Pittenweem Harbour

On a blustery night, the wind mixes the tang of sea air with the warm, reassuring smell of woodsmoke as the fishermen prepare their vessels for another night at sea. Boats rock at their moorings in the harbour, their nets beside them ready to be loaded back onto the boats after drying in the open air for a few hours. A small army of seagulls float on the water, hoping to scaevnge food from the boats.

This is Pittenweem harbour and fish market. It is the main landing point in the East Neuk of Fife for fishing vessels, though most of the catches these days are prawns. Disastrous negotiations with the EU meant that Scotland fared particularly badly in the last round of fishing quota discussions, and Pittenweem is one of many villages paying the price.

At least the prawn fishing is still there.