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video of Crail village
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Crail is a former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland and part of the East Neuk. Aplace where it never rains. Most locals will tell you that the sun only shines on Crail. Crail has one of the best small harbours in the area and is well know for the shellfish and lobster that are caught and sold here, you won't get any fresher.
Dating back to 16th century, the curved breakwater was built giving it protection against the Forth and in 1826 Robert Stevenson contributed the straight west pier, which was built by rubble.
Built around its harbour, it also has a superb museum and a pottery. Coming up from the harbour you find the main street through Crail. Following the road towards the golf course you will bypass the Crail History museum and shortly before the Marketgate there is a road leading down to Crail Pottery. In the Summer and other school holidays the pottery puts on classes for children, who find the whole idea great fun . The Marketgate, now lined by trees, was once the largest medieval market places in Europe.
Crail has always been associated with fishing and farming. Crail's harbour is famous now as being very picturesque, but it developed because of fishing and trade. Much of the trade was exports of farm produce from the fertile land surrounding Crail. On the beach beside the harbour, there are fossilized trees, dating back to the carboniferous geological period. The Sea Box was an early 'Friendly Society' to help fisher families in hard times. A chest of uncertain age was recently found in the bank containing papers relating to the Sea Box, some from 16th century.
Continuing on, you pass the Parish Church on the left, this Romanesque sapling c1160 has been gradually added to with possibly the oldest free standing tower in Fife, before coming to the golf courses. The Crail Golfing Society founded 1786 is the seventh oldest in the world. Their oldest course, Balcomie, was formally laid out by Tom Morris Sr. in 1894 but competitions had been played there since the 1850's. It is said that Crail was the first course to use round holes - these having previously been square. The Balcomie and the Craighead Links. Both these courses have a large waiting list because of there popularity but visitors are welcome but it is advisable to try and book first.
Just east of Crail are the remains of a World War I and World War II airfield, known as the Crail Aerodrome now used for car boot sales. The runways and all the major buildings are visible and have been given Scheduled Status by Historic Scotland. Royal Naval Air Squadron HMS Jackdaw where Planes from the airbase took part in the final attack on the Tirpitz in 1944., HMS Bruce the boys training establishment taking boys from the age of 15, and where discipline was harsh, intermittent use by the Black Watch and the Joint Services School for Linguists where Russian was learnt as a response to the 'Cold War'.
At its peak, the airfield had 2000 personnel, many of whom had happy memories of their time off duty in and around Crail.
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Copyright thecrailcottage 2007, All rights reserved.
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