Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The whitewashed row of Pennan below the cliffs, the red phone box by the inn.
Aberdeenshire

The Pennan Inn

The inn from Local Hero, now an AA Rosette restaurant cooking fish from the local ports.

Visit website
Welcome

Pennan is a single row of whitewashed cottages pressed between the cliffs and the sea, the village made famous by Local Hero, and the phone box from the film is still standing outside.

The inn at its heart is the village's only restaurant, and it has become a restaurant worth driving for, with an AA Rosette to show for it.

It is a family business. The chef and owner, Peter Simpson, trained in classical French cooking in Edinburgh and worked in some of the city's best kitchens, and his cooking here is modern and careful, with ideas from Thailand and the Middle East among the Scottish ones. Everything is made from scratch, bread included. The fish comes from Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Macduff.

Dinner is served from Wednesday to Sunday. Upstairs are three rooms, named after characters from the film, two of them looking out to sea, so there is no need to drive back up the steep road after dinner. Book ahead, as the tables are few.

A short drive awayCullykhan BayA small sandy cove west of Pennan below Castle Point, where the site of Fort Fiddes looks over the sea and the blowhole of Hell's Lum.5 min by roadSee itGrassy headlands enclose a small sandy beach with gentle waves
Before you go

Dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 9pm.

Three rooms upstairs. Book ahead.

Dinner
Wed to Sun, 5 to 9.
Rooms
Three.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
5pm–9pm
Thursday
5pm–9pm
Friday
5pm–9pm
Saturday
5pm–9pm
Sunday
5pm–9pm
Where it is

Pennan.

Close byAround Pennan.
  1. Coastal CuppieCoastal CuppieUnder a mile1 min by road
  2. PennanPennanUnder a mile1 min by road
  3. Narrow rocky gorge with moss-covered floor cutting through grassy hillsideHell’s Lum near Cullykhan Bay1 mile5 min by road
  4. Gannets nesting on a steep coastal cliff face above the seaTroup Head3 miles8 min by road
  5. CrovieCrovie4 miles9 min by road
Directions
Grassy headlands enclose a small sandy beach with gentle wavesAttractionsCullykhan Bay1.4 miles
Dark rocks and reef along the shore at Aberdour Beach, the sea beyond.AttractionsNew Aberdour Beach4.2 miles
Fishing boats moored in Gardenstown harbour beneath white houses on the hillsideAttractionsGardenstown5.2 miles
The grey timber front of Bumble and Brae in Gardenstown, green trim and hanging baskets by the door.CafeBumble and Brae5.3 miles
Small boats in Rosehearty harbour at low water, the breakwater behind.AttractionsRosehearty Harbour8.5 miles
The ruined walls of Pitsligo Castle standing over a green lawn.AttractionsPitsligo Castle9.0 miles
Visitors walking towards a glass-fronted blue building beneath a rocky overhangAttractionsMacduff Marine Aquarium10 miles
Fishing boats moored in the basin of Macduff harbour under a clear sky.AttractionsMacduff Harbour11 miles
The blue front of Strichen Antiques under its sign.ShoppingStrichen Antiques11 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near The Pennan Inn, and when each is next free.

A single-storey lodge with a slated roof sits behind a stone wall and clipped hedge, mature trees shading the curving drive.Gate Lodge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 20 miles from The Pennan Inn
Check datesA triangular timber cabin stands behind a wooden gate and post-and-rail fence, bare trees framing the entrance.Midpark
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 20 miles from The Pennan Inn
Free 27–29 OctA stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.Butlers Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 20 miles from The Pennan Inn
Free 17–19 OctA grey stone cottage with dormer windows and a black front door, climbing roses either side, set behind a lawn.Bailies Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Rothiemay
  • 20 miles from The Pennan Inn
Free 26–28 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in AberdeenshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.