Pittenweem Library

The library itself sits quietly in Pittenweem, a working fishing village on the East Neuk of Fife that doesn't depend on tourists to keep going. It's the sort of place locals actually use - you'll find the usual mix of books, computers, and community noticeboard that characterises small-town Scottish libraries.

This isn't a destination in itself, to be honest. You're not coming to Pittenweem specifically for the library. What you're coming for is the village - the harbour, the fish restaurants, the art galleries tucked into converted cottages, the fact that it genuinely feels like somewhere people live rather than a theme park version of the East Neuk.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - St Monans is barely a mile away, Silverdyke and Kilrenny Mill just beyond that - the library is useful as a rainy-day option or if you need to kill an hour while someone's at the shops in Anstruther next door. It's free, worth popping into if you're in the village anyway, and perfectly decent as these things go.

But honestly? The real pull is outside. The coastal walks, the fish suppers, the proper Scottish fishing village atmosphere. The library is just what it says on the tin - a library. Don't make a special trip. Do include it in a morning ramble if the weather turns, then head back down to the water.