Cellardyke Tidal Pool – a Sea Swim and a Fish Supper
A few hours.
The route
Cellardyke's tidal pool, known locally as the Bathie, is a 1930s seawater pool on the rocks at the east end of the village, brought back to life by the people who swim in it.
Take a bracing dip with the Isle of May out on the horizon, then walk back along the shore to Anstruther for fish and chips at the Anstruther Fish Bar, once crowned UK Fish and Chip Shop of the Year. It's an afternoon for sea swimmers and dippers, and a lovely coastal wander for everyone else.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Cellardyke
A cold, clear dip in a seawater pool on the rocks, with nothing but the Firth of Forth beyond its walls. Then a fish supper by the harbour, a short walk back along the shore.
About three hoursAbout 1.5 miles on foot
Cellardyke Tidal Pool
Cellardyke Tidal Pool is at the east end of Cellardyke, beside the play park, right on the Fife Coastal Path. There's plenty of parking round Anstruther harbour, and from there it's about 19 minutes' walk east along the shore through Cellardyke. Built in the 1930s and known locally as the Bathie, the pool fell into disrepair and has been restored by Cellardyke Tidal Pool Ltd, a not-for-profit run by local people. Swimmers use it all year, and a group meets there every morning; children come to catch crabs, and people paddleboard and sail model boats on it too. Water Safety Scotland's advice for open water: check the weather and the tide before you go, swim with someone, get into cold water slowly, and if in doubt, don't go in. If the cold takes your breath away, lean back and float with your arms and legs out for 60 to 90 seconds until your breathing settles, then swim to the side or call for help.
19 min on foot
Anstruther Fish Bar
Supper
It's about 19 minutes' walk back along the shore to the Anstruther Fish Bar on Shore Street, facing the harbour. It has been crowned UK Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, and its fish is bought and filleted locally on the day, with a board naming the boat that caught it. It opens every day from 11.30am, usually until about 9pm, though closing times change with the seasons, and it shuts on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. There's no booking: wait at the sign to be seated in the restaurant, or take your fish supper away to eat by the harbour. There's a children's menu with activity sheets. Dogs aren't allowed inside, apart from assistance dogs, and there are steps at the main and takeaway doors, though two of the three dining floors have level access: ask the staff.
If it rains
The pool is out in the open: in rain or a strong wind leave the swim for another day and go straight to the Fish Bar, which is indoors.
Anstruther Fish Bar, a restaurant in Anstruther.
Make it a weekend
More days out in St Andrews.
Photograph by Sharp Pam via Google