Hiking the Fife Coastal Path

         Part 1 of 2

Scotland’s hidden gem…inn to inn hiking through picturesque villages on the eastern coast!

 

Hiking the Fife Coastal Path offers an alternative experience to hiking famed mountain routes in the Scottish Highlands.

Instead of steep ascents up rugged peaks, this long distance trail meanders along scenic shorelines curving around the North Sea. It passes through 29 picturesque villages on the eastern coast, stretching 117 miles between Kincardine and Newburgh, across from Dundee. The trail has nine sections, and takes ten days to complete. If you keep a brisk pace.

But where’s the joy in that?

This trail is meant to be more of a mellow ramble. A place to hike at your own pace, linger in the villages, and wander off trail… like a feather drifting in the wind.

 

The beauty of hiking the Fife Coastal Path is its flexibility. Select choice sections to explore, using the public bus system to create your own customized inn-to-inn adventure! 

Which is exactly what my teenage daughter and I did the June before Covid hit.

Using the comprehensive hiking guidebook, Fife Coastal Path, we narrowed down our favorite sights on the trail then selected where to stay. We spent three days hiking between the five adorable fishing villages of East Nuek, from Elie to tiny Crail. Then, from there, rode the bus–instead of hiking 13 miles–to the university town of St. Andrews for a night. And even took an impromptu trip to Dundee. Here is a recap of our hiking adventure–where we stayed, what we saw, tips and our diversions.

See Planning Tips for YOUR adventure on my previous post

Getting here

Located 45 minute north of Edinburgh on Scotland’s east coast, the beginning of the coastal trail, Kincardine, is accessible by city bus, train/bus and taxi. Newport-on-Tay, near the end of the trail, is only a ten minute bus ride from Dundee. But you can choose any section to begin or end. Rome to Rio is a great site to help plan your transportation options to get here. And Stagecoach is the bus system that travels up and down the coast, making it easy to get around different sections of the trail.

My daughter Jordan and I chose to begin our hiking adventure in Elie, halfway up the trail. (Green dot #1 on the map.) We’d been staying elswhere in Fife, the adorable medieval village of Falkland, to explore Outlander sites and attend Cupar’s Highland Games. Traveling to Elie by bus would require 3 connections and take 2.5 hours. So we splurged on a taxi and arrived in 30 minutes. (Thankfully we’d reserved this before we left the States as there are very few taxi companies in Fife! And Uber is non-existent.)

 

Our Hiking Adventure on Scotland’s Fife Coastal Path

DAY ONE: Elie village base 12 miles

Our taxi driver drove us from Falkland to the Fife coast. Arriving in Elie, he waited while we dropped off our luggage at the Ship Inn where we would be staying that night, then drove us 3.5 miles south (west) along the coast to Shell Bay Caravan Park. Wearing layers with a thin fleece jacket, a nylon backpack stuffed with a windbreaker, and hiking boots we were ready to hike!

 

Shell Bay to Elie: hike 3.5 miles

Leaving the carpark we soon came to the signpost. And this is where we began our hiking adventure on the Fife Coastal Path.

As you can see the trail is clearly marked and well maintained. About a half mile in, we came to our first diversion…the Elie Chainwalk. This can only be attempted at low tide. Having checked tide pool charts in advance we knew that the Chainwalk was safe to climb this morning—but that the chains would be fully submerged between 1:45pm and 6pm later today.

Elie Chainwalk

Located just off the Fife Coastal Path, at Kincaid Point, the Chainwalk is an alternative route along the trail. It follows the same coast. But instead of following the dirt trail (above) you scramble over rocks and cliffs using a series of 8 chains.

The west entrance of the Chainwalk:

See the cave opening to the left? This was where MacDuff hid when MacBeth’s men were hunting him down. Not mentioned in Shakespeare’s play, but he escaped by boat in real life.

The route is .5 km across rocky cliffs above sandy beaches or rough seas. Some of the descents are scary! Very steep in places. Watch out for loose gravel or dirt on the footholds….you don’t wanna slip!

Grip the chain for safety as you step across the volcanic rock. Be mindful of the tide, but don’t rush. Allow up to 2 hours if you explore bays and caves along the way.

Tips: Check the tide schedule and attempt only 3 hours before to 1 hour after low tide. Don’t go alone. Bring gloves to grip metal chains if it begins to rain. Never rush. Don’t panic if other hikers suddenly come up on you–resist the urge to hurry and concentrate on your safety. And of course wear grippy shoes!

Back on flat ground…whew! West Bay sands and Earlsferry golf course come into view.

Easy section, but watch out for random golf balls!

Ship Inn, Elie village

Arriving in the cute village of Elie, we checked into our room at the Ship Inn. This small seaside hotel has six rooms, a pub and restaurant. Breakfast is included in the £100-£200 rate.

During summer months you can watch cricket matches on the beach in front of the inn. But the beach was empty this day. Except for local walking her dogs. We watched the happy dogs romp from our comfy perch in overstuffed chairs in the pub, where we enjoyed lunch before continuing on the trail.

Elie to St. Morans:  hike 3.5 miles (plus 4 miles return)

Turning left on Admiralty Lane, we walked through grassy dunes and were soon back on the Fife Coastal Path. Signs indicate the official route to keep you on track, but we chose a diversion off to the right. Hiking north we saw the Lewis Chessmen lighthouse in the distance and made our way to the stone ruin, Lady’s Tower.

Lady’s Tower

Built in 1770 for Lady Jane Anstruther, this circular tower was her private retreat. According to the historical society, she was a natural beauty and flirt. She loved to go skinny dipping. Whenever a servant ran through Elie ringing a bell, locals knew to respect her space as she swam freely in the bay. The tiny manmade cave where she stripped her clothes is still visible in the rocks near this sandy shore. Locals stayed away until the bell was rung again.

Rounding the bank, we followed a short spur trail to reach this ancient site.

Inside, three arched windows faced the sea. No wonder Lady Jane liked spending alone time here after her swim. What a great place to reflect and contemplate life!

Spying a discarded bouquet of white lilies near the site inspired me to come back later that night…so I hid them for safekeeping. Meanwhile, it was time to keep hiking.

Ardross Farm Shop

When we came to an old raised railway bed, we diverted left from the trail and walked through the arched tunnel to reach the delightful Ardross Farm shop.

The Pollock family has quite the farm. They raise free-range beef and grow 40 varieties of seasonal vegetables! Handpicked produce is sold in their shop which also features home-made honey, grass-fed beef, free range poultry and venison from their farm. Artisan products produced in Scotland also supplement the stock.

If I only had access to a kitchen!

Each morning they also bake steak pies, pastries and sweets to sell in their shop. Who can resist lemon meringues? Yum.

This 10 minute walk from the Fife Coastal Path is sooo worth it. The products are amazing and the family is incredibly friendly too. One of the daughters came out to visit with us when we were snacking on some their goodies at the picnic table. A duck waddled by as she shared the history of the farm and told us about the extensive baking a couple of ladies do daily in their commercial kitchen. Go support this wonderful Ardross Farm shop!

 

Ardross Castle Ruins

Retracing our steps, we rejoined the Fife Coastal Path and six minutes later came to the old Ardross castle ruins. Lady Jane Anstruther was married to the laird of Ardross. Was this once her castle? (Ardross was the old name for the estate now known as Elie.)

Once upon a time this castle occupied a defensive position high on sandstone cliffs overlooking the North Sea. Some historians suggest that Sir William Dishington built this castle in 1309 for his bride, Elizabeth Bruce, who was the sister of Robert the Bruce.

Today very little remains. We poked around a bit but there was nothing much to see. Just remnants of walls with arched doorways and stone perimeters bursting with wildflowers. We continued on the trail which passes directly through this ancient site between two fragmented ruins.

The path ran parallel to a long sandy beach. The weather was windy and cool. Our fleece jackets felt good. Hiking along the Fife Coastal Path we noticed the sand gradually gave way to pebbles on the beach where large rock formations sat out at sea. In the distance, the striking outline of Newark castle ruins loomed ahead, perched at the end of a curving coast.

 

Newark Castle ruins

Not much is known about the earlier site, except that King Alexander III (1241–1286) spent part of his childhood there. The ruins that remain today date from 15th century. Newark Castle was sold to David Leslie in 1649, who became Lord Newark after his victories in the English and Scottish Civil Wars. It became vacant in the 19th century.

Reaching the site, we checked out the fragmented remains. Grass was growing out of the stone tower used most recently by farmers to store their equipment.

We walked around the two-story windowed walls in the tower block stretching to the sky. Then headed down into the vaulted cellars.

Wandering around we saw signs of a firepit and trash left behind from fairly recent use. Was it was a local hangout for teens or a someone’s secret hideout? Or someone’s camping spot on the trail?

As we left the ruins to continue hiking on the Fife Coastal Path we noticed we were being watched…

By cows!

 

St. Monans village

A short distance later we approached St. Morans, one of five fishing villages in East Nuek. Population 1265.  The large sandstone church sits directly on the trail, steps from the sea.

St. Monans church dates clear back to 1360, so we had to take a peek inside!

Limewash covers the interior surfaces making everything light and bright. Still in use, it’s been the local parish church since 1646.

St. Monan Harbor

Leaving the church we followed the path into town and soon came to the harbor. This was once a busy bustling port for fishing herring and ship building. Active for over 200 years, the shipyard now sits empty. But fishermen still fish. And a couple fresh fish smoking businesses.

Walking around the harbor we saw colorful boots filled with assorted plants. This Wellie Garden was created by a local teacher who recycled her grandchildren’s old Wellingtons into planters. Was fun looking at the different boots people have left behind as donations.

We stopped inside the East Pier Smokehouse hoping to sample their salmon but they weren’t open for dinner yet. But they did give me directions to find what I call the zigzag pier (for obvious reasons!) The guy at the front was confused and had no idea, but another man came forward and told me where to go.

Searching around the pier, I spied a ladder and climbed the slippery rungs to look over the edge. There it was! Water splashed up in a burst of wind as incoming waves crashed into the concrete.  Yikes. It looked really sketchy. Initially planning on walking out on this pier, I quickly changed my mind! A photo from here would have to do.

Winds were picking up and air turned to drizzle.

Walking home

We didn’t see any shops or restaurants to slip into so decided to catch the bus back. But…where was the bus stop? We walked around town for awhile looking for locals to ask, but couldn’t find anyone. The village felt deserted. We left the harbor and headed to the highway where buses travel both directions between the coastal villages.

Finding a bus sign on the A917 highway, we waited in the drizzle. But no bus came…Until one went whizzing by. Hey! Apparently it was one of the direct lines that don’t stop at all villages. We could’ve known had we simply downloaded the Stagecoach app! After certain hours the buses only operate hourly. Not knowing when the next one would come around, we decided to huff it back on foot. It was only 3 miles and could be faster than waiting for the next bus.

Ten minutes into our walk, storm clouds opened. Rain fell with such force that we had to wear sunglasses to see. Walking along the highway we were getting sprayed repeatedly by passing cars. At one point the rain turned sideways, pelting us from a new direction. Looking at each other in surprise–how worse can it get–we just started laughing. We looked ridiculous– dripping hair, drenched clothes and rain speckled sunglasses on wet faces.

When we reached the Ardross Farm shop, the rain had stopped. A sliver of sun pierced through a cloud. Since we knew the trail was close to here, we left the highway and hiked the remaining distance home using the Fife Coastal Path. Hungry, we pulled out apples from the Ardross Farm shop and took a break on a rock. It was 6:30pm. An hour later we made it back to our room at the Ship Inn. We showered and returned to the cosy pub for dinner. A welcoming fire lit up the woodsy space. We sat at a high table near a family dining with their dog. Fish n’ chips with cider ale never tasted as good.

Ruby Bay: 1 mile

But our adventures were not done for the day. We still had the little photo shoot at Lady’s Tower in Ruby Bay…But Jordan firmly declined. Her feet were throbbing. She would not dress up as Lady Jane. C’mon, please? Nope. Collapsing on the bed, she searched for a movie. It was tempting to join her. But. This was our only night here. Grabbing my gear I headed out with my flashlight, solo.

About twenty minutes later, I reached Lady’s Tower and found the lilies I’d hidden behind a bench. I draped Lady Jane’s gown on the stones as if she were swimming below.

Subtle but effective. The props brought a little life to the scene and context to the historical past.

I wandered around the bay experimenting with different angles and shooting the Lady’s Tower from farther away to show it in situ to its environment. But without an actual person standing in the tower the personal element and the props too insignificant to see, they weren’t effective to me.

Walking around the bay, I also photographed the lighthouse in the darkening night. But had disappointing results with light painting as the time was 10:40pm by then— way past blue hour.

When I reached our room, Jordan was sound asleep, sprawled across bed, still in her clothes. I smiled. It had been a busy day!

Exhausted, I turned out the lights. What a rewarding first day of hiking Scotland’s Fife Coastal Path. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? But for now… the comfort of a good bed. G’nite!

Day One total hiked: 12 miles

 

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Keep Reading…Part Two will cover the other 3 villages of East Nuek.