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Aberdeenshire

The Creel Inn

An inn on the cliff above the harbour at Catterline, now cooking Indian food and seafood, with curries, tandoori and biryani, and a standard menu too.

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Welcome

Catterline is a small fishing village on the cliffs south of Stonehaven, a row of cottages above a tiny harbour, and the Creel Inn sits right on the edge of it, looking over the bay.

The painter Joan Eardley worked here, and the inn looks out on the same sea and sky.

Under its present owner the kitchen cooks Indian food, with plenty of seafood: a monkfish starter, tandoori king prawn biryani and sea bass with spinach, as well as garlic naan, rice pilaf, a long list of curries and a standard menu for anyone who wants something else. The portions are generous, and the sticky toffee pudding has its admirers. To drink, there is the inn's own Creel Inn lager.

The welcome is warm, dogs included, and there are seats outside on a fine day. It makes a good supper after a walk to the seabird cliffs at Fowlsheugh. Hours change through the week, so check before you set out, and a takeaway can be ordered online.

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The Daily for 14 November, from Scotland with love. A red kayak beached on a loch shore beneath sunlit rocky hills, Sutherland
Not farBridge of DunA three-arched stone bridge of 1787 over the River South Esk near Montrose Basin, rebuilt after Storm Babet damaged it in 2023.18 milesSee itBridge of Dun

Before you go

Opens from 4pm on weekdays and from 2.30pm at the weekend; hours vary through the week, so check before you travel.

A takeaway can be ordered online. Dogs are welcome.

Where
Catterline, south of Stonehaven.
Telephone
01569 560056.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
4pm–10pm
Tuesday
4pm–10pm
Wednesday
4pm–10pm
Thursday
4pm–10pm
Friday
4pm–11pm
Saturday
2.30pm–11pm
Sunday
2.30pm–midnight

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

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Where it is

On the cliff above the harbour at Catterline, off the A92 south of Stonehaven.

Close byCatterline.
  1. Rowing boat "The Gray Starling" sits among wildflowers overlooking a rocky sea stackCatterline BayA tiny bay under a row of cottages, beloved of painters.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. RSPB Scotland FowlsheughRSPB Scotland FowlsheughSeabird cliffs a few miles north.3 miles 8 min by road
  3. RSPB FowlsheughRSPB FowlsheughOwned and managed by the RSPB since 1976, Fowlsheugh is a spectacular site to view seabirds in the summer months3 miles 8 min by road
  4. Crawton WaterfallCrawton WaterfallA burn falling straight into the sea.3 miles 8 min by road
  5. Dunnottar CastleDunnottar Castle4 miles 9 min by road
  6. The white front of the Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven with its sign about the deep-fried Mars bar.The Carron Fish BarThe Stonehaven chip shop where, the story goes, the deep-fried Mars bar was first fried, in 1992.6 miles 11 min by road
Directions
Small boats moored in Stonehaven harbour beneath rows of white waterfront housesAttractionsStonehaven6.3 miles
Connie & Ruby's shop interior with a red counter and colourful trinketsRestaurantsMy Beautiful Caravan6.3 miles
The white front of the Marine Hotel on the harbour at Stonehaven.BarsThe Marine Hotel6.4 miles
The white front of the Ship Inn on Stonehaven harbour.BarsThe Ship Inn6.4 miles
ShoppingSillyflatt Farm Shop6.5 miles
Plated chicken with tagliatelle and artichoke on a white-clothed restaurant tableRestaurantsTolbooth Seafood Restaurant6.6 miles
Man in chef's cap leans from serving hatch at thebayfishandchips.comRestaurantsThe Bay Fish & Chips6.8 miles
The ice-cream counter at Aunty Betty's under its painted ceiling.CafeAunty Bettys6.8 miles
Swimmers and sunbathers round Stonehaven's open-air pool on a sunny day.AttractionsStonehaven Outdoor Pool6.9 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the inn, and when each is next free.

A stone cottage with a slated roof and black stove pipe sits beside a gravel drive, foxgloves and wildflowers lining the path.No 4 Steading Cottage
  • Sleeps 7
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Creel Inn
Free 15–16 NovA stone steading with a slated pyramid roof and a chimney stands behind a green nameplate sign, a chair visible through the window.No 2 Steading Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Creel Inn
Free 15–16 NovAn aerial view shows a white harled farmhouse with multiple chimneys set beside a gravel courtyard and stone outbuildings.The Coach House
  • Sleeps 12
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Creel Inn
Free 15–16 NovA mint-green sitting room has a cobalt-blue velvet sofa with orange and green cushions, two floor lamps with teal shades either side, a rustic wooden coffee table, and framed abstract and sunset prints on the wall above.The Corner House
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Creel Inn
Free 15–16 NovPlaces 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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