The weather is beginning to get better and with the days getting brighter and the sun returning, our thoughts soon turn to day trips and escaping the hustle and bustle of city life.
One stunning unspoilt village that deserves to be added to your hitlist is not too far from the capital (just under an hour and a half's drive away in the Kingdom of Fife) and has just been named in a list of the 'greatest UK villages'.
In a bid to inspire people to explore the UK this summer, instead of going to the usual tourist-heavy locations, The Telegraph has named those 30 villages worth visiting that perhaps go under the radar.
And squirrelled away in the East Neuk of Fife (named as Scotland's secret Cornwall by the writing team) you'll find the idyllic village of St Monan's.
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This beautiful port town owes much of its livelihood to its busy fishing heritage, with the Telegraph team writing: "Forget flashy St Andrews; head instead to Fife’s East Neuk – Scotland’s secret Cornwall – and the less-visited village of St Monans.
"While other villages here on the Forth have given themselves over to tourism and second homes, St Monans proudly retains its fishing fleet and smokehouse. The boats busy in and out of a historic harbour designed by the Lighthouse Stevensons."
They add that the vibe is more "Hanseatic than Highland" with many of the glorious old merchant houses still having their stepped gables and orange-tiled roofs, lining a waterfront that "looks like an oil painting" and is "beloved of the East Neuk’s bountiful artists".
The travel team continue: "Roots run deep here: St Monans Church dates from the 14th century; nearby Newark Castle is a rugged 16th-century wonder. Adventures tempt east and west on the Fife Coastal Path, with seafood for dinner overlooking the boats at sunset afterwards."
Recommending Grannie’s Harbour B&B as the place to stay and the waterfront restaurant at the East Pier Smokehouse as the place to eat, the team also recommend popping west to Anstruther to catch a boat or RIB out into the Forth, with Isle of May Boat Trips "opening up St Monans’ joyous setting".
Other exciting places to check out are the intriguing zig-zag patterned sea wall and of course, the grand historical hotspots that are St Monan's Church and the striking ruins of Newark Castle.
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