Crail, Anstruther, Cellardyke and Pittenweem

The walk starts in the heart of Crail and continues through the centre of the town for a little way before turning off down a quiet side street leading to Crail Pottery. It is possible to see the potters at work and there is an excellent showroom with a wide variety of products on sale. From here, the walk follows a path overlooking the sea and descends a narrow wynd between old cottages set around the beautiful harbour. At one time Crail was one of Scotland's major fishing ports, but the harbour is now used only by a few crab and lobster boats. Dozens of lobster creels are stacked up on the flagstones around the harbour. At dawn and sunset the harbour walls turn a deep golden colour.

Relics found in the area indicate that there has been a settlement at Crail since the Bronze Age, or earlier. It is the oldest Royal Burgh in the East Neuk of Fife - the Royal Charter was confirmed at Stirling by Robert the Bruce in 1310 and gave Crail permission to trade with the continent. As a result of this trading, red pantiles once used by ships as ballast on return voyages from the Netherlands were copied locally.

There is a small sandy beach at the far end of the harbour but, just before this, the route ascends to the main road again before turning off and following a path along the coast above the cliffs, with fine views back to Crail and the harbour. The path follows cultivated fields for a little way, then descends to the shore where many oystercatchers feed amongst the rock pools at low tide.

Offshore there may be gannets diving for fish - there is a major gannetry on Bass Rock, the other side of the Firth of Forth. Some of the other common seabirds to be seen are cormorants, eider ducks, herring gulls and lesser black backed gulls. In summer there is a wealth of flowers in the meadows along the shore, with species such as wild thyme, chamomile, harebell, birdsfoot trefoil, ragged robin, self heal, lesser stitchwort and thistle.

The walk follows the coastline path, going past a former salmon fisherman's bothy and further on, past Caiplie Caves - sandstone rocks eroded by the sea. Chapel Cave, which is the largest, has signs of being used for holy deeds - a small niche on the north wall has crosses cut out on the rock. It is reputed that the Christian missionary Saint Adrian of May landed here and that some of his followers dwelt here. Beyond the caves are long, flat shelves of rock stretching out into the sea. These are known locally as 'skellies' and amongst them are many fossilised trees.

Next the walks arrives in Anstruther. There is a good opportunity here for a tea break at the Scottish Fisheries Museum. This was opened in 1969 and has won prestigious awards including the Museum of the Year Award for Scotland in 1976. The museum covers virtually every aspect of the fishing industry and includes a memorial room for Scottish fishermen lost at sea. Outside, in the harbour itself, you may see the Reaper, a traditional 'Fifie' fishing boat. Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, she still sails regularly in the summer months.

Leaving the harbour, the walk continues on a lovely stretch of the Fife Coastal Path to the village of Pittenweem. With many of the houses beautifully restored by the National Trust for Scotland, parts of Pittenweem epitomise the rich maritime history of the area. The heart of the village is the harbour with its thriving daily fish market. It is well worth spending some time exploring the quaysides, with many fishing nets piled up and trawlers moored alongside.

Pittenweem means 'the place of the cave'. The cave is situated in Cove Wynd and is named after St Fillan, a 6th century missionary to the Picts. The cave is entrusted to St John's Scottish Episcopal Church in Pittenweem, and is open to the public. The village grew up around a priory and became a Royal Burgh in 1541. In 1575, it ranked jointly with Crail as the twelfth richest settlement in Scotland. Its wealth was based on exporting agricultural produce and salt.

However, these industries came to an end during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when so many soldiers were killed at the Battle of Kilsyth that there were insufficient numbers to man the ships, which consequently rotted on the beach. The houses around the main harbour were those of the ship owners and sea captains. Beyond lies the little West Harbour which marks the end of the walk.