Coast At Anstruther On Visit To Neuk Of Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video clip, with music of the coastline at Anstruther,, on visit to the East Neuk of Fife. Anstruther, where I was raised in Scotland, was created a burgh in 1541 with the right to build a harbour, and thirty years later when it was erected into a Burgh of Barony and John Anstruther of Anstruther was authorised by King James VI to build a harbour for fishing and trading vessels. Anstruther Wester received a royal charter in 1587. Eleven years later a Spanish ship which had been part of the Armada was wrecked off shore but its sailors were given a warm reception from the townsfolk and helped to return to their native land. The town continued to grow throughout the 17th and 18th centuries with increasing emphasis on fishing and trading. Trade was vital to Scotland at this period to secure a much wider range of goods than would otherwise have been available. Ships from Anstruther and other East Neuk ports regularly sailed to ports in the Baltic such as Danzig (Gdansk) and to the Low countries where there were sizeable communities of Scots. At one time the settlement had an anti pirate squad, it was also a lucrative picking ground for the Press Gangs of the Royal Navy. Anstruther Captains were famed for their seafaring skills in the 19th Century a number were actively involved in trade across the oceans, several in particular played a major role in the China tea trade. Anstruther was the capital of the herring fishing industry in Scotland during the winter months up until WWII when the herring shoals deserted the surrounding waters. Today there is little evidence of fishing within the harbour which has given way to leisure craft. Anstruthers main industry today is tourism. The lighthouse at then end of the West pier was built in 1880 to commemorate Dr Thomas Chalmers, born 1780, died 1847, founder of the Free Church. He was born in this fishing village and, at the age of eleven, he was entered as a student at St Andrews, where he devoted himself almost exclusively to mathematics. In January 1799 he was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel by the St Andrews presbytery. In May 1803, after attending further courses of lectures in The University of Edinburgh, and acting as assistant to the professor of mathematics at St Andrews, he was ordained as minister of Kilmany, about 9 miles from the university town, where he continued to lecture. Clan Anstruther is a Scottish clan that originated from the town of Anstruther, which was adopted as a familial name. King Alexander I of Scotland granted the lands of Anstruther to William de Candela in the early 12th century. There are a number of suggested origins for William but research points to the Normans in Italy. It is known that King William I of England sought assistance from William, Count of Candela, who sent his son. It is likely that this son was William de Candela, who received the grant of land from Alexander, The Fife Coastal Path covers 117 miles of coastline starting from the Firth of Forth in the South and ending on the shores of the Firth of Tay in the North. The path offers something for every walker with easy and family friendly sections through to more rugged and demanding trails for the more experienced walker. The Fife Coastal Path is one of Scotland’s Great Trails and is part of Fife’s Core Path network. The route is one of Central Scotland’s most beautiful and interesting trails All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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