The Ship Inn sits on The Toft at Elie in the East Neuk of Fife, part of a row of old cottages by the harbour, looking straight out across the sands of Elie Bay to the Firth of Forth.
What makes it worth the drive is the cricket. The Ship Inn Cricket Club has been playing on the beach here for more than thirty years and it is the only pub in Britain with its own pitch on the sand. The wicket is rolled flat before play, matches only happen on low tide afternoons between May and September, and the fixture list includes an annual game against the MCC.
Which makes the beer garden a grandstand. Seafood is the strength of the menu, the bar keeps open fires going for when the Forth turns on you, and dogs get water and a bed rather than a hard look.
