We were up and ready for brekkie by 8, because we wanted to get a good start to the day well ahead of high tide. This was because today was the day Anne and Merr were doing the Elie Chain Walk (google it - it’s interesting). A very delicious brekkie and we were off to the start of the chain walk. It is essentially walking along the bottom of a cliff where the going is such that you need to hold on to chains set into the rock to make your way. Anne and Merr were most keen to do it - Karen and I, not so much. Original plan was to let them go to the beginning of the walk, do it and meet us back in Elie. What in fact happened was that we walked with them to the beginning and essentially walked back UP AND DOWN the same big hill we had done yesterday!! I was not impressed! But we did get to take pictures of them from up above on the walk, so it was good in that respect.
We met up with them and made our way into Elie, found a little bakery and treated ourselves then set off on our way headed to Anstruther/Cellardyke, via St. Monans and Pittenweem. Once again, the scenery was spectacular all along the coast and the weather could not have been better! I have worn shorts and a tshirt for all but the first day of walking. We passed by a number of interesting sites along the way. The first was Lady Tower, built in 1760 for one Lady Jane Anstruther, who loved to swim in the sea and had the tower built as a changing place when she did so. Further on we encountered the ruins of Newark Castle and just beyond it, the remains of a sixteenth century beehive doocot. On to St. Monans, where we stopped in and had a look at St.Monan’s Church, which dates back to 1265 and has one gravestone dating back to the 1700s. Not much further along is St. Monan’s windmill which was once used to pump seawater up to the saltpans. Salt production was a big industry on this coast back in the day. Saltwater was pumped from the sea up to salt pans which were heated by the coal that is plentiful in this area. This evaporated the water leaving the salt behind. Salt production was the third largest industry in Scotland for a time. We passed by a chalybeare spring the water from which is so laden with iron salts that the rocks beneath are stained red. As we walked on toward Pittenweem, we passed by a bathing area which is essentially a rock wall surrounding a rectangular pond. It dates back to WWII but is not maintained so swimming is at your own risk, though we did see people in it.
We had heard about a very good ice cream shop in Pittenweem, so HAD to stop and sample the local wares. I opted for Scottish tablet flavoured - tablet is much like fudge, only better! Continuing on, we found ourselves walking by yet another lovely golf course, the Anstruther Golf Course and stopped to watch a young man try to hit his ball up to the flag which was not just far away, but well up the hill opposite. Sadly, the ball came rolling back down! On to Anstruther where we found the Shell House created by an eccentric old slater who decorated his home with all manner of shells. One claim to fame of Anstruther is that Robert Louis Stevenson once lived here while his father was enlarging the harbour. On through Anstruther (also pronounced Anster or Ainster) to check out the Anstruther FishBar for a potential dinner, then on to the Coastal Inn in Cellardyke, our home for the night. Once we were settled in, we opted to head back into Anstruther for dinner but the Fish Bar was very busy, so we ended up at the Wee Chippy, which was an excellent choice. We all had the fish and chips and I enjoyed a lovely fruit cider, fast becoming my favourite drink. Back to the Coastal Inn for a hopefully good night’s sleep! And it was!