Johnshaven is a

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 village along the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

located in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

, Scotland. About southwest of Johnshaven lies Milton Ness, which includes a 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 silicat ...

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

landform A landform is a natural or anthropogenic land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, ...

. The

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

industry,

sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails ma ...

making and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

have historically been an integral part of Johnshaven life and economy. Johnshaven has a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

Ancient history

Some of the nearest

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

recoveries are situated somewhat to the north near Stonehaven at the Fetteresso and

Spurryhillock Spurryhillock is a mesolithic archaeological site and modern industrial estate at Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The area is bordered on its southern edge by the Dundee–Aberdeen line, and on its western edge by the A90. A bus depot is ...

sites.

Harbour

By 1847 the natural inlet near the village had been protected by "high water rocks" deposited to offer protection Not until 1871 was the first harbour created: the enclosed area now to the north side. This was adapted in 1884 creating a breach in the southern breakwater to create an inner harbour, and only this double barrier offered Johnshaven protection from the harsh North Sea too which it is highly exposed. Due to multiple rocks flanking the harbour entrance, the harbour is frequently hazardous in bad weather.

Local media

Alongside the commercial enterprise of the local newspaper, ''The Mearns Leader'', Johnshaven has a Local Community Radio Station in Mearns FM. Broadcasting from nearby Stonehaven in the Townhall, Mearns FM helps to keep Johnshaven up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing a little music. Staffed completely by volunteers, Mearns FM is run as a not for profit organisation, broadcasting under a Community Radio licence, with a remit to provide local focus news events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants, Mearns FM has one of the largest listening areas of any Community Radio Station owing to the Mearns' distributed population. Mearns FM was set up to try to bring these distant communities together.

Community groups

Johnshaven contains many prominent community groups. Benholm and Johnshaven Community Council holds its monthly meetings in Johnshaven village hall on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. SHARK a small environmental group aims to promote and protect the wildlife and habitats of the local area. The Johnshaven Parish Church building (

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

) was put up for sale in summer 2015. For a number of years, the congregation had been united with

St Cyrus St Cyrus or Saint Cyrus ( sco, Saunt Ceerus), formerly Ecclesgreig (from gd, Eaglais Chiric) is a village in the far south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. General information Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus bea ...

, to form Mearns Coastal Parish Church. This parish also includes the historic parishes of Benholm and Garvock. Every summer a hugely popular Holiday Club is run in the village hall.

Transport

Johnshaven was served by Johnshaven railway station, on the Montrose and Bervie Railway from 1865 to 1951. The town is today accessed off the A92 coast road that connects

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

and Stonehaven, where it joins the A90 and continues northward to

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), a ...

and beyond. Stagecoach run two bus routes that serve Johnshaven; the

X7 Coastrider The X7 Coastrider is an hourly bus route between Perth and Aberdeen via Dundee operated by Stagecoach East Scotland. The service runs seven days per week. History The route was introduced on 12 September 2011 and was initially operated by a fle ...

that stops outside Johnshaven on the A92, and the 107 which also serves the hub of the village too.

References

Sources

* C.Michael Hogan. 2008
''Fetteresso Fieldnotes'', The Modern Antiquarian
* ''Johnshaven''. 1977. ''United Kingdom Ordnance Survey'', * Archibald Watt. 1985. ''Highways and Byways around Kincardineshire'', Stonehaven Heritage Society {{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire Populated coastal places in Scotland