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St Monans Tidal Pool full and still on a bright day, its concrete wall running out across the rocks, two swimmers far off and the windmill on the bank above.
Fife

St Monans Tidal Pool

A 1930s sea pool cut into the rocks on the shore at St Monans, filled by the tide, with the old windmill above it on the Fife Coastal Path.

Welcome

St Monans Tidal Pool is an outdoor swimming pool cut into the rocks on the shore at the east end of St Monans, built in the 1930s.

Walls ring the pool, and at high tide the sea washes in and fills it, then the sun warms the water as the tide drops away. Concrete steps lead down into it from the rocks. It had been left unused for decades until local volunteers cleared it out in 2021, and it has been a favourite with swimmers ever since, in wetsuits or just a swimsuit. Above it on the raised beach stands the St Monans windmill, which once pumped seawater into the salt pans beside it, and the Fife Coastal Path runs right past, so it fits nicely into a walk to Pittenweem or Elie. The pool isn't officially maintained, so you swim at your own risk, and shoes for the rocky floor are a good idea. It's free and open at all times.

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The Daily for 11 November, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.
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Before you go

Free and open at all times; you swim at your own risk.

Where
On the shore at the east end of St Monans, below the windmill, on the Fife Coastal Path, KY10 2DN.
Swimming
Not officially maintained, so at your own risk. Wear shoes for the rocky floor.
The tide
The sea fills the pool at high tide, and the sun warms the water as the tide goes out.
Parking
A small car park at the start of the coastal path, past the Rose Street car park.
Children
A play area beside the pool.

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Where it is

On the shore at the east end of St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife, below the windmill and the salt pans, KY10 2DN.

Close bySt Monans and the East Neuk.
  1. St MonansSt MonansA 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.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. St Monans Welly Boot GardenSt Monans Welly Boot GardenA garden of some 200 pairs of old wellington boots planted with flowers on the harbour slipway at St Monans, started by a local teacher.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. St Monans Auld KirkSt Monans Auld KirkAn old church right on the shore at St Monans, founded after King David II survived a shipwreck in 1326, now cared for by the village community.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. BowhouseBowhouseA food hub in old farm buildings on the Balcaskie Estate between Elie and St Monans, with a butchery, a brewery bar and cafes, and a market once a month.1 mile as the crow flies
  5. PittenweemPittenweemThe busiest fishing harbour of the East Neuk of Fife, a village of whitewashed cottages named after the cave of St Fillan, with a famous arts festival.1 mile as the crow flies
  6. AnstrutherAnstrutherThe biggest village of the East Neuk of Fife, once Scotland's busiest fishing port, with a harbour, the Scottish Fisheries Museum and boats to the Isle of May.2 miles as the crow flies
  7. Curved sandy beach edged by grassy dunes under a grey overcast skyRuby BayA small sandy bay backed by dunes at Elie in the East Neuk of Fife, named for the gems once found on it, between Lady's Tower and Elie Ness lighthouse.3 miles as the crow flies
  8. Elie harbour from the air at low tide, small boats resting on the sand below the old granary on the pier, Elie Ness lighthouse on its point beyond.Elie and EarlsferryTwo villages round one wide sandy bay on the East Neuk of Fife, with a harbour and its old granary, Ruby Bay and Lady's Tower, joined as one since 1929.3 miles as the crow flies
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 End0.5 miles
Bar interior with "Bottled Ales & Stout" sign and colourful Beatles artworkShoppingFuttle1.0 miles
Bàern Cafe, FifeCafeBàern Cafe1.0 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 · 1.1 miles
The Crow’s Nest, FifePittenweemThe Crow’s NestSleeps 4 · 1.1 miles
Fifies, FifePittenweemFifiesSleeps 2 · 1.1 miles
Shelves of self-service sweet jars, including Kingsway and Tuck Shop brands, in a traditional sweet shopShoppingNicholson's Sweets & Ice Cream1.1 miles
A stone cottage with red pantiled roofs and a gabled dormer sits behind a gravel courtyard, an apple tree in the foreground.PittenweemMaybell CottageSleeps 2 · 1.1 miles
Golden angel statue against a terracotta wall beside framed pictures and wooden tablesCafePittenweem Chocolate Company1.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the pool, 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
  • A mile from the tidal pool
Free 14–16 NovThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • A mile from the tidal pool
Free 16–19 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • A mile from the tidal pool
Free 15–17 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
  • A mile from the tidal pool
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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