Pittenweem Harbour

Pittenweem harbour is not only beautiful, but is also seeped in maritime history. The name Pittenweem is a combination of 'Pit' taken from the Pictish word 'Pett' meaning Place,and the Gaelic 'enweem' from 'na h-Uaim' meaning of the Caves, together making Place of the Caves.

It was for this reason I visited Pittenweem, to visit the wonderful St Fillan's Cave which is located up one of the alleyways from the harbour.

The harbour became a busy port in the medieval period, with references made to it dating back to 1228, making Pittenweem one of the oldest harbours in Scotland.

The development of the harbour was given a huge boost when the Monks from the Isle of May moved to Pittenweem in the 13th century and established Pittenweem Priory.

In 1541, King James V granted Pittenweem Royal Burgh status. This provided Pittenween with trading privileges and the right to hold markets which resulted in the quiet fishing village becoming a bustling commercial port.

To cope with its new status, the harbour infrastructure needed to improve. The east pier was built around 1600, followed by the west pier in 1724, then the south pier which is the extension of the east pier, came later in the 19th century. These developments created the harbour layout that you see today. It offers two fully enclosed basins able to accommodate sea vessels up to 27.5 meters long. The piers have undergone several repairs over the years, as storms battered them relentlessly.

In the late 1700's, Sir John Anstruther invested heavily in the waggonway to the harbour. This gave priority for vessels carrying his coal and salt from St Monans Salt Pans over other merchant ships.

Pittenweem is home to one of Scotland's largest fishing fleets, with approximately 30 boats operating from the port and a fish market held on weekday mornings. Historically the main catch was whitefish, however, this was to change as the shell fishing industry took hold.

At one point, around 1,500 boxes of whitefish were sold daily at the harbour auctions. These days the focus is more on shellfish, with crab, lobster, and langoustine catches feeding the continental European markets.

From the eastern side of the harbour, it is worth making your way west, where you will pass the Pittenween Fishermans Memorial and the west harbour.

The further west you go, the more you can see the geology of the harbour with its many natural breakwater skerries.

If you are a wildlife lover, you will be pleased to hear that seals are regularly seen here, as well as array of seabirds including gulls, cormorants, and the occasional puffin. The skerries also offer marine life the perfect habitat.

The old boat harbour takes advantage of the natural skerries by using one as a pier. It contains posts to tie off boats, and bays where the boats can be launched into the sea. Take a walk out on the skerries, to get a different perspective of the both the harbours.

There is plenty of parking along the harbour front between the new and old harbours.

Pittenweem Harbour is designated a Category BListed Building with Historic Environment Scotland.