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The white front of the Shore Inn on Portsoy's old harbour, flags over the door.
Aberdeenshire

The Shore Inn

Portsoy's oldest pub, a low-ceilinged howff of the 1700s on the old harbour.

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Welcome

The Shore Inn is the oldest pub in Portsoy, a listed building of the mid-eighteenth century standing right on the old harbour, which is itself the oldest on the Moray coast.

CAMRA, the real ale campaign, calls it a howff, the old Scots word for a snug, well-loved meeting place, and that is exactly what it is.

The ceilings are low, the room has a nautical feel, and the windows look straight out over the harbour walls and the boats. There are changing Scottish ales on the pumps, and dogs are welcome. It has had its moment on screen too: the harbour and the inn were used in filming for Peaky Blinders, when the pub was dressed as the Hotel Lalanne.

In early summer the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival fills the harbour with old wooden boats and the town with visitors, and the Shore Inn is packed from morning to night. On any other evening it is a quiet, friendly place for a pint by the sea after a walk along the coast.

Close byThe BoatshedVolunteers building traditional wooden boats by Portsoy's links, with the door open to visitors.1 min by roadSee itA volunteer shaping a timber boat in the Boatshed at Portsoy.
Before you go

On the old harbour.

Changing Scottish ales; dogs welcome. Packed during the boat festival in summer.

Where
The old harbour, Portsoy.
Where it is

Portsoy.

Close byAround Portsoy.
  1. Portsoy Ice CreamPortsoy Ice CreamUnder a mile1 min by road
  2. Rows of casks on their racks in a Glenglassaugh warehouse.Glenglassaugh DistilleryA distillery on the shore of Sandend Bay, silent for over twenty years and working again.2 miles4 min by road
  3. The curving sands of Sandend Bay, yellow gorse in the foreground.Sandend Beach3 miles6 min by road
  4. Findlater CastleFindlater CastleThe ruins of a medieval castle clinging to a narrow promontory high above the sea between Cullen and Sandend, with a sandy cove below.4 miles9 min by road
  5. Coils of green net and a yellow float by the lobster creels on Whitehills harbour.Whitehills HarbourA little fishing harbour owned by its own villagers since 1900, now a marina.5 miles8 min by road
Directions
A volunteer shaping a timber boat in the Boatshed at Portsoy.ActivityThe Boatshed0.3 miles
Scale model of Old Cullen marks the Royal Burgh's bicentennial in a museum displayAttractionsCullen Heritage Centre5.7 miles
Garden House Trading shopfront with signs for cards, gifts and interiorsShoppingGarden House Trading5.7 miles
The Rockpool café on a street corner beneath a stone railway viaductRestaurantsRockpool Café5.7 miles
Slate rooftops and chimney pots overlook a misty coastline at dawnAttractionsCullen5.8 miles
Wooden steps lead down through grassy dunes towards a curving coastal pathAttractionsCullen Links Golf Club6.3 miles
Grassy dunes and rocky sand lead to a curved headland beyond the bayAttractionsSunnyside Beach6.4 miles
Sandy beach and sea seen through the arched window of a wooden saunaAttractionsSauna at the Kings6.4 miles
Banff Bay from the hill, the sandy shore curving round to the town.AttractionsBanff8.0 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near The Shore 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
  • 12 miles from The Shore 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
  • 12 miles from The Shore 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
  • 12 miles from The Shore 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
  • 12 miles from The Shore 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
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