The Fife Coastal Path – Sea Caves, Harbours and a Fish Supper
About 4.3 miles on foot.
The Fife Coastal Path between Crail and Anstruther is a lovely walk, four miles of shore, sea caves and little harbours with the Isle of May out in the Forth.
Take the bus out from St Andrews, walk west along the coast, and finish with fish and chips by Anstruther harbour before the bus home. It's a grand day out for walkers, with no car needed.
- Time
- About an hour and a half on the coastal path from Crail, then lunch.
- The path
- A rough coastal path with stone steps.
- When to go
- The path is open ground for daylight. The Anstruther Fish Bar opens every day from 11.30am, apart from 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January; the 95 runs about every hour, every day.
- Dogs
- On a lead near livestock; dogs are not allowed inside the Anstruther Fish Bar.
- Children
- Four miles on a rough path by the sea: for older children who like a walk.
- Before you set out
- Crail to Anstruther is rough underfoot in places, with short flights of uneven stone steps that are slippery when wet: stout footwear, especially in winter. Livestock may be grazing between Crail and Cellardyke. The Anstruther Fish Bar opens every day from 11.30am.
The walk
Take the Stagecoach 95 towards Leven from St Andrews bus station. It runs about every hour, every day, and takes about 35 minutes to Crail (check the times).
Get off at the post office and walk 4 minutes down the steep lanes to the harbour, a tiny stone basin with small boats and lobster creels on the quay. Just above it, the Crail Harbour Gallery and Tearoom is a local favourite for a coffee with a view over the Forth to the Isle of May.
It opens every day from 10.30am, apart from a short break in January. Then pick up the Fife Coastal Path west along the shore.
If it rains
In heavy rain or a big sea the stone steps and rocky stretches are slippery: stay on the 95 to Anstruther instead, walk the harbour and on to Cellardyke's little harbour and back, and have the fish and chips indoors.
Along the way
About 1 hr 29 min on foot
Anstruther
An attraction
From Crail harbour the path follows the shore west to Anstruther, about four miles and an hour and a half's walking. It's rough underfoot in places, with short flights of uneven stone steps that are slippery when wet, so wear stout shoes, and livestock may be grazing the fields along the way. About half an hour out are the Caiplie Caves, a big weathered sandstone crag hollowed into caves and arches by the sea. The path then passes Cellardyke's little harbour and comes into Anstruther along Shore Street.
3 min on foot
Anstruther Fish Bar
Lunch
Lunch is fish and chips at the Anstruther Fish Bar on Shore Street, open every day from 11.30am except 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January. No bookings: wait at the sign to be seated, or take a box to eat by the harbour. Dogs can't go inside, and there are steps at the door. The 95 back to St Andrews runs about hourly from the stop opposite the harbour, 3 minutes' walk west, and takes 50 minutes; the last weekday bus is at 11.04pm at the time of writing (check weekends).
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Anstruther Fish Bar, a restaurant in Anstruther.
Crail Harbour Gallery and Tearoom, a café in Crail.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by AnstrutherFishBar