The Ship Inn is the social hub of Elie and one of the most likeable pubs on the Scottish coast. It sits right on the harbour overlooking the bay, with outdoor tables on the slipway in summer and a proper coal fire in the bar in winter. The food has stepped up over the years — good seafood, decent steaks, the kind of pub menu that takes itself just seriously enough.
The famous thing is the cricket: the Ship Inn fields the only beach cricket team in Britain, with home matches played on the sand at low tide between May and September. The fixtures depend on the tide tables and the weather, which makes scheduling chaotic and the matches part of the entertainment.