Peterhead

Peterhead is a port in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland, with a population of 19,060 in 2020. Its fishing industry collapsed in the 20th century and the town is run-down, but is near attractive coastal scenery.

Understand

 * "The people are sober and courteous, and agree well amongst themselves, which has now become a rare character." - church report of 1728

Until 1560 this was a sparsely-populated farmland owned by the Cistercian monks of Deer Abbey, whose talents did not include industrial and property development. It was then handed over to the Earls Marischal, who built a planned settlement. This grew into the largest fishing port in Britain, and remains so; it also pushed the most easterly point on the Scottish mainland another half mile out, as the island of Inch Keith became connected by causeway and infill. In the 18th and 19th centuries the main catch was whaling, and Peterhead was also a port-of-call when wars with France made the Channel dangerous, so shipping went the long way around the north tip of Scotland. In Victorian times the catch was herring. All this created a need for even larger port facilities, and forced labour to build them, so Peterhead became the Botany Bay of Britain, holding hundreds of convicts at a time when Australia had ceased to want them. Its large grim prison is the legacy, now a museum.

The fishing industry collapsed in the 20th century through overfishing, restrictive catch limits, and competition from European trawlers. Like Aberdeen, Peterhead was never itself an oil-handling town but serviced the offshore oil industry, but that too has passed as exploration and production moved into more northerly waters. The town became rough and deprived. However the fine buildings of its Georgian and Victorian heyday are well-preserved, and there are beaches and rugged scenic cliffs to the south.

People from Peterhead are known as Bloo Touners or Bloo Mogganers, from the blue worsted moggans - stockings - worn by fisherfolk.

Get in
For long-distance routes, see Aberdeen.

By bus
Stagecoach runs bus services every half hour (hour on Sundays) from Aberdeen via Ellon P&R or Cruden Bay to Peterhead, taking 75 min, around £10.

Bus 69 runs every hour between Fraserburgh and Peterhead, 30 min, around £10.

is the main bus station, at the corner of Windmill St and St Peter St.

By car
Peterhead is easily accessible from Aberdeen and the south via the A90, which continues to Fraserburgh.

The slow, winding A950 provides a connection to the west, and is a useful shortcut if arriving from Inverness.

By train
Peterhead's train station closed to passengers in the 1960s. The nearest station as the crow flies is Dyce, some 30 or so miles away, but as there is no direct public transport connection, it is better to arrive at Aberdeen and catch a bus north.

Get around
The town centre is easily walkable, but transport is required to explore the surrounding area.

By bus
A handful of bus routes operate within the town, connecting with regional routes at Peterhead Interchange. Local routes, however, are best boarded at, a closer stop to the town centre.

Services are frequent, with local buses running around every 15 mins. Tickets within the town cost £2-3 for a single or £4-5 for unlimited travel for a day, and can be purchased onboard.

Buses are also available to the surrounding villages of Boddam, Cruden Bay, Mintlaw and St. Fergus.

By taxi
Taxi services are offered by a number of companies.

Firms include Elaine's (+44 1779 591000), Grab a Cab (+44 1779 473030) and Central Taxis (+44 1779 434343).

See

 * is a ruin by the north end of the beach. The oldest parts may be from 12th century, but the tower which still stands is medieval.
 * is home to vessels servicing the oil and gas industry. It's enclosed by two massive breakwaters, the southern of which was built using convict labour from the town's prison.  The town's main beach stretches for a mile along the bay shoreline.   is the southern portion. It's just a beach, not a lido pool as the name might suggest.  It's suitable for swimming, but distinctly bracing.
 * has been a home to the fishing industry for centuries, and a walk around the old stone quays and piers looking at the boats makes for a pleasant afternoon. Keep your eye out for the numerous grey seals that frequent the harbour.   is a former island comprising the eastern side of the harbour. Although once housing a whaling community, it is now dominated by industrial buildings, but remains noteworthy for being the easternmost point on the Scottish mainland.
 * has been a home to the fishing industry for centuries, and a walk around the old stone quays and piers looking at the boats makes for a pleasant afternoon. Keep your eye out for the numerous grey seals that frequent the harbour.   is a former island comprising the eastern side of the harbour. Although once housing a whaling community, it is now dominated by industrial buildings, but remains noteworthy for being the easternmost point on the Scottish mainland.
 * Longhaven Cliffs south of town are a line of pink granite cliffs notched with narrow inlets. Access them via the wildlife reserve car park off the A90, and take very great care along the cliff paths. Puffins can be seen in the spring and summer, and seals all year round. A curiosity at the south end of this section, six miles south of town, is the . Here a cave has collapsed leaving a magnificent sea arch.
 * is a 16th-century ruined castle set atop windswept cliffs around 15 min drive south of Peterhead near the village of Cruden Bay. It replaced Old Slains Castle which is just a masonry shard 5 miles south. The newer castle is not maintained, so great care must be taken when visiting due to loose masonry and proximity to the cliffs.
 * is a 16th-century ruined castle set atop windswept cliffs around 15 min drive south of Peterhead near the village of Cruden Bay. It replaced Old Slains Castle which is just a masonry shard 5 miles south. The newer castle is not maintained, so great care must be taken when visiting due to loose masonry and proximity to the cliffs.

Do

 * Hiking. Golden beaches stretch for as far as the eye can see north of the town, while the coast to the south holds host to some of the best sea cliffs of eastern Scotland. The Formartine and Buchan Way follows the course of the town's former railway line inland and provides good opportunity to see some of the countryside.
 * Hiking. Golden beaches stretch for as far as the eye can see north of the town, while the coast to the south holds host to some of the best sea cliffs of eastern Scotland. The Formartine and Buchan Way follows the course of the town's former railway line inland and provides good opportunity to see some of the countryside.

Buy
The town's principal shopping area centres around Marischal Street, though like many high streets its heyday has come and gone. All is not lost, however, with a scattering of independent shops found on adjacent streets. For the traveller, the following stores may prove for an interesting visit: The town is well provided with supermarkets. (Queen Street, AB42 1HG) is the most centrally located of the major chains, being a 10 min walk from the town centre. Aldi and Iceland also have central locations with Asda, Lidl and Coop being some distance away in the suburbs.
 * Fishmongers: As the UK's principal fishing port, Peterhead boasts some of the freshest and finest deep-sea fish available, with fish frequently being sold the same day it's landed. (17 Ellis Street, AB42 1JR) is one of the best known fishmongers in Peterhead, with  (next to 23 North Street, AB42 1JS) being a little-known store frequented by locals. Peterhead Fishmarket is a wholesale auction house and is not open to individual shoppers. See the Eat section for fish and chip shops.
 * Fishmongers: As the UK's principal fishing port, Peterhead boasts some of the freshest and finest deep-sea fish available, with fish frequently being sold the same day it's landed. (17 Ellis Street, AB42 1JR) is one of the best known fishmongers in Peterhead, with  (next to 23 North Street, AB42 1JS) being a little-known store frequented by locals. Peterhead Fishmarket is a wholesale auction house and is not open to individual shoppers. See the Eat section for fish and chip shops.

Eat
While in Peterhead there are two foods every traveller should try:
 * Locally caught fish and chips are a must. It's hard to go wrong ordering fish and chips in Peterhead, as most "chippers" get their catch fresh from the harbour.  Although cod and plaice are generally preferred in other parts of the UK, haddock is the fish of choice for most locals.  For a more refined taste, try lemon sole.  But don't ask for fish and chips — the local term is a fish supper. For those who would rather avoid fish, a white pudding supper is a good option — seasoned oatmeal stuffing, battered and deep-fried.
 * Cookies, or butteries as they are known elsewhere in the region, are a local delicacy partway between pancake and croissant. They are best served warm with butter or jam, and can be found in almost any bakery or supermarket.

There are a good number of restaurants, takeaways and bakeries, so travellers should have little trouble finding something to suit them. Some good options are listed below:

Drink
The Glenugie Distillery, once Scotland's most easterly, was located at the southern outskirts of Peterhead. It closed in the 1980s, but bottles of Glenugie single malt whisky can still be purchased from specialist shops elsewhere in Scotland, with prices reaching into the thousands of pounds.

For the traveller on a more modest budget, there are a number of pubs from which to choose, though for trendier venues one has to travel to Aberdeen.

Sleep

 * B&Bs and small hotels include The Lost Guest House (which turned out to be hiding in plain sight at 29 Merchant St), and Crawfords, Clifton, Albert Hotel and Trinity all on Queen St, plus Palace on Prince St.
 * Travelodge is a reliable budget choice at 16 Chapel St.
 * in Boddam is a Stevenson lighthouse completed in 1827 and now automated. You can self-cater in the two keepers' cottages, Skerry and Dundonnie, which sleep four, £120 per night.
 * in Boddam is a Stevenson lighthouse completed in 1827 and now automated. You can self-cater in the two keepers' cottages, Skerry and Dundonnie, which sleep four, £120 per night.

Connect

 * Peterhead has 4G from all UK carriers. As of Oct 2021, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Fraserburgh to the north is a small fishing village, then west along the coast is picturesque Gardenstown.
 * Methlick 20 miles inland has grand Haddo House and what's left of Gight Castle, Byron's ancestral home.
 * Aberdeen to the south will seem like a buzzing metropolis after Peterhead.