Tuesday, 4 October 2011

"Gin ye sud come tae Ainster fair..."

Just along the Fife coast from Pittenweem is Anstruther (pronounced Ainster, as in the song.)  Technically it's two towns in one!
Unlike Pittenweem, though, the harbour (which is really in Anstruther Easter) is much less a working harbour and has a large area for pleasure craft of various sizes. It's a typical Fife town, with the kirk dominating the town when seen from the harbour wall, and pantiled shops and houses on the waterfront (including one of the best chip shops in Scotland!)
The town is also the location of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, and there are a number of historic craft dotted around the harbour as well.
Just to the west of the harbour, across the Dreel Burn, is the smaller town of Anstruther Wester.  The Dreel Burn is not much of a barrier nowadays, but the story is told of the beggarwoman (or possibly a fishwife) who carried a traveller across only to find that the traveller was King James V, roaming the country in his disguise as the "Gaberlunzie Man".  You can still cross by stepping stones, if you wish,

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