St Monans Windmill & Salt Pans 2025
This restored 18th century windmill is the last remaining one in Fife with great views across the Firth of Forth. It pumped sea water into the nearby salt pans, which were then heated by coal from the farm. In the later years, coal was brought in by sea. Combine this setting with the traditional rural associations of a windmill and it is hard to imagine a more idyllic place.
Contacts
Operator: Fife Cultural Trust
Address: Coal Farm Pittenweem Fife KY10 2DQ
- Telephone: 01334 659 380
- Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Website: View website
Open Days & Times
Access at all times. The windmill can only be viewed from the outside.
Travel
- By Bus: X60
Facilities
- Souvenir Shop
The windmill is the most tangible reminder of an industry that for centuries blighted the environment of coastal communities right along both shores of the Firth of Forth: salt production.
Salt has been a valuable commodity through much of history, as the Roman's occasionally used it to pay their troops, which brought the word 'salary' into being. Traditionally it was mined as 'rock salt', though later on, shoreside locations in sunny climes started to be used to evaporate sea water in shallow ponds to produce 'bay salt'. By the late medieval period, in places where coal was produced in coastal locations, it became common for 'industrial salt' to be made. This was a process in which coal fires burned under metal pans full of seawater until the water had evaporated, leaving just the salt.
Enjoy a short walk from either St Monans (0.75 miles) or Pittenweem (1.5 miles) along the Fife Coastal Path to visit this late 18th century windmill and nearby saltpans.
Some more nearby attractions you may be interested in...
