🗺️ Navigation & Main Pages
- Home — Welcome to the heart of our village online.
- Play List — Traditional and local music curated for the website.
- Video Library — Documentaries, short clips, and community recordings.
- Twinning with Chatillon-sur-Indre — Celebrating our connection with our sister town in France.
- The Life Stones Project — Community stone carving and local trail information.
- The Bigger Picture — Deeper insights into the Life Stones project.
- Quizzes — Fun quizzes about Cruden Bay’s local history and landmarks.
- Support Crudenbay.life — Learn how you can contribute or support the volunteer team.
📜 Digital Storytelling & History
Explore our collection of digital storytelling, showcasing the rich heritage, unique folklore, and historical events of Cruden Bay and the surrounding area.
- Storytelling Main Page — The gateway to all historical articles.
- Bram Stoker — Discover the author’s connection to Cruden Bay, where he penned portions of Dracula.
- Cruden Bay Golf Course and Club History — The history of our world-renowned golf links.
- Cruden Bay Railway Hotel — Reminiscing the grand Edwardian hotel that once overlooked the bay.
- Cruden Bay Railway Station — Tracing the old railway line that connected the village.
- Cruden Bay 2000 — Community action at the turn of the millennium.
- Doric Future | Doric TV — Preserving and promoting the Doric dialect of northeast Scotland.
- The Dardanelles — Tryggve Gran’s historic first flight across the North Sea in 1914.
- Cruden Bay Memories — Community memories and social history.
- The Black Rain of Slains — Aberdeenshire’s forgotten weather mystery of 1862.
- The Forgotten River — Exploring the Water of Cruden and its legacy.
- The Harbour — The history of Port Erroll Harbour.
- The Old Brickworks — Remnants of the industrial era in Cruden Bay.
- Port Erroll Past Times — Curated accounts by local historians Ann and Gordon Findlay.
- Slains Castle — The dramatic history and architectural legacy of New Slains Castle.
- St. Olaf’s Well — The ancient holy well and its links to the battle of 1012.
- The Story So Far — A chronological timeline of curated local history articles.
- When Christmas Comes to Cruden Bay — Seasonal folklore and holiday traditions in the village.
- The Wreck of The Fredrick Snowdon — The maritime tragedy of 1907.
- The Wreck of The Nymphaea — The ghost of Whinnyfold and the fate of the SS Nymphaea in 1914.
- The Wreck of The Wistow Hall — The historic shipwreck off the rocky cliffs.
🎨 Photographic Galleries
Beautiful visual galleries celebrating the coastal landscape, village events, and historical postcard archives.
- Galleries Overview — Access all photo archives.
- Scott Meiklejohn Gallery — Stunning local landscape photography.
- Mike Shepherd Gallery — Historical documentation and photography.
- Port Erroll Harbour Gallery — Images capturing the working life of our historic harbour.
- Cruden Bay and Port Erroll Gallery — General village and coastal scenery.
- Golf Course Gallery — Visual views of the legendary golf links.
- Harbour Dunes Gallery — Pictures from the sands and surrounding dunes.
- Heritage Group Gallery — Archival photos hosted by the local heritage group.
- Old Post Cards Gallery — Nostalgic postcards showcasing the village in days gone by.
- Brickworks Gallery — Archival and current images of the old brickworks.
- Old Adverts Gallery — Vintage advertising and promotions linked to the area.
📋 Publications & Village Documents
- 2026 Calendar — The annual community-sourced landscape calendar.
- 2025 Directory — Our up-to-date printed companion directory.
- Cruden Bay Community Action Plan 2024 — The core plan guiding the village’s future development.
- 2022 Directory — Historical community directory database.
- Useful Telephone Numbers — Emergency, local council, and healthcare contacts.
- Our Approach — How we research, draft, and create our community history and articles.
- How We Create Our Music — The creative processes behind our site’s digital tracks.
🏖️ Visitor Attractions & Points of Interest
- Cruden Bay Beach — Our famous two-mile sweep of golden sand.
- Bullers of Buchan — The dramatic, deep sea chasm and seabird colony nearby.
- North Haven — Exploring the quiet bay and rocky inlet.
- The Farming Life — Our connection to Aberdeenshire’s agricultural traditions.
- Port Erroll Harbour Gala 2026 — Celebrating the village’s annual harbour festivities.
- Nethermill Path — A scenic local walking route.
- Walking Guides — Step-by-step guides for exploring the coastline and village.
- Ward Hill — Hiking the highest point in the local area.
- Wildlife — Spotting seals, seabirds, and local fauna.
🏫 Village Assets & Community Venues
- Port Erroll Public Hall — The main venue for community events, exercise, and activities.
- Community Hub (Old Congregational Church) — A converted space supporting local organisations.
- Mill Park — Local recreation fields and bowling green.
- The Mission Hall — Historical venue in the heart of the village.
👥 Groups, Organisations & Recreation
- Community Association — Coordinating local improvements and events.
- Community Council — Representing residents’ voices to Aberdeenshire Council.
- The Cruden Bay Collective — Local fundraising and project coordination.
- Cruden & Hatton Community Pantry — Community food share located at the Mill Park Pavilion.
- Baby & Toddler Group — Parent and toddler play sessions.
- Craft Group (Old Parish Church) — Regular sewing, knitting, and crafting sessions.
- Craft Group (St James’s) — Creative meetups at St James’s Church.
- Hatton Repair Café — Reducing waste by fixing household items.
- Cruden Bay Folk Club — Live acoustic and folk music monthly at the Kilmarnock Arms.
- Woman’s Singing Group – Fiere Deems — Local community singing and choir.
- Heritage Group – Port Erroll — Collecting, preserving, and sharing local history.
- Horticultural Club — For gardening enthusiasts in the village.
- Lodge St Olaf (Freemasons) — Local fraternal lodge.
- Mahjong — Weekly games held in the Bob Lowe suite (winter) and St James’s (summer).
- Men’s Shed — Woodworking, socializing, and community projects.
- Panto Group — Producing the legendary annual village pantomime.
- Scottish Women’s Institute (SWI) — Education, crafts, and friendship.
- The Rebo’s — Local music and performance collective.
⚽ Sports & Exercise
- Adult Exercise Class — Weekly fitness sessions at the Public Hall.
- Badminton Club — Fun and social play at Port Erroll Primary School.
- Bowling Club — Indoor and outdoor bowling matches.
- Cruden Bay Golf Club — The world-class championship links golf club.
- Cruden Bay Juniors FC — Our local junior football club.
- Darts Team (Killie) — Darts nights held at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel.
- Fitness Group (Sean’s) — Group workouts held at Longhaven Community Hall.
- Harbour Dookers — Outdoor wild swimming enthusiasts in the bay.
- Indoor Bowls — Winter bowling leagues at the Public Hall.
- Mahina Dance — Modern dance classes.
- Pilates — Physical strengthening at the Public Hall.
- Pool Team (St Olaf) — Local pool league based at the St Olaf Golf Hotel.
- Port Erroll AFC — Local amateur football league matches.
- Thistle Youth FC — Youth soccer coaching and development.
- WellBeing Health Walks — Friendly, low-impact local walking groups.
- Yoga — Mindful yoga classes in the Public Hall.
- Youth Football Club — Training sessions at Mill Park.
🏢 Business Directory
🛒 Shops & Retail
- Cruden Bay Links Pro Shop — Golf gear, clothing, and custom fittings.
- Cruden Bay Co-op and Post Office — Essential groceries and postal services.
- Peterhead Fish Company — Fresh Scottish seafood deliveries to the village.
- Websters Pharmacy — Healthcare advice, prescriptions, and local chemists.
🛠️ Independent Small Businesses
- Blackmask Website Design — Professional local web development services.
- BlackW Sign Shop — Vehicle graphics, banners, and shop signage.
- Cabin Club Afterschool C.I.C — Out-of-school child care services.
- Campbell Media — Audio-visual production and digital media.
- Cruden Bay Candle Boutique — Handcrafted soy wax candles and fragrances.
- Cruden Bay IT Services — Local tech support and computer repair.
- Domestic Dazzle — Household and domestic cleaning.
- Doric Future | Doric TV — Independent video and digital media production.
- Irene | The Harbour Barber — Local barber services located near the harbour.
- Martin Forman Painter & Decorator — High-quality painting and interior decoration.
- Macleod Electrical Services Ltd. — Approved commercial and domestic electrical work.
- Mahina Designs — Local creative design work and crafts.
- Orycks Plumbing & Heating — Local plumbers and gas engineers.
- Relax Beauty & Care by Genny — Professional beauty therapy and personal care.
- Kevin Shearer Joinery — Bespoke local carpentry and joinery work.
- Mike Shepherd – Writer and Historian — Local authorship, tours, and history books.
- David Strachan Joinery Ltd — Local building and structural joinery.
- Tee Shirt Printing – Racing Tees — Custom apparel, print wear, and embroidery.
- Debbie Walker Photography — Professional photography portraits and landscapes.
- Oblitarisk — Creative and design consultants.
- Claire Mackay – Author — Spotlighting works by our local village author.
🏨 Accommodation
- Kilmarnock Arms Hotel — Legendary historical hotel where Bram Stoker stayed.
- St Olaf Golf Hotel — Popular local hotel and bar overlooking the links.
- By The Bay Bed and Breakfast — Cozy bed and breakfast near the water.
- The Beach House — Scenic self-catering house bordering the sands.
- The Dunes — Charming coastal guest lodging.
- Sycamore Hall — Luxury guesthouse accommodation.
- Haddie Cottage — Quaint traditional stone cottage rental.
- Ivan Cottage — Self-catering cottage ideal for golfers and walkers.
- Outlander Boutique Bed and Breakfast — Themed boutique lodging.
- Room on the River — Peaceful accommodation by the Water of Cruden.
- Shell Cottage — Traditional coastal cottage holiday home.
- Tumbledown Croft — Idyllic rural croft accommodation nearby.
- Craighead Holiday Park — Campsite and holiday homes.
- Port Erroll Harbour Motorhome Park — Scenic coastal overnight parking spaces.
🍽️ Food & Drink
- The Harbour Dunes Cafe — Popular beachfront cafe famous for local baking and coffee.
- The Fairways Public Bar — Pub food, live sports, and local community atmosphere.
- Pan Fish Bar & Chinese Take Away — Hot takeaways located in the village centre.
- Cakes – Phippsy’s Fancies — Bespoke cakes, baking, and sweet treats.
- Sugar Crumbs Cakery — Beautiful designer cakes and dessert tables.
🏥 Services, Public Assets & Welfare
- Cruden Medical Group — Local NHS general practice clinic and GP services.
- Cruden Bay Library — Aberdeenshire council-run library and local resources.
- Port Erroll Primary School — The local state school.
- Cruden Bay Garage — Vehicle servicing, MOT tests, and local repairs.
- HM Coastguard Station — Search and rescue operations on our local cliffs.
- Bayview Care Home — Residential and nursing care.
- Cantlay Court Sheltered Housing — Independent living support in the village.
- Nethermill Seed — Local agricultural seed supplies.
⛪ Places of Worship
- Cruden Bay Parish Church — Historic Church of Scotland congregation.
- St James’s Episcopal Church — Beautiful historical church overlooking the village.