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An orange boat floats in a stone harbour beside a curving row of white and coloured houses, gulls resting on the water.
Fife

St Monans

A small fishing village of the East Neuk of Fife, with a stone harbour, restored fishermen's cottages, an old kirk on the shore and a windmill above salt pans.

Welcome

St Monans is one of the quieter East Neuk fishing villages, a curve of white, cream and pastel cottages with red pantile roofs wrapped around a little stone harbour, where fishing boats still tie up among the creels and bright orange boats lie on the sand at low tide.

Many of the old fishermen's cottages have been restored.

The village is named after St Monan, an Irish saint whose relics were brought here long ago. In 1326, King David II, grateful to have survived a shipwreck in the Forth, paid for a new church beside his shrine, and the Auld Kirk still stands right on the edge of the shore at the west end of the village.

At the other end, on the coastal path towards Pittenweem, a windmill of about 1770 stands above the grassy remains of salt pans, where seawater was once boiled down to salt. The Fife Coastal Path runs right through, linking the kirk, the harbour and the windmill.

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Before you go

A village to wander at any time.

Where
The East Neuk of Fife.
Auld Kirk
Founded after 1326.
Windmill
About 1770.

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Did you know

An orange fishing boat rests in a stone harbour at low tide, a village of white and red-roofed houses rising behind the seawall.
Did you know

A king's thanks.

King David II gave money for the Auld Kirk in thanks for surviving a shipwreck in the Forth in 1326.

Stacked lobster creels and coiled rope sit on a harbour quay beside moored boats, a breakwater visible across the water.
Did you know

Salt from the sea.

A windmill of about 1770 pumped seawater into salt pans, where coal fires boiled it down to salt.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Fife

Looking out across the Firth of Forth – and mercifully bypassed by the A917 – the age-old fishing settlement of St Monans (occasionally St Monance) is still huddled around a small port, where 17th-century pantiled houses and long piers tell their own stories of the past. Salt production was once a key industry in the village, and the salt pans can still be seen.

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Where it is

On the coast of the East Neuk of Fife, between Elie and Pittenweem.

Close bySt Monans.
  1. St Monans Welly Boot GardenSt Monans Welly Boot GardenA garden of wellies by the harbour.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. 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.Craig Millar @ 16 West EndUnder a mile as the crow flies
  3. St Monans Auld KirkSt Monans Auld KirkThe old kirk on the shore.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. BowhouseBowhouse1 mile 3 min by road
  5. FuttleFuttle1 mile 3 min by road
  6. PittenweemPittenweemThe next village east.2 miles 4 min by road
Directions
Bàern Cafe, FifeCafeBàern Cafe1.0 miles
Hand carries a crate of loaf cakes and lidded jars outdoorsAttractionsArdross Farm Shop1.6 miles
Fifies, FifePittenweemFifiesSleeps 2 · 2.0 miles
The Crow’s Nest, FifePittenweemThe Crow’s NestSleeps 4 · 2.0 miles
An orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.PittenweemThe Old StableSleeps 2 · 2.0 miles
Golden angel statue against a terracotta wall beside framed pictures and wooden tablesCafePittenweem Chocolate Company2.0 miles
Narrow lane winding past whitewashed houses beneath a sandstone cliff faceAttractionsSt Fillan’s Cave2.0 miles
Shop window display of framed paintings, patterned ceramics and heart-shaped dish, harbour reflected in glassRestaurantsThe Dory, Pittenweem2.3 miles
Shelves of self-service sweet jars, including Kingsway and Tuck Shop brands, in a traditional sweet shopShoppingNicholson's Sweets & Ice Cream2.4 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the village, 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
  • 2 miles from St Monans
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • 2 miles from St Monans
Free 2–5 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 2 miles from St Monans
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
  • 2 miles from St Monans
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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We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Fife.

From the magazineInspiration in Every SeasonFrom the magazineCreatives of FifeCollectionFamily Friendly Activities in FifeCollectionThe Prettiest Villages in Scotland
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