Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Coils of green net and a yellow float by the lobster creels on Whitehills harbour.
Aberdeenshire

Whitehills Harbour

A little fishing harbour owned by its own villagers since 1900, now a marina.

Visit website
Welcome

Whitehills is a small fishing village on the Banffshire coast west of Banff, and its harbour has an unusual story: it belongs to the people who live there.

The Whitehills Harbour Trust was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1895 to build it, and since it was finished in 1900 the villagers have owned it and run it through nine elected commissioners.

For most of the twentieth century it was a successful commercial fishing port. When the industry changed in the late 1990s the income fell away, and in 1999 the commissioners voted to turn it into a leisure marina. It has since won awards for the welcome it gives visiting yachts, which sail on from here to Inverness, Peterhead or Wick.

For anyone on foot it is a lovely place to walk round, with the boats in the basin, the old village rising behind and the coast path heading east towards Banff.

A short drive awayThe Platform and Annie's CakeryMacduff's old railway station of 1872, now shops and a patisserie looking over the Moray Firth.8 min by roadSee itAn old ship's anchor set above Macduff harbour and the sea.
Before you go

Open to walk round at any time.

Visiting yachts are welcome at the marina.

Where
Whitehills, west of Banff.
Where it is

Whitehills.

Close byAround Whitehills.
  1. Banff Bay from the hill, the sandy shore curving round to the town.Banff3 miles5 min by road
  2. PETAL the store, MorayshirePETAL the storeA small lifestyle and gift shop on Banff's High Street, with books on wellbeing, nature and magic, candles, cushions and natural skincare.3 miles5 min by road
  3. The stone front of an old Banff building, its tall windows with carved surrounds.Banff and Macduff Heritage Trail3 miles6 min by road
  4. Duff HouseDuff House4 miles8 min by road
  5. Fishing boats moored in the basin of Macduff harbour under a clear sky.Macduff HarbourA working harbour and boatyard begun in the 1770s, looking across the bay to Banff.4 miles8 min by road
Directions
An old ship's anchor set above Macduff harbour and the sea.CafeThe Platform and Annie's Cakery4.1 miles
Visitors walking towards a glass-fronted blue building beneath a rocky overhangAttractionsMacduff Marine Aquarium4.7 miles
Curved sign reading "Portsoy Ice Cream" on a stone corner buildingCafePortsoy Ice Cream5.2 miles
The white front of the Shore Inn on Portsoy's old harbour, flags over the door.BarsThe Shore Inn5.3 miles
A volunteer shaping a timber boat in the Boatshed at Portsoy.ActivityThe Boatshed5.6 miles
Rows of casks on their racks in a Glenglassaugh warehouse.AttractionsGlenglassaugh Distillery7.1 miles
The curving sands of Sandend Bay, yellow gorse in the foreground.AttractionsSandend Beach7.9 miles
Ruined stone building perched on a rocky headland above turquoise seaAttractionsFindlater Castle9.0 miles
Scale model of Old Cullen marks the Royal Burgh's bicentennial in a museum displayAttractionsCullen Heritage Centre11 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Whitehills Harbour, 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 Whitehills Harbour
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 Whitehills Harbour
Free 30 Oct – 1 NovA 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 Whitehills Harbour
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 Whitehills Harbour
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.