ELIE NESS TO FIFE NESS Willie Shand captures the essence of this unique stretch of coastline.
One of the beauties of a walk along the East Neuk coast is that each port is never very far from its neighbour. They’re like a string of pearls, all threaded together by the Fife Coastal Path. A particularly fine stretch of that long-distance trail runs 11 miles between Elie Ness and the Fife Ness. If you picture Fife as the shape of a dog’s head then we’re looking at the bit between the chin and the nose. Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Cellardyke and Crail all have their own wee harbours and all are close-knit seafaring communities seasoned by the same salt air blowing off the Firth of Forth. Yet each has its unique, distinctive character. If anyone knows how to fish it’s surely the folks from these parts — they’ve more than 1000 years experience behind them. On Crail’s elevated Castle Walk, it’s not hard to imagine yourself on the brig of some ship just as the old fishermen would have done as they paced back and forth in contemplation of leaving land again. Every bit as colourful as the architectural heritage are the countless stories you’ll gather along the way. . .
