhaven by fishing boats. It still stands today, having been converted into this theatre in the 1980s. The youth theatre group operating from the theatre has become nationally acclaimed.