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A ruined stone tower with an arched doorway stands on a rocky headland above a sandy beach, calm sea stretching behind.
Fife

Lady’s Tower, Ruby Bay

A ruined stone tower on the rocks above Ruby Bay near Elie, built in the 1700s as a bathing house for Lady Janet Anstruther.

Welcome

On the rocks at the eastern end of Ruby Bay, just along from Elie Ness lighthouse, stands a small ruined tower of rough stone, with an arched doorway facing the sea.

This is Lady's Tower.

It was built in the 1700s for Lady Janet Anstruther, wife of the laird of Elie, a woman famous in her day for her beauty. She loved to bathe in the sea each morning, and the tower was her changing room and summerhouse. Before she went down to the water, it is said, a servant was sent through the streets of Elie to make sure the townsfolk kept well away.

Today the tower is roofless and weathered, but it makes a lovely sight, reflected in the rock pools at low tide or framed by bracken in autumn. The Fife Coastal Path runs past it, and the walk out from Elie along the sands of Ruby Bay takes only a few minutes.

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Before you go

A ruin on open coast, there at any time.

Where
Ruby Bay, Elie, KY9 1EA.
Built
The 1700s.
For
Lady Janet Anstruther.

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Did you know

A ruined stone tower with an arched doorway stands on a mossy, rocky headland above the sea.
Did you know

A lady's bathing house.

The tower was built as a changing room for Lady Janet Anstruther, who bathed in the sea here every morning.

A ruined stone tower stands on a rocky headland, white sea foam breaking over rocks below and dune grass framing the foreground.
Did you know

Keep away.

Before Lady Janet bathed, a servant was sent into Elie to warn the townsfolk to stay away from the shore.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Fife

Naked sea-swimming was all the rage in the 1770s, particularly among the upper classes. So when Janet Fall – part of a wealthy local family and renowned for her beauty – decided decided she needed a place to preserve her modesty while undressing, this little stone tower was built above Ruby Bay. Now roofless, the bespoke changing room still gives deep views out to sea.

Read more
Graeme Johncock

The Skinny-Dipping Noblewoman

Lady Janet Anstruther was a bold young lady who liked nothing better than to go swimming at Elie on warm days. It might have been a little unusual for the time, but the real shock was that Janet liked to swim completely naked. She was free spirited, but she still had to make sure not to

Read the story
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Where it is

On the rocky headland at the east end of Ruby Bay, east of Elie, beside Elie Ness, KY9 1EA.

Close byElie.
  1. Elie Ness LighthouseElie Ness LighthouseThe lighthouse on the next point.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Curved sandy beach edged by grassy dunes under a grey overcast skyRuby BayUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Ship Inn, ElieThe Ship Inn, ElieA harbour-side pub, restaurant and inn overlooking the beach at Elie, famous for the cricket team that plays on the sands.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Whole lobsters arranged on a metal platter with salad leaves and grilled lemon halvesThe Pavilion, ElieA family-run cafe beside the golf course and tennis courts at Earlsferry, near Elie beach, open all year and into the evening in summer.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. Ardross Farm ShopArdross Farm ShopA farm shop nearby.1 mile 3 min by road
  6. Climber in red jacket scales a rope through a narrow rocky gorgeElie Chain WalkThe chain walk round Kincraig Point.3 miles 10 min by road
Directions
The front of Craig Millar @ 16 West End in St Monans: its sign above white-framed windows hung with flower baskets, behind a whitewashed wall.RestaurantsCraig Millar @ 16 West End2.0 miles
Stone courtyard buildings with EB signage and dark timber doors under grey skyShoppingBowhouse2.1 miles
Bar interior with "Bottled Ales & Stout" sign and colourful Beatles artworkShoppingFuttle2.1 miles
Bàern Cafe, FifeCafeBàern Cafe2.1 miles
Braised beef with mash and greens served on a white bowlRestaurantsThe Kinneuchar Inn2.2 miles
White harbourside houses along a curved stone wall above the waterAttractionsSt Monans2.9 miles
White boat planted with flowers outside St Monans Welly Boot GardenAttractionsSt Monans Welly Boot Garden3.0 miles
Stone church with conical spire overlooking gravestones and the coastlineAttractionsSt Monans Auld Kirk3.2 miles
Diners sit under a covered pergola beside barrel tables outside a caféCafeThe Mirador Café3.4 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the tower, and when each is next free.

An orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.The Old Stable
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Lady's Tower
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Lady's Tower
Free 2–5 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Lady's Tower
Free 1–3 NovA stone cottage with red pantiled roofs and a gabled dormer sits behind a gravel courtyard, an apple tree in the foreground.Maybell Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Lady's Tower
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in FifeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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