Crovie is a small village in
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, dating from the 18th century,
a time when the sea was the only mode of transport to and from Scotland's shores. The smallest and most remote of
Buchan
Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by ...
cliff-foot fishing villages,
it comprises a single row of houses, most gable-end to the sea. (Number 9 has ''Peter Johnstone, 1789'' cut into it.)
Unlike the similar neighbouring village of
Pennan
Pennan ( sco, Peenan) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, consisting of a small harbour and a single row of homes, including a hotel. It is on the north-facing coast and is about one hour's drive from Aberdeen. It was formerly known a ...
, Crovie is situated on such a narrow ledge that any cars have to be left at the
south of the village. A footpath along the shore to the west leads to neighbouring village
Gardenstown
Gardenstown ( sco, Gamrie) is a small coastal village, by road east of Banff in Aberdeenshire, northeastern Scotland.
The village's main economic base is fishing. Gardenstown is served by Gardenstown New Church. The hamlet of Dubford is to ...
.
History
Crovie was established by families (
crofters) who had been moved off the land to make room for the
landowners' sheep. Here, they operated fishing boats for the local landlord and gradually acquired their own craft instead. The fishing industry declined in the 20th century before ceasing altogether with the
storm of 1953, which washed away a number of structures and forced the residents to flee. Since then most of the buildings have been turned into holiday lets.
Troup Head
Described by
Charles McKean
Charles McKean FRSE FRSA FRHistS FRIBA (16 July 1946 – 29 September 2013) was a Scottish historian, author and scholar.
Biography
McKean was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 July 1946. He was educated at Fettes College, the University of P ...
as having "one of the finest viewpoints in Scotland," Troup Head is a large landmark of red
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
that rises to .
It is a popular location for
ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
. In the mid-19th century it was recommended that bird-watchers should make a pilgrimage to the cliffs to see large numbers of
kittiwake
The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-l ...
(locally ''Kitty''), razor-bill
auk
An auk or alcid is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets. The word "auk" is derived from Icelandic ''álka'', from Old Norse ''alka'' (a ...
(''Coutter''),
guillemot
Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family (part of the order Charadriiformes). In British use, the term comprises two genera: '' Uria'' and ''Cepphus''. In North America the ''Uria'' species ...
(''Queet'') and
puffin (''Tammy Norie'').
Northern gannet
The northern gannet (''Morus bassanus'') is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in t ...
s began a colony at Troup Head in 1988,
and by 2014 it held an estimated 6,456 pairs.
References
External links
Crovie Interactive PictureAberdeenshire Tourist Board Crovie
(QuickTime required)
Villages in Aberdeenshire
{{Aberdeenshire-geo-stub