From Anstruther to the Isle of May

With James and I boarded our boat today we were advised to sit near the front if we didn’t want to get wet. The boat was a rib which was taking us across the Firth of Forth to the Isle of May. We ended up in the middle and didn’t get too wet; just a bit of salt spray. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the sea was fairly calm, although the boat tended to crest each wave and then smack down into the troughs, which elicited some excited screaming from a few of the passengers. The skipper circumnavigated the island, pointing out sea life and geological features. Many of the seabirds have left for the winter, but we saw plenty of cormorants, shags, guillemots and gannets, and even a few young pufflings which were bobbing about on the water. The coastline is lined with sea stacks and cliffs, with caves and rocky beaches. There were quite a few seals lounging around on low rocks and thousands more will be arriving over the next few weeks; in fact our trip today was right at the end of the season because the island closes to the public from 1st October until April in order to protect the seal pups. From a cliff top during our walk we saw a white seal cub lying on the beach below us, waiting for its Mummy.
The island has an interesting history and there was a religious community based there for a long time. The skipper entertained us with some lively stories about its past. Apparently a clan chief’s daughter called Teneu became pregnant by a man from a rival clan, and her punishment was to be driven off a cliff in East Lothian in a horse-driven carriage, which seems a bit unfair in the horses in my opinion. She survived and was then declared to be a witch, so was set adrift in the sea in a coracle. She then washed up on the Isle of May and was taken in by the monks there before moving to Culross. When her baby was born she named him Kentigern but he was nicknamed Mungo by St Serf - yes the baby was good old St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow! And Teneu’s name was corrupted to Enoch and she became St Enoch, also of Glasgow!
We were deposited on the island slipway at about 1 p.m. and had three hours to explore the island. The Isle of May is only 1.8 km long and less that half a kilometre wide, so that was plenty of time to explore it. It is very attractive with grassy paths, lighthouses and the remains of an old priory. We cross-crossed it, walking up its small hills, chatting and enjoying the views. James had thoughtfully brought a flask of coffee which we quaffed while sitting in the sunshine.
Later we set off for the eight kilometre journey back to Anstruther in our rib. The water was an amazing colour, like molten pewter. Back on dry land we treated ourselves to fish suppers in the famous Anstruther Fish Bar.