In Pittenweem, fishermen harvest prawns, crab, lobster, and the all important haddock. Just a small village of 3,000 living in stone cottages and doing their shopping on the high street. The summer arts festival brings 20,000 people into town each August, and locals open their homes for the artist's exhibitions. Set in a small neuk that juts into the North Sea, overlooking the Firth of Forth and the Isle of May, Pittenweem is a step back into time; relaxed, friendly, and filled with some of the most interesting people one would want to meet.
James II of Scotland (1437-1460) described the East Neuk of Fife with its burghs built around sheltered bays and rich farmland as "a fringe of gold on a beggar's mantle."
Pittenweem's history dates back to the 7th century. Its name is of Pictish origins and means 'place (pit) by or of the cave (weem)', where it is said St. Fillan chose to live while he converted local Picts to Christianity. Nice, eh? No conversion or dragging into the cave today, but one can visit if it doesn't creep you out.
Today, Pittenweem is the main fishing centre of the East Neuk, a fact celebrated at the annual East Neuk Fish Festival also held in August, and has the best chipper ever.
The Fife Coastal Path hugs the coastline and connects neighboring villages.
Pittenweem = beauty.
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