PENNAN
On the north east coast of Scotland and built between large sandstone cliffs and the North Sea is the quaint and beautiful seaside village of Pennan. Pennan is approximately 4 miles from Mitchell's Cottage, and Gardenstown. The sparkling blue waters of Pennan Bay ebb and flow, in and out of the tidal harbour. Similar to Gardenstown the cliffs behind provide a dramatic backdrop to one of the prettiest of Scottish Sea villages..
Situated in an area of outstanding Natural Beauty, Pennan, is a serene place where little has changed for many years. The buildings and cottages are mostly white or natual red sandstone. There are about 35 quaint cottages spread along the villages' single street, some dating back hundreds of years to when it was a fishing village and typical of this part of Scotland.
If you're a film buff, then Pennan may look a little familiar. In 1983, parts of the film Local Hero were shot here: though not the beach scenes, which were filmed on the other side of the country near Arisaig. The film gave Pennan one of the best known red telephone boxes in the world, sitting on the quayside opposite the Pennan Inn and attracting a steady stream of visitors over the years since. The Pennan red phone box is the most called phone box in Scotland. BT have traced these back to tourists phoning a relative and asking them to ring back. The Pennan phone box is now a listed building and it is painted with red paint that is used on oil rigs to protect metal work from the harsh North Sea and winds.
Access is down a narrow and steep road that emerges onto the village's single street at a tight junction next to the Pennan Inn. There is a small car park at the western end of the village. The beach is pebbly with a small area of sand and is enclosed by cliffs. The feeling of getting away from it all is one of the charms of Pennan. Toilets are situated at the far left as you enter Pennan and there is plenty of free parking.
Visit Pennan on day with blue skies and blue seas setting off the white cottages and brightly coloured boats, and it can seem an idyllic place. Visit it on a day with an arctic gale howling straight into Pennan Bay from the north, with the visibility obscured by salt spray, and with the sea crashing into the pebble beach and sea defences, and it can feel altogether different.
At the east end of Pennan lies its harbour. One or two fishermen with their boats and creel baskets still fish from the harbour and others now earn their living from giving boat trips to tourists to see the local wildlife like seals and birds and to enjoy more coastal views from the sea. These costs from only 5 pounds for children and 10 pounds for an adult. Today's harbour is the latest in a succession over the years. The first was built here in 1704, but it had fallen into disuse by the end of the century and a replacement was built in 1799. By 1840 this harbour, too, was no longer usable, and a bigger and better one was built in 1845. This third harbour lasted until a storm one night in the winter of 1889/1890 destroyed the west pier, which was replaced in 1903. The harbour was further improved in 1909 and again in 1981.
Threats to the wellbeing of the village have not just come from the sea. In August 2007 Pennan was in the news when a mudslide from the cliffs behind damaged parts of the west end of the village, including the village hall.
Pennan was well known in the nineteenth century for the millstones that were quarried to the east of the village, and which were shipped out from the harbour, or simply rolled on their edge to more local destinations. Rolling a millstone up the hill behind the village must have been a challenge.