EAST NEUK

The artsy villages and gilded bays of this part of Fife make for one of Scotland's finest walking adventures. Words: Sarah Gillespie

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Named after the Scots word for 'nook', the region of East Neuk is an arc of blustery beaches and volcanic cliffs in east Scotland. Its villages seem to sprout from the seaweed, blurring the line between land and sea. It's a place built on fishing, where, between the 15th and 20th centuries, ships from mainland Europe swept into harbours to snap up barrels of salted herring. People, too, flowed along these trade routes — particularly Flemish artisans, who added Low Countries flair to the architecture.

Today, there are more pleasure boats than fishing boats, but the East Neuk’s free-spirited nature finds new expression in art galleries and open-air sculptures. The villages have watercolour-box houses, while the marriage of Fife farming heritage and the teeming Firth of Forth estuary makes for unparalleled, straight-off-the-boat seafood dining.

This region is also arguably home to the best section of the 117-mile Fife Coastal Path, and a train link from Edinburgh to nearby Leven, opened in 2024, means you can leave the car at home and let your coastal adventure unfold on foot. In this nook, you won't want to cut corners.

DAY ONE WAVES & WYNDS

Morning

Pastel-hued St Monans is part fishing village, part living art installation. Along the seaside walkway, bloom-filled welly-boot planters sit alongside artfully scattered lobster pots, and windows display little coastal-scene vignettes. The area's 13th-century Auld Kirk is said to be the closest church to the sea in Scotland.