St Monans

Scotland > Central Scotland > Fife > St Monans

A fishing village in the East Neuk of Fife, located off the A917 coast road overlooking the Firth of Forth, situated between Elie and Pittenweem and 12 miles south of St Andrews.

Also known as St Monance, which appears on Ordnance Survey maps, until more recent times when St Monans has been generally accepted as the name.

The village grew up around the well dedicated to Saint Moineinn. In 1362 King David II showed his gratitude by ordering a church to be built here after surviving a shipwreck in the Firth of Forth. Although heavily restored in 1826-28 the building still show some of the original features.

The village has two harbours, one inside the other and from these the town rises in steps and wynds with many fine pantiled 17th and 18th century houses to newr house at the top.
There are remains of saltpans above which there is a restored windmill that was used to pump salt water up from the sea to them.

The coastal walk to the west of the village leads to the ruins of Newark Castle.