Elie Chain Walk and More

21/09/24

I had pencilled Elie into the map on the basis of it’s Chain Walk. I was doing a little research to find out whether it was worth us bringing our Via Ferrata kit to Scotland (the answer was no) when the Chain Walk popped up in Google as “Scotlands only Via Ferrata”.

In truth it’s not a Via Ferrata, and it’s not Scotland’s only Via Ferrata (that is probably the one at Grey Mare’s Tail, which you have to pay to do in the company of a guide, hence it not being worth bringing our own equipment). But that doesn’t detract from the adrenaline fuelled fun of this challenging aided scramble – the more I try to describe this the more I can see why people used the short cut terminology of via ferrata.

Motorhome parking at Elie Ruby Bay

We drove to Elie via Asda in Kirkcaldy for some fuel and a few groceries. A small disagreement with the sat nav almost took us down to the harbour, which would have meant a tight turn to get us to the parking area at Ruby Bay. Luckily a well placed ‘No Caravans’ sign made us reconsider and we drove down the next turn which was sign posted for parking.

Just like Aberdour there is Fife Coast and Countryside Trust sanctioned parking at Elie. But here there is also drinking water and black waste disposal as well as some very well kept toilets. Rather than an honesty box it’s a tenner in the pay and display machine for overnight parking. When we turned up all of the motorhome spots were taken and then some. The signage threatens large fines for staying outside the official motorhome spots and we weren’t comfortable with the thought of antagonising a parking attendant who might then be policing other spots we wanted to stay in. We were prepared to leave if a space didn’t become available, but luckily, after about an hour of eagle eyed people watching, we were able to nab a spot. The following day we bumped into someone on the bus who was meeting up with his wife who was already in Elie in their campervan. He was very blasé about it, “it’s not enforcable” he said, “and anyway us locals get to know the parking attendants”.

It was no wonder that the place was busy as the sun was shining and the temperatures were warm. We made the most of an afternoon in the sunshine as we knew the good old North Sea mist was due to cool things down for the next few days.

The Elie Chain Walk

The following morning we were up bright and early so that we could do the Elie Chain Walk while the tide was out. Being cut off by the rising tide is a real risk on this walk. The sea fills the inlets between the rocky ridges we were going to be climbing.

To get to the chain walk we had to go through the town, properly known as ‘Elie and Earlsferry’ as the two villages were officially merged in 1930. Earlsferry, as the name implies, was the site of a historic ferry route established by the Earls of Fife. Back in the early middle ages it brought pilgrims from North Berwick to start them on their journey to the shrine of St Andrew.

We walked the path between the golf course (you cant get away from them round here) and the beach until the main path climbed up to Kincraig Point. Straight ahead we could see a white sign on the rocks that we knew would warn us of our impending doom. I won’t describe the walk in detail as it’s been very well done already. 

The route climbs up and over nice grippy volcanic tuff, except where it’s not so grippy and is instead slick from the erosion of the sea and the presence of seaweed and algae, or covered in fine grit that rolls under your feet. There are eight chains of varying lengths and sizes, some with links reassuringly large enough to get your hand in, some smaller and offering a less secure hold.  Foot holds have been carved into the rock, so there is never a point where you need to be a seasoned climber although sometimes on the down climb you have to feel your way. It all provides enough exposure to give a thrill of adrenaline but not so much that you freeze with fear.

Along the way are caves and interesting volcanic rock formations. The chains were installed in the 1920s by the local population in order to make the point more accessible. Perhaps in response to wasting precious fishing time rescuing geologists mesmerised by the interesting rock formations.

We saw a handful of other people on our route, most tackling it from the eastern end but one couple trying it from the west. We were tempted to turn around and see what it was like from the other direction, but not that tempted and so we continued along the coast towards Leven.

Onto Lower Largo

After the Chain Walk the rest of the coast might seem a little staid, but there are plenty of interesting features to avoid boredom setting in. Immediately beyond Kincraig point is a large caravan park but we were swiftly through that and walking round the nature reserve where the Cocklemill burn threads through the dunes and we could see the remains of WWII sea defences in the dunes. With the sea on one side and golf links on the other we walked along the dune path, occasionally meandering down to look at many cockle and clam shells on the beach.

Despite intending to head to Leven, we found ourselves in Lower Largo and decided to go no further. Lower Largo is a pretty village with Robinson Crusoe mentioned everywhere you look. Alexander Selkirk, who was shipwrecked in the Pacific for four years and widely believed to be the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, was born here. There is also a thriving art scene and an attractive harbour backed by the disused viaduct of the railway line that was victim of the Beeching cuts.

Finally, after wandering the streets and having a cheeky pint in The Crusoe, we caught the bus back to Elie. The cost of the bus ticket was a bit of a shocker. We have got very used to the £2 single fare wherever we go, but it’s not a thing in Scotland. Here in Fife Stagecoach seem to be recouping their profits – the 23 minute trip cost us £11.40 between us!

East of Elie

We hadn’t intended to stay here for another walk, but we’d enjoyed the previous day so much, and the ordnance survey map promised there was plenty to see if we headed east. So our minds were made up

The day dawned misty and slightly damp for our walk in the opposite direction. We started with a clamber over the volcanic tuff that makes the headland of Ruby Bay. Paul had been fishing here the previous evening (unsuccessfully) and described this lumpy, rough, black rock as looking like someone had dumped a load of tarmac out into the ocean. Apparently flecks of garnet, known as “Elie Ruby” can be found here. Hence the name of the bay. We didn’t find any treasure.

There is a small lighthouse at the end of Elie Ness and a little further around the point is ‘Lady’s Tower’,  built for Lady Jane Anstruther in 1770. She liked to bathe in the ocean and needed somewhere to warm up afterwards. Sounds ideal to me. I think there should be more warming towers on the coast with fires constantly blazing to dry off cold swimmers. There were also a couple of castle ruins along our route, and the remains of salt production, including the windmill at St Monans which was used to pump water from the salt pans.

The coast in this direction was a lot less sandy than the previous day with long shelving rows of rock running at various angles to the coast. Tidal pools feature heavily along this stretch of coast and you can see how the rock lends itself to capturing the sea water at high tide with just the addition of one more wall to hold it in place.

At low tide there were plenty of interesting features, folds of limestone, sandstone blocks and volcanic formations. Between Anstruther and Crail are the “Coves of Caiplie”, a series of eroded caves in a sandstone outcrop now a few meters away from the sea. Where there was sand between the rocks it was a rich deep gold, also from the red sandstone of the area.

There were plenty of birds along the way, prising their meals from the rocks at low tide. We saw turnstones and oyster catchers and the curve beaked Curlews. At Pittenweem we saw seals sitting on the rocks and spent a while watching as the tide came in and dislodged them reluctantly from their rest.

Punctuating the walk at regular intervals were attractive and prosperous seeming fishing villages.  All of them busy with Saturday day trippers walking through the quaint cottage lined streets and down by their harbours. St Monans, Pittenweem, the sprawl of  Anstruther and finally Crail.

We had lunch in Anstruther at the award winning ‘Wee Chippy’. A large chip filled lunch that made it difficult to stir ourselves to complete the walk. But we managed to stir ourselves onto Crail where we got another expensive bus back to Elie.

We stayed in Elie again that evening, an unexpected third night, we were just too enamoured of this place to move on quite yet.

 

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