Northeast Scotland - The Rough Guide to Scotland - page 381

he Head itself supports over 1500 gannet nests. Wedged in against the steep cliffs,
Crovie is so narrow that its residents have to park their cars at one end of the village
and continue to their houses on foot.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING CROVIE

Pennan Inn By the waterfront T 01346 561201,
W thepennaninn.co.uk. Crovie's most recognizable
landmark, the Pennan Inn has three en-suite rooms. You

can also grab a drink or something to eat i n the bar (Thai
curry £9.95). Daily noon-2pm & 5-11pm. £80

10

Gardenstown
GARDENSTOWN , a short way west of Crovie, is one of the more attractive villages along this
stretch of coast, with stone cottages huddled around a wave-gnawed bay. It's considerably
larger than Crovie, and supports a small gallery and teashop down by the harbour.

Macduff
Heading west along the B9031 from Pennan brings you, after ten miles, to MACDUFF ,
a famous spa town during the nineteenth century that now has a thriving and pleasant
harbour. Macduff and its neighbour Banff are separated by little more than the
beautiful seven-arch bridge over the River Deveron.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE MACDUFF

By bus Buses from towns and villages along the
northeast coast stop on Union Road or Shore Street, both
near the harbour.

Destinations Banff (at least hourly; 5min); Cullen via
Portsoy (hourly; 40min); Fraserburgh (1-2 daily; 55min).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The Knowes Hotel 43 Market Street T 01261
832152, W knoweshotel.co.uk. A small hotel on the
hill above Macduff, with plain rooms and great views
over both towns. There's a popular bar-restaurant on the

ground floor offering reasonably priced bar food, served
with mash or chips, plus a view of the coastline. The
scampi ( £10. 50) is locally sourced. Daily: noon-2pm &
5-8pm. £75

Banff and around
Roughly the same size as its neighbour, Macduff, BANFF has a mix of characterful old
buildings and boarded-up shops, which give little clue to the extravagance of Duff House ,
the town's main attraction. he seasonal visitor information centre here can provide
information on what to do in Banff, Macduff and the surrounding coastal villages.

Duff House
Half a mile south of Banff 's High Street • April-Oct daily 11am-5pm; Nov-March Thurs-Sun 11am-4pm • £7.10; HS • W duffhouse.org.uk
Built to a design by William Adam in 1730, this elegant four-floor Georgian Baroque
house was originally intended for one of the northeast's richest men, William Braco, who
became earl of Fife in 1759. It was clearly built to impress, and could have been even more
splendid had Adam been allowed to build curving colonnades either side; Braco's refusal to
pay for carved Corinthian columns to be shipped in from Queensferry caused such bitter
arguments that the laird never came to live here, and even shut his coach curtains
whenever he passed by. Since then the house has been used variously as a hotel, family
home and sanatorium. Today, it's home to a tearoom and a gallery, with an impressive
collection of fine art provided by the National Galleries of Scotland.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE BANFF

By bus Local buses arrive and depart from High Street, or
Low Street, which runs parallel.

Destinations Macduff (at least hourly; 5min); Cullen via
Portsoy (hourly; 35min); Fraserburgh (1-2 daily; 1hr).