Peter Irvine’s Scotland the best
Coastal villages
Enjoy the quaint harbours and unbeatable hospitality to be found along Scotland’s coastline Culross
By A994 from Dunfermline or junction 1 of M90 just over Queensferry Crossing (15km). Old centre has been conserved and restored by the National Trust for Scotland. Mainly residential and not awash with craft and coffee shops. More historical than quaint; a community of careful custodians lives in the white and yellow red-pantiled houses. Footsteps echo in the cobbled wynds and once included those of the Outlander film crews (series one and two). Visit the Palace and Town House, and see interesting back gardens and a lovely church at top of hill. Bessie’s café, by the Palace, has excellent home baking! It’s open even days, daytime only.
Rockcliffe
part of the coast around to Kippford. There’s a good rock-scrambling foreshore though not so clean and a village with few houses. Repair to the Anchor in Kippford for grub and ale.
Isle of Whithorn
Strange faraway village at end of the road, 35km from south of Newton Stewart, 6km from Whithorn. There’s a mystical harbour where low tide does mean low and a sea angler’s pub, the Steampacket, has very good pub grub. Ninian’s chapel round the headland is underwhelming but you pass the poignant memorial to the Solway Harvester. Everybody visiting IoW seems to walk this way.
East Neuk villages
The quaint wee fishing villages along the bit of Fife that forms the mouth of the Firth of Forth. Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and Elie have different characters and attractions, especially Crail and Pittenweem harbours. Anstruther is the main centre, and home of the Fisheries Museum; St Monans is good for seafood and then there’s perfect Elie and St Andrews up the road. Cycling is good, traffic in summer not. Peter Irvine is the author of the essential travel guide Scotland the Best published by Collins, priced £15.99