Stonehaven by Boat – Dunnottar, Fowlsheugh and Lunch
A few hours.
The route
Stonehaven's harbour is the place to board a small boat and see the coast south of town from the sea, under the cliffs of Dunnottar Castle and out to the seabird ledges of Fowlsheugh.
The trips are run by a local creel fisherman in his own boat, and back on the quay the restaurant upstairs in the 16th-century Tolbooth serves the day's catch.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book a coastal boat trip with Stonehaven Shellfish & Boat Trips
Book the Intimate Coastal Explorer (an hour and a half, £58 a person, ages two and up) with Stonehaven Shellfish & Boat Trips on muirskie.com, where the dates are posted; if none suits, ring 07795 318592.
Book lunch at the Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant, Stonehaven
Book a table at the Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant for about 12.30pm, after the boat: it serves lunch Wednesday to Sunday from noon, and the dining room is up a flight of stairs.
The day
Stonehaven
A morning on the water and a long lunch by it: out from the harbour along the cliffs with a local skipper, then fresh fish on the old pier.
About four hours
Stonehaven
An attraction
Park in one of the car parks by Stonehaven harbour and walk round to the boats. Stonehaven Shellfish & Boat Trips is run by Steve Munro, a local creel fisherman, who takes small groups out in his own boat. His coastal trips head south under the cliffs, past the ruins of Dunnottar Castle and into sea caves, to the RSPB's seabird cliffs at Fowlsheugh. Kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills and fulmars nest there in spring and early summer, and puffins from about April to mid-August, so that is the time to go for the birds. Watch for seals on the rocks too. The Intimate Coastal Explorer is the one to book: an hour and a half at sea for £58 a person, for ages two and up, with no more than nine on board. Book it on his booking site, muirskie.com, where he puts up the dates, and if none suits, ring him on 07795 318592, as he can often add a trip. Every trip depends on the weather, and if you're prone to seasickness, take a tablet before you leave the harbour.
Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant
Lunch
Lunch is a short walk away at the Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant, upstairs in the late 16th-century Tolbooth on the old pier, where much of the fish comes straight off the local boats. It serves lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, from noon, and is shut on Mondays. Book a table for about 12.30pm, after the boat. The dining room is up a flight of stairs.
If it rains
If the boat is called off for wind or swell, walk the cliff path south from the harbour towards Dunnottar Castle instead, and keep the table at the Tolbooth.
Photograph by tolbooth-restaurant