CROVIE
Built on a narrow strip of land on the North coast of the Buchan Peninsula and just 1 mile east of Mitchell's Cottage and Gardenstown, Crovie (local pronunciation 'Crivvy') is a tranquil fishing village where little has changed in over 100 years.
There is a lovely walk around the coast from Gardenstown to Crovie and the total length is approximately 3 miles. Starting from Gardenstown Harbour, turn left at Harbour Lane, keeping left along the reclaimed ground to the steps. The beach is very stony and not advisable at high tide. The only road out of Crovie is STEEP and twisting. There is a viewpoint at the top of Crovie Hill which is suitable for picnics (with car parking and information board). To return to Gardenstown, follow the road, keeping right at all junctions. The walk back down to Gardenstown Harbour winds through the village for about 1 mile.
The first record of a settlement here was in about 1297, and the nearby St John's Church dates as far back as 1004.
Over the years there have been many spellings proffered for Crovie. The most common being Cruvie, Crovie and Cruvy. The differences in the spelling are nothing in comparison to the definitions given. The Gaelic translation is "Running water on leap". An alternative is "Hovel, river where you catch salmon".
It was not until the 1700s that the village started to grow, By 1791 there were around 100 residents living in 20 cottages. By the start of the 20th century it had trebled in size. This could be put down to the population shifts from the Highland Clearances where families (crofters) had been moved off the land to make room for the landlord's sheep. In Crovie the families operated fishing boats for the landlord and gradually acquired their own craft instead. The fishing industry declined in the 20th century before ceasing altogether with the storm of 1953.
The culture of Crovie came to an abrupt end in January 1953, when massive storms devastated the Scottish coastline, destroying several of the cottages forcing the majority of the residents to leave. The soul of the village had been destroyed by the storm and the decision was taken to bulldoze the entire village into the sea. Fortunately some of the owners of the houses rebelled and the Crovie Preservation Society was formed with the desire to restore Crovie as a living village. Nearly all the cottages have since been renovated for now and future generations to enjoy the village of Crovie.
Crovie is unique in the sense that it is impossible to use a motor vehicle as the shelf on which the village is perched is so narrow it only has room for a row of cottages and the footpath in front of them. Only a few feet from the cottages is the drop to the rocky foreshore and the sea.
Residents leave their cars at the south end of the village and walk to the cottage from there. To transport goods to the cottage the residents load up barrows and wheel them to the cottages.