To the North East of the town, a concrete observation platform was built on what is thought to be a long used site of strategical and defensive importance, as it overlooks the entire village and the remains of earlier walls and structures are evident.

During the Second World War the flat farmland of the glacial valley in which Auchtermuchty sits made a prime target for glider landings in the event of an invasion, and it may still be possible to see the remains of trenches dug and obstacles built to prevent this, though these have largely been erased by farming throughout Fife.

The twisting streets here have a wealth of buildings dating from the 17th and 18th century, centred on a medieval peel tower (now forming part of the town library).

The town's church is mentioned in James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, as was Herald Law, a hill to the north if the village, in an area known historically as "The Holy Land".

In his column for the paper, Junor lit upon the small Scottish town of Auchtermuchty and made it into his own personal Brigadoon, a place of solemn courtesy to one's betters and implacable hostility to outsiders.