Anstruther: The Capital of the East Neuk — Harbour, Fish Suppers & the Isle of May

Anstruther: The Capital of the East Neuk — Harbour, Fish Suppers & the Isle of May

Anstruther harbour and its painted houses on a still afternoon.
Anstruther harbour — the biggest and busiest of the East Neuk fishing towns.

Overview

If the East Neuk of Fife has a capital, it’s Anstruther (say it “Ain-ster” if you want to sound local). It’s the biggest of the string of old fishing towns, with a broad working harbour, a first-class fisheries museum, boats out to a puffin island, and — most famously of all — some of the best fish and chips in Scotland. We had a grand time here over an afternoon and a still, foggy morning.

Where it is

Anstruther sits on the south-east corner of Fife, midway along the East Neuk, with Pittenweem and St Monans just to the west and Crail to the east. It runs straight into its old neighbour Cellardyke, and it’s all joined by the Fife Coastal Path.

The harbour

The harbour is the whole point of Anstruther, and it’s a beauty — a working fishing port and marina ringed by painted houses, with the quays piled high with creels and the odd trawler landing shellfish. We caught it two ways: a still afternoon, and then a morning when the haar (the North Sea fog) rolled in and swallowed the far pier. Both were lovely.

Anstruther harbour fading into sea haar, Fife.
The harbour fading into the haar — a proper East Neuk sea-fog.
The fishing fleet at rest in Anstruther harbour.
The fleet at rest in the inner harbour.
A working fishing boat with creels stacked on deck at Anstruther.
A working boat, creels stacked ready for the off.
A red trawler mirrored in the still water at Anstruther.
A red trawler mirrored in the still water.
Creels stacked high on the quay at Anstruther, village behind.
Creels stacked high — the shellfish trade that keeps the port alive.
Lobster creels and red buoys on the quay at Anstruther.
Creels and buoys, ready for the next tide.
Yachts moored in the harbour basin at Anstruther.
The harbour basin, half fishing port, half marina now.
The little white harbour lighthouse on the pier at Anstruther.
The wee harbour light on the pier.
The beacon at the mouth of Anstruther harbour.
The beacon at the harbour mouth.

Fish suppers — the best in the Neuk

Anstruther is famous for its fish and chips, and rightly so. The town has more than one champion chippy — the Anstruther Fish Bar on the front has won UK titles — but we went to the multi-award-winning Wee Chippy, and it was cracking: a proper fresh haddock supper, eaten (naturally) looking at the water. If you do one thing in Anstruther, make it this.

The Wee Chippy, an award-winning fish and chip shop in Anstruther.
The Wee Chippy — one of Anstruther’s famous, award-winning suppers.
The Wee Chippy lit up at dusk, Anstruther.
Lit up and busy at dusk.
An award-winning Anstruther fish supper in its box.
Supper, boxed and ready — eaten looking at the water, of course.
The Ship Tavern lit up at dusk on the Anstruther shore.
The Ship Tavern, glowing as the light goes.
An old street winding up from the shore at Anstruther at dusk.
The old streets winding up from the shore.

The Scottish Fisheries Museum

Right on the harbour is the excellent Scottish Fisheries Museum, which tells the whole story of Scotland’s fishing communities — the herring boom, the boats, the hardship and the courage — across a warren of old buildings, with real vessels afloat and ashore. It’s one of the best small museums on the coast and well worth an hour or two.

The Isle of May

From the harbour in season you can take a boat out to the Isle of May, five miles offshore — a National Nature Reserve alive in summer with puffins, guillemots and grey seals, and carrying the ruins of Scotland’s first manned lighthouse (1636) and an early Christian monastery. The May Princess and other boats run the trip from the quay; it’s a superb day out if the weather’s kind.

Sunrise on the shore

We stayed close by and caught a beautiful sunrise along the rocks just west of the harbour, where a roofless old tower stands right at the tideline — its great arch and round window framing the dawn. A quiet, magic half-hour before the town woke up.

A roofless stone tower on the shore at Anstruther catching the sunrise.
A roofless tower on the rocks, catching the first of the sun.
Sunrise through the great arch of a roofless shore tower at Anstruther.
Sunrise through its great arch.
The round window of a roofless shore tower open to the dawn sky, Anstruther.
The round window, open to the dawn sky.
Dawn light along the rocky Fife coast at Anstruther.
Dawn along the Fife coast — worth the early start.

More from our visit

Coffee and a croissant at Anstruther.
A harbour-side coffee and croissant.
A slice of cake on a plate at Anstruther.
Cake to go with it — a proper East Neuk stop.
The old harbour beacon light at Anstruther.
The old harbour beacon on the pier.
A wet cobbled street in Anstruther.
The old streets on a wet winter day.

Nearby — the East Neuk

Sources