The East Neuk of Fife

My sister Christine and her husband Sandy live just to the south of St Andrews in the Kingdom of Fife, on the main road to Kirkcaldy. St Andrews is possibly the most interesting city in Scotland if not the UK with its status as the home of golf, home of the renowned Old Course plus a plethora of other great courses, home also of a famous university, a seaside resort and add on a fair sprinkling of medieval ruins. In real terms it is tiny. It has been nice to spend a few days here with Christine & Sandy, very relaxing.

The area is loaded with happy childhood memories. Whatever faults my mother and father may have had we always had a sumer holiday and in particular I recall very happy times in Crail, just to the south of St Andrews at the northern boundary of the East Neuk of Fife. I think 'neuk' is Scots for 'nook', meaning corner. It is a beautiful area overlooking the Forth estuary with the Isle of May and more distant Bass Rock dominating views. Crail is a picture post card fishing village with a traditional harbour that has featured in movies and adverts; in particular I recall a Paul Hogan/Crocodile Dundee advert for Fosters Lager where a local is very pleased with landing a small fish which the Hogan character takes saying something like:" Let me borrow a piece of your bate" and duly hooks a shark!

Yesterday I was in Cellardyke & Anstruther further to the south of Crail. When I was last there Anstruther had a working harbour. As kids we often walked along the cliffs from Crail to Cellardyke and then into Anstruther, (pronounced by the locals as "Ainster") which merge together seemlessly. If I am right I believe Christine on one occasion fell and broke her leg on this walk. Anstruther's harbour in those days was a hive of activity as it housed a small fishing fleet and fish and crabs were landed there and sold. This has all gone as the harbour now operates as a pleasure marina and the town has been gentrified.

We had a fine lunch in the much lauded Anstruther Fish Bar which currently holds the laurel of Best Fish & Chips in the UK 2008/9. I had delicious haddock with perfect chips and my nephew Dan had a fine looking prawn and salmon salad. But I must tell you something you might find strange: the restaurant sells the best cup of tea I have had in recent memory. You can sit in or you can take out and sit down by the harbour and watch the watery world go by.

I wIll start heading south in next few days and will head for home on Tuesday 31st March via Kuala Lumpur courtesy of Air Asia from Stansted AIrport.I miss my wife and am ready for the next chapter in my life, Gerry as Teacher and Parent....can you believe it?!