Stonehaven

Harbour quays to Dunnottar's rock and back by the Shorehead

One day covers Stonehaven and Dunnottar Castle. Walk the harbour from the Tolbooth, climb past the War Memorial for the best view of the town, then follow the clifftop to Dunnottar, allowing two hours in the ruins where the Scottish crown jewels were hidden from Cromwell. Carry lunch, and eat dinner on the Shorehead.

Morning. Start at the Tolbooth on the north quay, then take the path from the south end of the bay to the War Memorial, left deliberately unfinished to mark lives cut short in two world wars.

Midday. Follow the clifftop to Dunnottar Castle. The ruins date from around 1400, were extended into a palace from 1581 and partly dismantled in 1720; the crown jewels story from the 1650s is told on site. There is little food at the castle.

Afternoon. Walk back the same way, or ride the Stoney Express on a summer weekend. In summer, spend an hour at the open-air pool in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Evening. Eat on the Shorehead. The Ship Inn and the Marine Hotel both have bars on the water; Troupers on Barclay Street is the locals' pub. If you came by train from Edinburgh, the last useful trains south leave in the evening, so check the time before ordering a second round.

Haddock, the Seafood Bothy and Allardice Street's Mars bar

Stonehaven food follows the fishing boats. Fish and chips is the default supper, and the Carron Fish Bar on Allardice Street is where the deep-fried Mars bar was first fried in 1992. The Seafood Bothy on the quay sells the latest catch, while the Ship Inn and the Marine Hotel serve seafood with harbour views.

The Seafood Bothy on the quay keeps erratic hours and serves small portions; go on a fine day and guard your plate from the gulls.

The Carron's deep-fried Mars bar became a tabloid symbol of the Scottish diet in the mid-1990s, and the shop has leaned into the fame ever since.

For a sit-down meal, the harbour pubs serve seafood with a view: the Ship Inn, a 1771 coaching inn, and the Marine Hotel, which pours beer from Six Degrees North, a craft brewery in nearby Laurencekirk. Number 44 on Allardice Street by the Town Hall is a pub-restaurant in the centre.

Breakfast is the time for Arbroath smokies, the hot-smoked haddock from the next harbour town south, and for butteries (also called rowies), the flaky, salty rolls of north-east Scotland that bakers sell first thing.

Fireballs at midnight, the folk festival and the July games

Stonehaven's biggest night is the Fireballs Ceremony at midnight on 31 December, when locals swing blazing balls along the High Street and throw them into the harbour. July brings the Stonehaven Folk Festival (10 to 12 July in 2026) and the Highland Games, and May and June give the longest light for cliff walks.

The fireballs are wire-mesh cages swung by dozens of locals. The crowds run to thousands and the old town is closed to traffic, so arrive early and dress for a North Sea wind. Background and practical detail are on our Stonehaven Fireballs Ceremony page.

The folk festival takes over pubs and halls, and the Highland Games usually fall later in July, with heavy events, piping and Highland dancing. Drumtochty Highland Games, held in the grounds of Drumtochty Castle inland, make a second summer gathering within reach.

September keeps the castle on summer hours to the end of the month. From October, Dunnottar closes earlier in the afternoon and the pool is shut, but the winter path is empty. For a bigger city break afterwards, Edinburgh is two hours south by train and York is reachable on the through trains to England.