Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The orange lifeboat moored in Sandhaven harbour below the village.
Aberdeenshire

Sandhaven Meal Mill

An early nineteenth-century meal mill on the Buchan coast with every piece of its machinery intact.

Visit website
Welcome

Sandhaven Meal Mill is an early nineteenth-century mill and kiln in the small harbour village of Sandhaven, just west of Fraserburgh, and what makes it rare is that all of its machinery survives.

Everything is still in place, down to the electric motor that powered it in the last years of its working life and the built-in desk with a hinged top where the miller kept his books.

For generations oatmeal was the staple food of the north-east, in porridge, brose and oatcakes, and mills like this one ground it for the farms around. Here the whole process can be followed, from the drying kiln to the stones and the sacks of meal. The mill was restored in the 1990s and is looked after by Aberdeenshire's museums service.

It opens only on set days, including the Doors Open Days in September, so check the dates before making the trip. It pairs well with a walk along the shore and a look round Fraserburgh's harbour.

A short drive awayRosehearty HarbourOne of the oldest seaports in Scotland, now a quiet harbour of small boats and rocky shore.4 min by roadSee itSmall boats in Rosehearty harbour at low water, the breakwater behind.
Before you go

The mill opens only on set days, including the Doors Open Days in September.

Check the dates before going.

Where
Sandhaven, west of Fraserburgh.
Open
Set days only.
Where it is

Sandhaven, near Fraserburgh.

Close byAround Sandhaven.
  1. Afternoon tea on a lace cloth in the Nooks & Crannies courtyard.Nooks & Crannies2 miles4 min by road
  2. The Wine Tower on its rock above the sea at Kinnaird Head.Kinnaird Head Castle and The Wine Tower2 miles5 min by road
  3. Stone tower on a rocky headland, seen beyond rooftop chimneysMuseum of Scottish Lighthouses2 miles5 min by road
  4. The ruined walls of Pitsligo Castle standing over a green lawn.Pitsligo CastleThe ruined castle of the Jacobite lords of Pitsligo, a short walk up from Rosehearty harbour.3 miles5 min by road
  5. The Water of Philorth winding through dunes and salt marsh to the sea.Waters of PhilorthWhere the Philorth river meets Fraserburgh's dunes: reed bed, salt marsh and birds.5 miles9 min by road
Directions
Small boats in Rosehearty harbour at low water, the breakwater behind.AttractionsRosehearty Harbour2.3 miles
A road running between green fields beside the golf course at Inverallochy.WalksInverallochy and Whitelinks Bay6.8 miles
Dark rocks and reef along the shore at Aberdour Beach, the sea beyond.AttractionsNew Aberdour Beach7.9 miles
The blue front of Strichen Antiques under its sign.ShoppingStrichen Antiques10 miles
Boat named Pennan rests on the shore beside whitewashed cottagesAttractionsPennan11 miles
Woman standing beside the Coastal Cuppie kiosk with its chalkboard menuCafeCoastal Cuppie11 miles
The whitewashed row of Pennan below the cliffs, the red phone box by the inn.RestaurantsThe Pennan Inn11 miles
Konik ponies at the water's edge on the Strathbeg marshes, their reflections below them.AttractionsRSPB Loch of Strathbeg11 miles
Narrow rocky gorge with moss-covered floor cutting through grassy hillsideAttractionsHell’s Lum near Cullykhan Bay12 miles
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.