TEN FACTS ABOUT THE EAST NEUK

Pittenweem, a Royal Burgh since 1541, is the only East Neuk town still to have a working harbour. Despite the fact that St Andrews is the home of golf, Crail was the first place in Scotland to have a golf course. Buckie House, known as the ‘Shell House’, in Anstruther, was decorated with shells by Alex Batchelor, who was buried in a shell-covered coffin. St Monans Church is the nearest to the sea in Scotland, at 20m from the edge of low-lying rock. Colonel Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken VC (1826–87), recipient of the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny, was born in Cupar. Pittenweem was once notorious for its harsh punishment of women accused of witchcraft. The bell in Crail Town Hall was brought from Holland and is a reminder of the town’s Dutch links. During term time, students make up a third of St Andrews’ population. Golf course designer James Braid, five times winner of the British Open in the early 20th century, was born in Elie. Marketgate in Crail was once the largest medieval marketplace in Europe.