Welcome to page 3 of my tour of the North-East of Scotland. On this page I'll take a tour along the coastline from Spey Bay through to Macduff. This coastal trail is an official tourist route with brown signs to direct you.

Spey Bay to Portsoy

Spey Bay is a spread out village just 5 miles from the A96 (Fochabers) up the B9104. It lies on the coast by the estuary of the River Spey and is home to the Tugnet Ice House (formerly the largest ice house in scotland. Was used to store salmon before it was sold) and the WDCS wildlife centre which has a gift shop and cafe.

Spey is very popular with people who like wildlife. When we were there, numerous people were scanning the sea for that elusive glimpse of Dolphins or rare birds visiting our shores.

The next place along the coast is the quiet village of Portgordon (or is it Port Gordon?) named after the 4th Duke of Gordon. More information on the history of the village can be found on the community website.

A few miles up the coastal road is the Historic Fishing town of Buckie. While the fishing industry may not be a prevalent as it used to be, the harbour stills provides an living for many of the locals.

The coastal road (A942) then travels through Ianstown, Portessie, through to Findochty, a village that sprung up around the natural harbour known as crooked haven. None of the places along this section of the coastline are really visitor orientated, which makes them all the more attractive as they still retain their character.

The final town before the road joins with the main A98 again is Portknockie whose most popular visitor attraction seems to be the bow and fiddle rock (I wish we'd got out and had a walk now). A picture of this can be found on the Wikipedia.

After joining the A98, the road drops down into Seatown and Cullen. The road passes under the Cullen viaduct at the entrance to the town, which was part of the former Moray Coast Railway (The Great North of Scotland Railway). A good picture of the viaduct can be found once again on the Undiscovered Scotland website.

Access to the beach at Cullen Bay is also at this end of the town, although we didn't stop here. Our next stop was actually at Sandend, although if you fancy a little walk you can park near to the ruined Findlater Castle. While the castle seems to be inaccessible to all but the most experienced walkers (or even climbers), the dramatic views of the castle make it a worthwhile place to visit.

Anyway back to Sandend. What a lovely village. Nice harbour, lovely beach/sea (popular with surfers) and rockpools (where I happened to twist my knee ending my enjoyment of the holiday. Fortunately it was the last day of the holiday and I still recovering at the time of writing this). All the ingredients required for a happy child. We will definitely be visiting Sandend again. This said, apart from the caravan park the village retains much of its original character, and it would be a shame to spoil this. So don't visit Sandend!!

Portsoy

Portsoy is another lovely village with a historic harbour that is well worth a look. The peacefulness of the place really appealed to us, and we had two picnics on a bench overlooking the harbour (not on the same day I hasten to add).

As you can see from the picture on the left, another inhabitant of Portsoy harbour obviously enjoyed the tranquil nature of the place as well. (Actually, can anyone tell me the breed of the bird in the picture?).

Heading up from the harbour back on to the main street, you can find the Portsoy ice cream shop. With a wide choice of flavours to choose from, you may find it difficult to decide which one to sample. demm42's top of the day. Make sure all the family chooses different flavours, then you can all sample each others!!

The last village along the coast before the towns of Banff and MacDuff is Whitehills. Traditionally a village whose lifeblood has been fishing, the harbour now seems to be an anchoring place for a variety of yachts and leisure boats.

Banff and Macduff

The towns of Banff and Macduff are separated by the River Deveron which flows into Banff Bay.

As well as the town of Banff, this side of the Deveron Estuary has a beach along with the Colleonard Sculpture Garden and Duff House Country Art Gallery.

On the other side of the river is Macduff which has the harbour and Marine Aquarium. To get the best views of Macduff, you're best heading up to Doune Church where you can overlook the town and watch life in a fishing town pass by.

Part 4 of the tour continues along the coastline from Macduff to Fraserburgh which includes probably the most picturesque section of the coast.

 
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