I think it's fair to say that I've fallen more than a little
bit in love with Stonehaven.
Perhaps it's because it's the first destination we've
visited with the Road Snail for quite some time, but actually I think it's also
that this self-styled "happening little place" really is something a
little bit special. Indeed, I can't remember when I've taken to a place more
quickly.
We arrived up the A90 after what I can only describe as a
freakishly easy journey north. I mean, we drove up past Glasgow on the last
Saturday of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and there was still no traffic to speak
of. Seriously, we were beginning to wonder if everyone else knew something we
didn't...
The Caravan Club site is situated in Queen Elizabeth Park
(about which more later) at the northern end of the town, about five yards from
the beach. Not even exaggerating, it's literally on the other side of the road.
Indeed, as we staggered out of the car (it had been an easy drive, but it had
still taken the better part of nine hours and our legs were not all that keen
to straighten - one of the hazards of getting to your forties, I'm afraid) one
of the first things we noticed was the wonderfully evocative smell of salt and
seaweed. And the sound of gulls - but more about them later too.
The Caravan Club site is pretty much brand spanking new. I
understand from some of the reviews that there has been a caravan site there
for some years, but that the Club has only recently taken it on and refurbished
the place. Certainly the toilet/shower block, utilities points and warden's hut
are all brand new - and they're all excellent, as indeed are the wardens, who
could not have been more welcoming.
From the gates of the site to the beach is a walk of about
eight feet - to your left a mix of sand and rocky outcrops dotted with
rockpools at low tide. To the right a swathe of sand and shingle stretching all
the way to the harbour at the southern end of the town, about a mile and a bit
away.
Should you choose to venture to the right, the walk immediately takes you past a 1930's salt water Lido, a magnificent ice cream emporium, an award winning chippy (or "chipper", as they seem to be known up in those parts) and a nice little restaraunt. More about all of those in a later post - and you haven't even walked two hundred yards yet...
The walk south along the front takes you along a pleasant board walk, past a couple of cafes and B&Bs, as well as a range of residential property. At some point, not too long ago a great deal of effort must have been invested in this footpath.
There are a number of wire framed sculptures, like this dolphin, and swathes of wild flowers were planted.
The sculptures are brilliant, but I think it's fair to say that the wildflowers have suffered somewhat from the ravages of time, tide and winter storms. We were there in the middle of August, and some of the displays of poppies were truly spectacular, but there were also some expanses of gravelly scrub where wildflowers might once have been.
This in no way detracted from the overall impression though, because you're still walking within a few feet of the sea, along a magnificent bay, towards a beautiful harbour.
There are a number of wire framed sculptures, like this dolphin, and swathes of wild flowers were planted.
The sculptures are brilliant, but I think it's fair to say that the wildflowers have suffered somewhat from the ravages of time, tide and winter storms. We were there in the middle of August, and some of the displays of poppies were truly spectacular, but there were also some expanses of gravelly scrub where wildflowers might once have been.
This in no way detracted from the overall impression though, because you're still walking within a few feet of the sea, along a magnificent bay, towards a beautiful harbour.
The first part of the harbour you come across by this route is not only blessed with ice cream shops and the very highly regarded Ship Inn (which I regret I cannot provide a review for because we didn't get a chance to visit, but it was recommended by everyone we spoke to and has four and a half stars on Trip Advisor, so it must be doing soemthing right) but also a beautiful little stretch of golden sandy beach. Further on the harbour is basically mud, but I don't think I went down to the harbour once when there weren't at least a few families with young children buidling sandcastles. It felt like the seaside used to be - not a burger van or amusement arcade in sight, just a lot of people having a really great time.
The "Mudflat" half of the harbour has its own attractions. The water is very clear, and at low tide very shallow. This means that you might get lucky and see a fish or two swimming around. I must've spent nearly an hour watching the flatfish in the photo to the right wandering about on the floor of the harbour. I have no idea what type of fish it was (if you do, please let me know in the comments...) but it was truly fascinating. It didn't swim so much as walk around on its fins.
The harbour is also the home of the Tolbooth Museum, a volunteer run repository of the town's history. There are some fascinating displays of local ephemera and the display cases are (almost) literally full to bursting, which is perhaps slightly to the detriment of the establishment, in that it has clearly made it difficult for the curators (who are volunteers remember, so also time limited) to organise the eclectic collection coherently, which means that it does give the slight impression of being a big bunch of interesting stuff, rather than a carefully assembled assortment of artefacts presented to explain how things used to be. This is, however, not much of a criticism. The staff are incredibly friendly and more than happy to engage the interested visitor in conversation about times past. It's only open in the afternoons,and it's well worth a hour of your time. Even better, entry is free.
Occupying the first floor of the Tolbooth - which incidentally is regarded as the oldest building in Stonehaven, having been originally constructed to house stores for nearby Dunnottar Castle (about which, more in a future post) - is the Tolbooth Restaurant. This is somewhere else we kept meaning to try - but it was always busy and given that I don't like seafood all that much and Mrs Snail is allergic to most of it we never did try all that hard. Again, the reviews would seem to suggest that this is our loss...
If you continue your walk south from Stonehaven Harbour, the path takes you up a steep hill to the Stonehaven War Memorial which stands like a crown on the hill above the town.
Beyond there, the path takes you further along the rather impressive cliffs towards the equally Dunottar Castle. For now, we'll pause on our journey and look at the view. Next time though, we'll go and take a look at the castle which dominates the cliffs to the south.
The harbour is also the home of the Tolbooth Museum, a volunteer run repository of the town's history. There are some fascinating displays of local ephemera and the display cases are (almost) literally full to bursting, which is perhaps slightly to the detriment of the establishment, in that it has clearly made it difficult for the curators (who are volunteers remember, so also time limited) to organise the eclectic collection coherently, which means that it does give the slight impression of being a big bunch of interesting stuff, rather than a carefully assembled assortment of artefacts presented to explain how things used to be. This is, however, not much of a criticism. The staff are incredibly friendly and more than happy to engage the interested visitor in conversation about times past. It's only open in the afternoons,and it's well worth a hour of your time. Even better, entry is free.
Occupying the first floor of the Tolbooth - which incidentally is regarded as the oldest building in Stonehaven, having been originally constructed to house stores for nearby Dunnottar Castle (about which, more in a future post) - is the Tolbooth Restaurant. This is somewhere else we kept meaning to try - but it was always busy and given that I don't like seafood all that much and Mrs Snail is allergic to most of it we never did try all that hard. Again, the reviews would seem to suggest that this is our loss...
Beyond there, the path takes you further along the rather impressive cliffs towards the equally Dunottar Castle. For now, we'll pause on our journey and look at the view. Next time though, we'll go and take a look at the castle which dominates the cliffs to the south.
