Elie to St Monans – Two Castles, a Kirk and a Windmill
About 6 miles on foot.
The Fife Coastal Path between Elie and St Monans is a low, rocky shore with two ruined castles on it, a medieval kirk at the water's edge and an old windmill above the salt pans.
It's just under 5 km each way from the Ruby Bay car park, flat but rough underfoot. Walk it there and back, then have lunch at the Ship Inn in Elie.
- Time
- About three hours' walking: just under 5 km (3 miles) each way along the shore, flat but rough.
- The path
- Rough underfoot, with sand, earth paths and short flights of stone steps that can be uneven and slippery. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- Ruby Bay upper car park, at the east end of Elie. The first two hours are free, then £2, by card or cash at the machine. Open 6am to 11pm.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. Look up the tide for Anstruther: at high water the path leaves the shore for a signed diversion by the fields. From November to January set off by 11am.
- Dogs
- On a lead near livestock on the field diversion.
- Children
- A long walk for small children; the steps are slippery when wet.
- Toilets
- At the Ruby Bay car park and in St Monans.
- Before you set out
- At high tide the shore route is under water in places and a signed diversion goes by the fields: look up the tide for Anstruther.
The walk
Park in the Ruby Bay upper car park at the east end of Elie, which is open from 6am to 11pm. The first two hours are free and after that it's £2, by card or cash at the machine, and this walk needs more than two hours. There are toilets at the car park. The Fife Coastal Path runs east from here along the shore to St Monans. It's just under 5 km to the windmill at the far side of the village, so nearly 10 km there and back, and about an hour and a half each way.
The ruins of Ardross Castle come first, on a low cliff above the rocks, then Newark Castle with its doocot, or dovecot, standing in the field beside it. St Monans arrives with its Auld Kirk, which sits so close to the sea that the churchyard wall is washed by spray. It's said to have been founded by David II in 1326, in thanks for surviving a shipwreck. Beyond the harbour is the windmill, built about 1770 to pump seawater into the salt pans below it. The way is flat but rough, with short flights of stone steps that can be uneven and slippery, so wear stout shoes, especially in winter.
At low tide the path keeps to the shore. At high tide a signed diversion goes round by the fields and comes back to the shore near the kirk, so look up the tide for Anstruther before you set out. Keep dogs on a lead where there's livestock. St Monans has public toilets. From November to January, set off by 11am.
If it rains
There's no shelter between the two villages and the stone steps turn slippery. On a wet day, walk as far as Ardross Castle and back, which is about an hour.
Afterwards
4 min on foot
The Ship Inn, Elie
Lunch
Lunch is at the Ship Inn on Elie's main beach, 4 minutes' walk west of the car park. It's served every day from noon, until 2.45pm from Monday to Saturday and through to 8pm on Sunday, with local fish and chips and a children's menu. Book a table on the inn's website, for about 1.30pm if you set off at ten. Ask for the ground-floor restaurant if anyone can't manage stairs, as the first floor has no lift. It's shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book lunch at the Ship Inn, Elie
Book a table at the Ship Inn on its website: lunch is served every day from 12pm, Monday to Saturday until 2.45pm and on Sunday through to 8pm.
Where to eat
The Ship Inn, Elie, a restaurant in Leven.
The Pavilion, Elie, a café in Elie and Earlsferry.
For further reading, before you go.