Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

on the south-east edge of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern edge of Aberdeen City and in 2015 won the Silver award for Scotland in bloom.

Altens Altens is a district in the city of Aberdeen, on the north-east coast of Scotland. Altens is home to a large industrial estate, alongside a similar estate in neighbouring Tullos. The industrial estates have offices, including a large facility ...

and

Tullos Tullos is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland. The area takes its name from the Vale of Tullos, which lies between Tullos Hill and Torry Hill. Tullos derived its name from a corruption of the Gaelic ‘Tulach’ meaning a hill. In this extract from ...

Industrial Estates offer nearby employment opportunities. There is also easy access to the new AWPR A90.

History

Cove Bay is situated to the east of the ancient

Causey Mounth The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continu ...

, which road was built on high ground to make passable this only available

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

route from

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

al points south from

Stonehaven Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census. After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...

. This ancient

trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackway ...

specifically connected the River Dee crossing (where the

Bridge of Dee The Bridge of Dee or Brig o Dee ( gd, Drochaid Dhè) is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527,Richards, J.M., ''The National Trust Book of Bridges ...

is located) via

Portlethen Moss The Portlethen Moss is an acidic bog nature reserve located to the west of the town of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Like other Bog, mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subjec ...

Muchalls Castle Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers of ...

and

to the south. The route was that taken by

William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal (16101670 or 1671) was a Scottish nobleman and Covenanter. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal. Life During the English Civil War, the 7th Earl Marischal joined James Graham, 1st Marques ...

and the

Marquess of Montrose A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, who led a

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

of 9000 men in the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in 1639.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

in the extreme north-east corner of

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and ...

, until 1975 it was governed from the county town of

, when it was added to the City of Aberdeen. Though simply referred to as Cove, in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was known as The Cove, becoming Cove Bay around 1912.

Cove Bay railway station Cove Bay railway station served the suburb of Cove Bay, Aberdeen, Scotland from 1850 to 1956 on the Aberdeen Railway. History The station opened as Cove on 1 April 1850 by the Aberdeen Railway. The name was changed to Cove Bay on 1 October ...

opened in 1850 and operated until 1956 for passengers and 1964 for goods. The line remains in use and is now part of the

Dundee–Aberdeen line The Dundee–Aberdeen line is a railway line linking Dundee and Aberdeen in Scotland. History The present line was built by three companies. The first section to open was the line from Dundee to Arbroath in 1838, constructed by the Dundee and ...

Industry

Cove has been noted for industries such as

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

, which was quarried in several locations to the south of the village. Owing to its close-grained texture, Cove granite was one of the hardest in north-east Scotland and proved highly resistant to

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

, making it ideal for

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

stones used in the construction of roads. It was widely exported to cities in England, including

Billingsgate Market Billingsgate Fish Market is located in Canary Wharf in London. It is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east corner of the City of London, where the riverside market was origi ...

in London.

Fishing

The village itself sprung up around the fishing industry, with the boats berthed on a

shingle beach A shingle beach (also referred to as rocky beach or pebble beach) is a beach which is armoured with pebbles or small- to medium-sized cobbles (as opposed to fine sand). Typically, the stone composition may grade from characteristic sizes ranging ...

, a gap in the rocks that afforded a natural harbour. During this time, it is estimated that approximately 300 people lived in the area. In the mid 19th century the fishing was at its height, which, over years, has included cod, haddock, salmon, herring and shellfish. The piers and breakwater were constructed in 1878. At the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the fishing began to decline. At present only a couple of boats pursue

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

on a part-time basis. Between 1894 and 1937, Cove also housed a fishmeal factory, the Aberdeen Fish Meal Factory, which was located at the edge of the cliffs. It produced quality

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutri ...

which was exported to both Europe and America. It became locally known as "the stinker" because of the processing odour, which was highlighted by the Aberdeen entertainer Harry Gordon in a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

entitled ''A Song of Cove''.

Amenities

Retail

Cove has a

Co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

on the corner of Earn's Heugh Road and Loirston Avenue. There is also a

RS McColl RS McColl, colloquially known as McColl's, is a Scottish newsagent company named after Robert Smyth McColl, who was a professional footballer. It was founded in 1901 by McColl and his brother Tom. RS McColl is a trading name of McColl's, a s ...

newsagent located at Bervie Brow in Altens, and a Premier Express And Postoffice located on the corner of Loirston Road and Cove Road. To the west of Loirston Avenue is the Cove Shopping Centre, which overlooks Loirston Primary School and the local library. This houses a pharmacist, Wee China Takeaway, The Cupcake Stop, Carnie & Poole hairdresser and Corals Bookmakers. Within the newer Charleston development of Cove there are several shops. A local

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...

, a hairdressers/beautician (I-Candy), gift shop (Luxe), barbershop (The Cleavin Barber Club), butcher (Meet the Meat), tanning salon (Tan Allure) and a martial arts studio (Aberdeen Martial Arts Group).

Hospitality

The Cove Bay hotel is located on Colsea Road. There is also The Aberdeen Altens Hotel in Altens, which has 216 bedrooms. There is also a pub, the Langdykes which hosts all live sport and promotes live music every Saturday evening.

Transport

A bus service to and from Cove and the wider area of Aberdeen is available. This is run by

First Aberdeen First AberdeenCompanies House extract company no SC097420

with the numbers 3 and 3A.

Healthcare
Cove Bay has its own medical centre which also has an NHS dental practice, the Cove Bay Medical Centre. Originally located on Catto Walk, moved to a new facility accessed from Earns Heugh Road. Bupa Dental Care Cove Bay has since moved into the old surgery building on Catto Walk.

Sport
There is a new Balmoral Stadium in Cove located beside Wellington Circe that replaced the now demolished Allan Park. Cove is currently home to two football teams: Cove Rangers, who currently play in the
Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
and Cove Thistle, who hold amateur status. Sunday amateur team Cove Revolution folded in 2010. There are also many youth teams in the area that are run by Cove Youth FC. The Cove Youth FC area SFA credited community club, organizing players from 6 years old up to 19 years old. They also have a girls section. The Cove Community Football Trust is run by Cove Rangers FC, Cove Thistle FC and Cove Youth FC.

Other Amenities
A state-of-the-art library was recently built between Loirston Primary School and the Cove Shopping Centre.

Education
Cove has two primary schools, Charleston Primary School and Loirston Primary School. Most secondary pupils attend the nearby
Lochside Academy Lochside Academy is a co-educational secondary school in Altens, Aberdeen, run by Aberdeen City Council. Its feeder primary schools are Abbotswell School, Charleston School, Kirkhill School, Loirston School, Tullos School, and Walker Road School ...
, but some choose to go to Portlethen Academy.

Future developments

Aberdeen Gateway
Construction on a new Aberdeen Gateway industrial development began in 2008. New offices and industrial units have been built to the south of the village. Current tenants at the site include well decommissioning specialist
Well-Safe Solutions

National Oilwell Varco NOV Inc., formerly National Oilwell Varco, is an American multinational corporation based in Houston, Texas. It is a worldwide provider of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations, oilfield services, and ...
(NOV),
Driving Standards Agency The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT). DSA promoted road safety in Great Britain by improving driving and motorcycling standards. It set standards for education and training, as wel ...
and Hydrasun. A community football pitch is also included within the development.

See also
*
Banchory-Devenick Banchory-Devenick ( gd, Beannchar Dòmhnaig) is a village approximately two kilometres south of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire. The village should not be confused with the historic civil parish of the s ...
* Hare Ness * Nigg

References

Further reading

External links

www.cove-bay.com
- website {{Areas of Aberdeen Areas of Aberdeen