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A white lighthouse with a black lantern room stands on a grassy rocky point, calm sea stretching around it.
Fife

Elie Ness Lighthouse

A small white lighthouse of 1908 on the grassy point of Elie Ness in the East Neuk of Fife, above the sandy curve of Ruby Bay.

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Welcome

On the grassy point of Elie Ness, east of the village of Elie, stands a small white lighthouse with a black lantern, looking out over the Firth of Forth.

It is a modest building with a good story.

In the early 1900s, sea captains from all over the world pressed for a light here, because in bad weather off Elie Ness they could see neither the lighthouse on the Isle of May nor the one on Inchkeith. The engineer David Alan Stevenson, of the great lighthouse family and a cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson, designed it, local builders from Anstruther put it up, and it was lit on 1 October 1908, flashing every six seconds.

Below the point lies Ruby Bay, a curve of sand under the dunes, named for the gems that used to wash up on it. A path runs out along the shore to the lighthouse, with wide views across the Forth, and it makes a lovely short walk from the village.

Before you go

An open headland, there at any time.

The lighthouse itself is not open inside.

Where
Elie Ness, KY9 1EA.
Lit
1908.
Below
Ruby Bay.

Did you know

A white lighthouse with a black lantern room stands on a grassy point, a wooden bench nearby and calm sea stretching beyond.
Did you know

Lit in 1908.

The light was lit on 1 October 1908, burning acetylene gas and flashing once every six seconds.

A sandy beach curves beneath dune grass, a distant lighthouse standing on a green headland at the far end.
Did you know

Ruby Bay.

The bay below the point is called Ruby Bay, after the gems that used to wash up on its sand.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Fife

More than a century ago, the waters off Elie Ness could be a torrid place for sailors. In bad weather, the navigational lights on the islands of Inchkeith and the Isle of May became all but invisible in the gales and murk. A mainland beacon was needed, and so was born the solid crenelated bulk of Elie Ness Lighthouse. It’s been in place since 1908, and a small keeper’s cottage still stands alongside.

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Where it is

On the point of Elie Ness, east of Elie in the East Neuk of Fife, reached on foot along the shore, KY9 1EA.

Close byElie.
  1. Curved sandy beach edged by grassy dunes under a grey overcast skyRuby BayUnder a mile 1 min by road
  2. Lady’s Tower, Ruby BayLady’s Tower, Ruby BayA ruined stone tower on the rocks above Ruby Bay near Elie, built in the 1700s as a bathing house for Lady Janet Anstruther.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Ship Inn, ElieThe Ship Inn, ElieA harbour-side pub, restaurant and inn overlooking the beach at Elie, famous for the cricket team that plays on the sands.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Ardross Farm ShopArdross Farm ShopA farm shop nearby.1 mile 3 min by road
  5. St MonansSt MonansThe fishing village along the coast.3 miles 6 min by road
  6. Climber in red jacket scales a rope through a narrow rocky gorgeElie Chain WalkThe chain walk round Kincraig Point.3 miles 10 min by road
Directions
Whole lobsters arranged on a metal platter with salad leaves and grilled lemon halvesCafeThe Pavilion, Elie0.9 miles
Bar interior with "Bottled Ales & Stout" sign and colourful Beatles artworkShoppingFuttle2.1 miles
Stone courtyard buildings with EB signage and dark timber doors under grey skyShoppingBowhouse2.1 miles
Bàern Cafe, FifeCafeBàern Cafe2.1 miles
Braised beef with mash and greens served on a white bowlRestaurantsThe Kinneuchar Inn2.2 miles
White boat planted with flowers outside St Monans Welly Boot GardenAttractionsSt Monans Welly Boot Garden3.0 miles
Stone church with conical spire overlooking gravestones and the coastlineAttractionsSt Monans Auld Kirk3.2 miles
Diners sit under a covered pergola beside barrel tables outside a caféCafeThe Mirador Café3.4 miles
Terraced houses with red pantiled roofs line a coastal lane beside a stone harbour wallAttractionsPittenweem4.2 miles
The Daily for 20 October, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the lighthouse, and when each is next free.

An orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.The Old Stable
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Elie Ness Lighthouse
Free 21–23 OctThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Elie Ness Lighthouse
Free 2–5 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Elie Ness Lighthouse
Free 1–3 NovA stone cottage with red pantiled roofs and a gabled dormer sits behind a gravel courtyard, an apple tree in the foreground.Maybell Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 4 miles from Elie Ness Lighthouse
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in FifeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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