The Bathie, a 1930s tidal pool on the Cellardyke shore, reopened by locals in 2024 with a sauna right beside it
Open accessfree and open all year; no lifeguards, so check the tide and the sea before you swim
Known locally as the Bathie, or the Cardinal Steps pool, this long sea pool on the shore at Cellardyke was built in the early 1930s, with a smaller children’s pool beside it. In the 1930s there was a slide and a diving board, but the pool fell out of use in the late 1970s. A community group raised about £150,000 to clear out the rubble, replace the ladder and repair the sea wall, and the pool reopened in August 2024. High tides wash in and refill the pool, and people now swim there every day. Swimming is free, the water is unheated and there are no lifeguards, so check the tide and the sea before you get in. Right beside the pool is the glass-fronted Cellardyke Seaside Sauna, along with a café trailer and a pizza shack. There’s another restored tidal pool about 4km along the coast at Pittenweem.
