If you only think of the Highlands when you think of Scotland, you’re missing out on a lot of beauty. Because the country’s wonderful coasts are home to some particularly beautiful harbours…
Intro and travel report
We followed the sign more by chance as we drove past. I seem to remember it said ‘Historic Harbour’.
We were travelling along the north-east coast of Scotland. From Inverness via Findhorn (I’ll link you to the article below) and further and further along the coast towards Aberdeen.
The sign that persuaded us to turn in (in the truest sense of the word) actually took us through a small maze of small streets down the hill to the old and definitely historic harbour.
To my great surprise, we actually found a parking space for our (slightly too large) motorhome and gratefully accepted this as a friendly invitation.
I love old harbours and boats! There weren’t many boats to be found, apart from a few fishing boats on the pier wall in front of the harbour. But the old, small harbour basin and the surrounding houses were just too cute not to photograph.
There is a dolphin statue on a small hill above the harbour basin. The view from the top over the harbour, the town and the coast is very beautiful.
However, a few people with big binoculars and cameras with long lenses only had eyes for seabirds, which I couldn’t even see. Birdwatching is a favourite activity that I see all over Ireland and now in Scotland too.
There is a tiny beach at the harbour basin and several old warehouse buildings. Today there are a few nice little shops in them.
There is a very nice café with excellent homemade cakes in one of the granaries! The decor is lovingly done, there’s a pretty wooden kayak hanging in the entrance, everything is great!
We walk up the hill and admire the many small cottages, pretty little houses with nicely laid out gardens and winding alleyways.
We find our way back to the harbour in a wide arc and take another long look around before continuing our journey: What a beautiful place!
Conclusion
Take your time. Take the time not only to visit the Highlands, but also to drive along the beautiful coasts, of which there really are many in Scotland.
There you will find lots of nice little harbour towns, many of which are well worth a visit. Portsoy is one such nice little place with a beautiful historic harbour, which is a great place to stop for lunch.
There is also much less going on here than on the more well-known routes (Loch Ness…). Most of the travellers we met or saw in the north-east of Scotland were Scottish or English. And there weren’t that many of them.
When we drove a bit inland in the north-east, it was also beautiful and hilly, in contrast to the rather flat coasts with the long beaches.
Overall, we really enjoyed the north-east of Scotland – maybe you will too…?
More interesting articles for you
Coming soon…
Picture credits title image: Portsoy (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)
