Gardenstown Banff Aberdeenshire

Learn about the local area

Whilst spending time in this beautiful area you can enjoy a multitude of activities including golf, riding, fishing, cycling and walking which is by no means an exhaustive list.

For those looking for less energetic experiences, why not explore the plentiful supply of dramatic ruins and historic buildings or seek out the many other idyllic places to slow down, rest, and take it easy with a book, sketch pad or easel.

Gardenstown
Fordyce
Fyvie
Macduff
Portsoy
Pennan
Banff
Troup Head

Gardenstown

Gardenstown is a small village
near Banff in Aberdeenshire,
Northeast Scotland.

Gardenstown is a small village near Banff in Aberdeenshire, Northeast Scotland.

Also known locally as Gamrie is a north facing, cliff hanging fishing community founded in 1720 by Alexander Garden of Troup.

The original sea-town lies at the foot of the cliffs, similar to nearby Crovie and Pennan.

What distinguishes Gardenstown is the way that it has clambered up the cliffside in short terraces of houses linked by a single curving road whose steepness is such that on one side it is below the base of the house above, but above the roof of those below.

Gardenstown - Visit Wikipedia to learn more

Fordyce

Fordyce is a village in Banffshire, Scotland

A sheer delight to discover, concealed as it is from the passing eye by hills and rolling countryside.

The determined explorer will find a village more French that English, its chateau roofs rising above the skyline, a singularly unspoiled and secluded mid/late 18th century community with typical Victorian additions.

Fyvie

Fyvie Castle is a castle in the
village of Fyvie, near Turriff
in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Fyvie lines a bank overlooking the river Ythan. In the 14th century it was a Royal Burgh, graced by a priory and Royal Castle.

Every inch the Royal fortress Fyvie Castle was visited by Alexander III, William the Lion, and Edward I in his punishing progress through Scotland in 1296.

The Castle is open to the public and demonstrates some excellent 17th century plasterwork and an outstanding collection of paintings.

Fyvie Castle - Visit Wikipedia to learn more

Macduff

The successful, busy fishing port of Macduff.

This successful, busy fishing port, with its daily 8:00am fishmarket and boat-building yard, owes its prosperity to the transformation of the 'seatown called Doun' into a Burgh of Barony by the second Earl of Fife of nearby Duff House.

The first Town Council ruling in the new burgh of Macduff in 1783 was to prevent the citizens from throwing dung, ware and rubbish on the streets; boys were forbidden to steal fruit from gardens and there was to be no harbouring of vagrants and idle and sturdy beggars

Portsoy

Portsoy is a burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Created Burgh of Barony for the Ogilvies of Boyne in 1550. Portsoy grew to be a substantial trading port, exporting thread and linen to the English and marble to the French.

Portsoy Marble is a fine vein of serpentine. It is a beautiful mixture of red, green and white, and is wrought into tea cups, vases, sleeve buttons and other small ornaments.

Marble is still polished in the workshop down by the harbour.

Pennan

Pennan (once known as St Magnus Haven
or Auchmedden).

Pennan (once known as St Magnus Haven or Auchmedden).

Rather less primeval than its western neighbours, Pennan (once known as St Magnus Haven or Auchmedden) is easily recognised as one of the location for the 1983 cult film Local Hero staring Burt Lancaster.

Once dependent upon fishing and smuggling in equal measure, it consists of a sturdy harbour and a north-facing crescent of beach-side two-storey cottages.

Banff

Duff House is a Georgian house
in Banff, Scotland.

Duff House is a Georgian house in Banff, Scotland.

The coastal town of Banff is extremely ancient. A charter of 1163 shows that Malcolm IV was living in Banff at the time and in 1372 Banff was confirmed Royal Burgh by King Robert II.

Banff's most prosperous period was the 16th-18th centuries during which the town attracted town houses of local gentry.

The appeal of the area was enhanced by the construction of Duff House by the Earl of Fife in 1735.

Duff House - Visit Wikipedia to learn more

Troup Head

One of the finest viewpoints in Scotland.

One of the finest viewpoints in Scotland, is a massive landmark of red sandstone rising to 365ft, and has long been a place of pilgrimage for bird-watchers.

The high cliffs of Troup Head provide a spectacular setting for Scotland’s only mainland gannet colony.

There are also thousands of kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills, along with several other species, including puffins. You may even be lucky enough to see porpoises, minke whales or dolphins offshore.

Sources and acknowledgements:
The source for the information above is Banff & Buchan An Illustrated Architectural Guide by Charles McKean.
Available by mail order from RIAS Bookshops ref ISBN:185158 231 2.

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