Cruden Bay Life
Connecting Community, Sharing EverythingWelcome to Cruden Bay Life – The Heart of Our Village Online
Cruden Bay is a scenic coastal village in northeast Scotland, home to around 1,900 people and around 80 community groups and businesses. These organisations enrich village life but often lack an online presence, limiting their ability to share services, attract members, and promote events.
This was highlighted in the Cruden Bay Community Action Plan 2024, and Cruden Bay Life is our solution: a central hub connecting residents, supporting groups and businesses, and strengthening our community. Phase one is to provide an online companion resource to the printed Cruden Bay Directory, providing an individual webpage for each group or business to share their details and contact information. Social tools like Facebook and WhatsApp where used by groups, will help foster communication and growth.
We do appreciate that not all of the source information we have access to will be completely accurate so we would appreciate your help in rectifying anything that needs updating or removing, by using the form at the bottom of this page, or emailing together@crudenbay.life. Thanks in anticipation of your support in helping make sure the content is as accurate as possible.
Whether you’re a resident eager to get involved, a visitor exploring the area, or a group needing visibility, CrudenBay.Life is here to point you in the right direction.
Let’s build a more connected Cruden Bay – together.
Your Councillors for Peterhead South and Cruden
Colin Simpson read more →
email: clIr.c.simpson@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Mobile: 07788 697916
Stephen Smith read more →
email: clIr.s.smith@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Phone: 01779 812861
The Speech That Never Needed to Be Made
I was invited to officially open the 2026 Port Erroll Harbour Gala with a speech celebrating our community and thanking everyone who had helped make the event possible.
As it turned out, the speech was never delivered.
Technical challenges with the PA system, last-minute changes and the constant demands of keeping a full programme of live entertainment running meant there was never quite the right moment. Looking back, though, I realised those carefully prepared words were never really needed. The Gala itself became the speech.
Throughout the day, musicians, volunteers, sponsors and organisers quietly stepped forward whenever challenges arose. Headline performers adapted to unexpected circumstances, experienced musicians helped solve technical problems, volunteers gave up their own time to support others, and countless people worked behind the scenes to ensure visitors simply enjoyed a wonderful day by the harbour.
The photograph alongside this introduction captures one of my favourite moments of the day. It shows me with my Uncle George, a lifelong fisherman whose connection with Port Erroll Harbour stretches back many decades. Like so many friends and family members who stopped by to wish us well, George reminded me that the Harbour Gala is more than an annual event; it’s another chapter in the continuing story of a community whose traditions are carried forward by each generation.
This feature isn’t simply a report about another successful Harbour Gala. It’s the story of the people behind it—the performers, volunteers, sponsors and supporters whose quiet generosity turned an ordinary summer’s day into something rather special.
Because, in the end, the greatest strength of Cruden Bay has never been its scenery or its history. It’s the people who call it home.
Read the full feature article: The Speech That Never Needed to Be Made
Up And Coming Events
Local Groups & Clubs At A Glance
Music
Crafting
Community Associations and Community Pantry
Other Clubs and Organisations
Football
Bowls
Adult Exercise | Dance | Pilates | Yoga | Walking
Fitness Group (Sean’s) | Wednesday 18:00 – | Longhaven Community Hall, AB42 ONU
Adult Exercise Class | Monday 18:00 – 19:00 | Port Erroll Public Hall
Adult Exercise Class | Thursday 18:00 – 19:00 | Port Erroll Public Hall
Badminton | Wednesday 19:00 – 21:00 | Port Erroll Primary School
Pilates | Wednesday 17:45 – 18:45 | Port Erroll Public Hall
Yoga | Friday 10:00 – 11:30 | Port Erroll Public Hall
Local Businesses At A Glance
Shops and Retail
Independent Small Businesses
Other Businesses
Harbour Area
Accomodation
Food & Drink
Campsites | Motorhome & Campervan
Register Your Club or Business
If you want to add your club or business details to the Cruden Bay Life hub, please add as much information as possible to this contact form, and we will create a page to help promote and connect your organisation.
Update your Registration
If your club or business is already registered, but you want to update your entry details, please also use this form to advise us of any changes you want to make.
From 114 Years Ago 17th and 18th January 1912
Two Days | Two Wrecks | One Deadly Sea.
On consecutive days in January 1912, the North Sea claimed the Frederick Snowden and the Wistow Hall off the Aberdeenshire coast. The back-to-back disasters shocked local communities and stand as a grim reminder of the sea’s merciless power.
The Loss of the Frederick Snowden (17th January 1912)
The disappearance of the Aberdeen collier steamer Frederick Snowden remains one of the great maritime mysteries of the northeast coast. A regular trader between the Tyne and Aberdeen, the vessel sailed with a crew of fourteen and a heavy cargo of coal, but never reached her destination. Initial concern turned to dread when wreckage bearing her name was recovered in Peterhead Harbour.
Eyewitnesses later reported a steamer foundering off Whinnyfold, helpless in mountainous seas, before suddenly capsizing and sinking about a mile and a half offshore. No rescue was possible, and no survivors were ever found. The loss devastated families across Aberdeen, leaving unanswered questions about the vessel’s final moments and marking a sombre chapter in the region’s maritime history.
The Wreck of the Wistow Hall (18th January 1912)
In January 1912, the 3,314-ton steamship Wistow Hall left Newcastle for Glasgow with a crew of 57 men, unaware she was heading into one of the fiercest North Sea storms of the era. Over several harrowing days, towering seas tore away her funnel and lifeboats, flooded the engine room, and left the ship helpless, drifting north without power, food, or fresh water.
Driven onto the rocks near North Haven, Port Erroll, the wreck unfolded in full view of the shore. Despite courageous rescue attempts by local lifeboatmen and fishermen battling violent surf, only three men survived. Fifty-four sailors lost their lives, many of them Lascar mariners serving far from home. The tragedy left a deep mark on the local community and stands as one of the most devastating shipwrecks on the Aberdeenshire coast.
New Resources
We’re excited to share the CrudenBay.Life Play List!
Each track has been specially created to bring our website and village to life — from melodies inspired by our dramatic coastline to ambient pieces that tell the stories of our landmarks. Every song also serves as a companion to a specific article within this website, directly linked to the places and stories that inspired them. You’ll find each track both in the playlist and embedded within its corresponding webpage.
To mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2025, Cruden Bay Life is proud to launch the Life Stones Project — a new initiative and website feature that explores simple, nature-based ways to support wellbeing in challenging times.
The Cruden Bay Life Stones Project
Inspired by the calming landscape of Cruden Bay, the project invites us to reconnect with the natural world and find stillness through the ancient practice of using a touchstone — a small, hand-held stone that reminds us to pause, breathe, and stay grounded. Each stone, shaped by sea and time, reflects the enduring rhythm of nature and the resilience within ourselves.
The Life Stones Project celebrates both personal reflection and community connection, encouraging moments of calm, compassion, and shared experience.
Discover more about the meaning behind the stones, and how to find your own, click the buttons below.