St Monans Tidal Pool
St Monans' tidal pool is a long, concrete-walled sea pool on the rocky shore east of the village, beside the Fife Coastal Path and a short walk from the old salt-works windmill. It refills on the high tide and keeps its water as the sea drops away. An old council sign says the pool is no longer maintained and bathers use it at their own risk, so check the depth before you swim.
Photo: Adam Ward · CC BY-SA 2.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 65/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 12°C, wind 5 km/h, UV 0. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- Calm days around low tide, when the pool is separated from the sea.
- Getting in
- Beside the Fife Coastal Path on the east side of St Monans, near St Monans Windmill (a late-18th-century salt-industry windmill cared for by Fife Coast & Countryside Trust). A long-standing sign states that the pool is no longer maintained by the council and bathers use it at their own risk.
- Lifeguards
- None; bathers use the pool at their own risk.
- Water quality
- Not a SEPA-designated bathing water, so it is not officially monitored. The nearest designated waters, Elie and Anstruther (Billow Ness), are classified Excellent.
- Watch for
- Unmaintained structure: check depth and footing before getting in
- Open sea and rock shelves beyond the pool walls
Sources: commons.wikimedia.org, commons.wikimedia.org, fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk, bathingwaters.sepa.org.uk, openstreetmap.org
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Details
- Location
- St Monans, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Type
- pool
- Coordinates
- 56.2060, -2.7562