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41-619: The harbour was built around 1150, with the first documented record of its existence coming in 1177. In the early days there were ferry services to Earlsferry near Elie in Fife, with up to 10,000 pilgrims passing through the port every year. When North Berwick received the Royal Charter and became a Royal Burgh in 1373, the design of a ferryboat was incorporated into the town crest, which remains unchanged today. However, pilgrims gradually became few and far between and after over 500 years of operation

82-525: A Bowling Green and Club Elie has a cricket club who are based in The Ship Inn pub on the beachfront. The team arrange all their home fixtures in line with the tides and play them on the beach when the tide is out. Elie's harbour was expanded in 1850. The nearby railway, part of the Fife Coast Railway , was built in 1857, and extended through Elie to Anstruther in 1863. The villages opened up to

123-509: A churchyard burial ground. Elie House is an interesting Scots vernacular extended tower house, standing close to the waterline. It dates back to 1697 with additions in 1770. In the 1770s the Lady's Tower was built in Ruby Bay, on the east side of Elie Ness, for Janet, Lady Anstruther. It incorporated a vaulted chamber at sea level as a changing room. It is said that Lady Anstruther would bathe in

164-456: A flavour of their historical identities. In recent decades, the town has become a very popular destination for wealthy residents of Glasgow and Edinburgh . In the summer months the town's population is several times higher than it is during the winter. A survey in 2018 found that half of the houses in the town were not the owners first residences. Attractions include the beach, golf, restaurants, surfing and sailing. Elie won an award as one of

205-486: A free guided early bird beach walk every month. The Scottish Seabird Centre's wildlife adventure boat trips are operated in partnership with local operator Seafari Adventures (Forth) from North Berwick Harbour, to the islands from Easter to October. The Centre also has exclusive landing rights for the Bass Rock , owned by Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple, and home to the world's largest colony of Northern gannets. Landing Trips to

246-546: A kids zone, gift shop and licensed cafe with an outdoor sun deck overlooking the Firth of Forth to the Bass Rock, and on a clear day to the Isle of May. Throughout the year the charity offers educational workshops and has live science shows for families during school holidays, and there is a year-round programme of events and festivals. The Centre also organises a programme of walks, including

287-404: A local building boom, which would have provided work for stonemasons. There were also golf club makers in the village for many years. Various support trades existed in the villages over the years and persisted until the advent of modern road transport around 1970. Elie and Earlsferry were formally merged in 1930. The modern villages now largely share shops and other facilities, but they do retain

328-407: A royal burgh in 1373 but its original charter was destroyed in a fire. Earlsferry became a trading port for merchants and remained so until the 18th century, and was also an important calling point on the pilgrims' route from the south to St Andrews. A new charter was granted in 1589 by James VI . In 1871 Earlsferry had a population of 406. Little is known of the foundation of Elie, but in 1599 it

369-430: Is now a dinghy park, although some of the original buildings and viewing galleries still remain intact. The East Lothian Yacht Club is an accredited centre of sailing and sail training excellence and hosts national and international yachting and boating events from the harbour. The racing and cruising yachts of ELYC members now make up the bulk of vessels in the harbour, with a fishing fleet of just 3 for company. Just up

410-579: The Duke of Rothesay in 2000 and funded by the Millennium Commission. The showpiece of the centre is the interactive live cameras out to the wildlife on the Firth of Forth islands, including Bass Rock, Isle of May, Fidra and Craigleith. The Bass Rock is the world's largest colony of Northern gannets with an estimated 150,000 birds present. Materials used to construct the centre were, whenever possible, environmentally sustainable and locally sourced. The centre

451-551: The Golf House Club , was founded in 1875 with the building of the clubhouse. An unusual feature is the periscope from the submarine HMS Excalibur . It was installed in the starter's hut after the submarine was scrapped in 1968; players and visitors may use it to view the golf course. Golfers, clubmakers and course designers James Braid , Archie Simpson , Bob Peebles and Isaac Mackie were born in Earlsferry. Neighbouring

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492-544: The Scottish Gaelic ealadh which means 'tomb', or èaladh which means 'a passage for boats between two rocks', or ail plus the suffix in which means 'rock-place'. Elie has an unusual parish church, dating from 1639. It has a tall octagonal tower, topped with a belvedere detail, centrally located on the church. It is approached on axis from the High Street, increasing the drama of its architecture, and surrounded by

533-564: The Scottish Reformation , pilgrimages and other traffic waned in Earlsferry. Elie and Earlsferry are about ten miles due south of St Andrews. Golf is believed to have been played on Earlsferry Links as early as the 15th century, and the layout evolved over time into the current magnificent 18-hole course which has remained largely unchanged since 1895. There has been a formal golf club here in Elie and Earlsferry since 1832. The current club,

574-570: The tinker inhabitants reminded her of her own family's origins. This may have been Walter Scott 's inspiration for a similar incident in Guy Mannering . A curse is said to have been placed on the Anstruther family by an old woman whose house had been demolished. Elie Primary School dates to 1858 and is in a Category C listed building . Elie and Earlsferry Town Hall was completed in 1873 but contains elements of an earlier town house. After

615-444: The 19th century also saw a boom in tourism, as wealthy families discovered North Berwick to be an ideal escape from the overcrowded cities. As well as Edinburgh, train services to North Berwick came direct from as far afield as London as people came to relax, walk, shoot and golf in the area. The outdoor swimming pool at the harbour was a focal point for galas and competitions, while visitors with an interest in nature were able to land on

656-498: The Bass Rock are a very special, sense busting, wildlife experience as the numbers of northern gannets have soared to 150,000 over the years. Landing trips to the Isle of May are available departing from North Berwick, as well as hour-long trips around the Bass Rock on board the 55-seat catamaran and 12-seat RIBs. The Scottish Seabird Centre, a VisitScotland five star visitor experience, has become extremely popular, winning many awards for environmental and sustainable tourism including

697-519: The Elie Chain Walk passes down the cliff faces to the tidal beaches. The route, which should only be used during low tides, has chains fixed to the cliffs and rocks of the shore to assist progress, and is sometimes referred to as Scotland's secret via ferrata (Iron path). The chains were first installed in the 1920s, and were replaced in 2010. The film The Winter Guest , starring Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law , directed by Alan Rickman ,

738-548: The Golf House Club is the Elie Sports' Club which encompasses a multi-sports facility available 7 days of the week, 364 days of the year. Its facilities include a 9-hole golf course (2080 yards long), a putting course, a driving range with covered bays and outdoor hitting areas and a short game practice area with 2 bunkers and a 50-yard pitching fairway. There are also 5 full size tennis courts and 4 short tennis courts along with

779-665: The Scottish Seabird Centre were previously a sun lounge room. The Scottish Seabird Centre was one of the flagship projects backed by the Millennium Commission which distributed cash from the UK National Lottery to cultural and heritage-related projects. A 64p stamp commemorating the opening of the Seabird Centre was released in 2000 as part of the "Above & Beyond" collection in the Millennium Series . Although

820-534: The UK and beyond. As a result, the number of fishing craft swelled from the two recorded at the end of the 17th century to thirty by 1881. At one point there were plans for the railway to extend all the way to the harbour, and for the harbour to be connected to the island of Craigleith by a long pier, but these plans were dropped and the harbour and railway have changed little since. Two shorter piers were built to accommodate larger craft and to allow others to dock when beaten by

861-412: The affluent tourist trade of Victorian times in the 1870s, which saw regular steamers from North Berwick and Leith . The explosion of modern communications saw the nature of the local economy change. Coal mining dwindled after the railway came to the area. Cotton weavers abandoned their trade after the switch to linen made from imported flax. Fishing gradually declined. The growing tourist trade caused

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902-569: The best managed beaches in Scotland in 2018. The railway line fell under the Beeching Axe in the 1960s and the station and tracks were subsequently closed and dismantled, leaving Elie with only road and sea transport links. The Times included Elie and Earlsferry as one of the best places to live in the UK in 2020. On the coast, 1 km west of Earlsferry, beneath the Fife Coastal Path ,

943-506: The ferry services had disappeared by 1692. The focus of the harbour then switched to commerce and fishing. The main exports in 1794 being wheat and barley (corn), and the main imports wood and iron. The harbour was deepened in 1804 and again in 1831 allowing large commercial craft to dock. The arrival of the railway in North Berwick lessened the need for freight to be shipped in but allowed local fishermen to send their catches to all parts of

984-584: The form of St. Andrew during crucifixion. St. Andrews Kirk was restored in 2005 as a tourist attraction after receiving a £50,000 grant from the National Lottery Fund. Visitors can learn more about the history of the Auld Kirk Green, from its beginnings in the 7th century, through pilgrim times and the mysteries of the witches, right up to the present day. Although the red sandstone harbour and buildings have changed little in their external appearance,

1025-414: The island bird colonies of Bass Rock and Fidra . The oldest remaining part of the harbour is the "Auld Kirk Green" or "Anchor Green", which lies on the opposite site of the original harbour island from the dock. St. Andrews Kirk (church) - which excavations have revealed was built on the foundations of an older church or pagan temple - was built in 1177 and used by pilgrims to pray for safe passage across

1066-611: The islands in the Firth of Forth. Additional wildlife includes seals and occasional sightings of dolphins and whales. The Discovery Experience also has a number of informative storyboards, mechanical and digital exhibits which bring Scotland's seabirds and underwater world to visitors. The exhibits cover: • Seabirds (covering migration, seabird colonies, breeding and feeding) • Threats (covering fishing, invasive species, climate change and pollution) • Marine (kelp forests, coral reef, seals, cetaceans, intertidal zone) • Discover (recent sightings, interactive live cameras, seasonal wildlife) There's

1107-532: The middle of the 12th century, the Earls of Fife had instituted a ferry for the use of pilgrims en route to the shrine of Saint Andrew the Apostle at St Andrews . The ferry crossed the Firth of Forth to North Berwick , a distance of 7 miles, and it is this ferry that led to the naming of the place. There are the remains of a small chapel on Chapel Ness, built for the use of these pilgrims. King Robert II made Earlsferry

1148-465: The nearby waters, a servant ringing a bell all the while to ensure locals stayed away. The daughter of Provost Charles Fall of Dunbar , she was mentioned by Thomas Carlyle as Jenny Faa ("Faa" being purportedly the Fall family's ancient name) "a coquette and a beauty". She caused the hamlet of Balclevie, to the north of Elie House, to be razed ostensibly "to improve the view" but widely thought to be because

1189-526: The nineteenth century until its eventual closure in 1996. The old pool has been filled in and is now a boat and dinghy park for members of the East Lothian Yacht Club , is the location of the Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery, the Beach Wheelchair enterprise and has several colourful beach huts that sell local products. The buildings housing the learning hub, boat office and administration office of

1230-524: The north coast of the Firth of Forth , eight miles east of Leven . The burgh comprised the linked villages of Elie ( / ˈ iː l i / EE -lee ) to the east and to the west Earlsferry , which were formally merged in 1930 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 . To the north is the village of Kilconquhar and Kilconquhar Loch . The civil parish has a population of 861 (in 2011). Earlsferry,

1271-409: The old granary is now home to modern flats and the interior of many others have been remodelled for housing, boat storage or office space. The Scottish Seabird Centre has become a major tourist attraction since opening in 2000 and tourists can still take Sula II to see the gannets, puffins and other birdlife in the area. The outdoor swimming pool finally closed in 1996. It has since been filled in and

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1312-501: The older of the two villages, was first settled in time immemorial . It is said that MacDuff , the Earl of Fife, crossed the Forth here in 1054 while fleeing from King Macbeth . In particular the legend tells of his escape being aided by local fishermen, an act which may have led directly to the village being promoted to royal burgh status due to MacDuff's later influence over Malcolm III . By

1353-577: The road along the old causeway from the harbour is the RNLI Lifeboat station, with one of the famous Blue Peter lifeboats always on call. 56°03′40″N 2°43′05″W  /  56.061°N 2.718°W  / 56.061; -2.718 Earlsferry Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife , and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on

1394-653: The stamp features a colony of gannets, the featured picture was taken in South Africa, not (as many assume) on the Bass Rock. In August 2021, the charity appointed Louise Macdonald , national director for the Institute of Directors and CEO of Young Scot as its first ambassador. The main attraction at the Scottish Seabird Centre is the recently refurbished (2019) Discovery Experience that contains interactive wildlife cameras which allow visitors to observe northern gannets, Atlantic puffins, shags, cormorants and other seabirds on

1435-548: The subsequent investigations, most likely at the hands of their "investigators". The church ceased to host services and funerals in 1673, although part of one original wall remained standing until 1845. The area has been excavated several times, most recently when the adjacent ground was being prepared for the building of the Scottish Seabird Centre, and finds have included Roman coins and Viking artefacts. Digs have also unearthed well preserved skeletal remains, including those of children and murder victims, and metal pilgrims badges in

1476-477: The throne and was apparently attempting to incite a storm which would sink the boat carrying James VI back from Norway with his new bride. In any case, this event so angered James VI that it triggered the North Berwick Witch Trials and the witch hunts that would eventually sweep the length and breadth of Britain. Those known to have participated in rituals at North Berwick are said to have died during

1517-457: The tides, the first of which - The North Pier - lasted from 1811 until a huge storm finished it off in 1898. The Galloway Pier, opened in 1877, was initially busy but saw little or no traffic in the inter-war period and was eventually demolished in 1940 having fallen into disrepair. As larger ships no longer visit North Berwick there was no appetite to rebuild a large pier. A smaller, modern concrete pier exists in its place today. The latter half of

1558-470: The water. It later became the North Berwick Parish Church, which precipitated the construction of first a bridge and finally a causeway to the harbour island. Legend has it that on Halloween 1590, Satan himself attended a coven on the Auld Kirk Green, although a more earthly version of the tale records that Satan was "played" by Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell . Stuart was a pretender to

1599-575: Was designed by Edinburgh architects Simpson & Brown to make use of natural light and ventilation, and to offer panoramic views both to sea and inland towards North Berwick Law. Very little plastic was used in construction, with wood, stone and metal being preferred. The site now occupied by the Scottish Seabird Centre once overlooked the North Berwick Outdoor Swimming Pool, a feature of the North Berwick Harbour area from

1640-605: Was filmed here. The two main bus services are provided by Stagecoach East Scotland. These are: The famous " Floral clock " in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens was originally constructed (1903) using the clock mechanism salvaged from Elie Parish Church. Scottish Seabird Centre The Scottish Seabird Centre is a marine conservation and education charity, that is supported by an award-winning visitor attraction in North Berwick , East Lothian , Scotland . Opened by

1681-405: Was made a burgh of barony by King James VI and it had become sufficiently important to merit the building of Elie Parish Church in 1639. Its harbour was more sheltered than that of Earlsferry, it began to poach trade away from Earlsferry and after a great storm in 1766 filled it with sand, Earlsferry harbour was no longer used. The etymology of the name Elie is unclear. The name may derive from

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