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The Beach at Cruden Bay -
Photo:
Richard Slessor
CCL
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Cruden Bay is a
pretty coastal
village with a
fine small
fishing harbour,
good beaches and
dunes, a
championship
golf course and,
curiously, the
echo of a
vampire!
The peaceful beach scene
opposite gives little indication of the
activity that once was there.
In 1012, Cruden Bay was
the site of a battle in which the Danes were
defeated by the Scots and the name of the
village is said to come from the Gaelic
for "Slaughter of Danes". |
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Just north of what is
now Cruden Bay, the Earls of Errol built a
castle around the late 16th century. This
was modified and added to but was
virtually rebuilt in 1836. Perched right
on the cliff edge it is very dramatic and
must have been a magnificent place when at
the height of its grandeur.
It was here that in
the late 19th century the 19th Earl of
Errol entertained many dignitaries
including the author, Bram Stoker, who is
said to have been inspired by the castle
when writing his Dracula novels. He stayed
at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Cruden Bay
and the present owners now have the
original visitors' book containing his
signature. |
Slains Castle - Photo: Louise Johnson
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As
is often the case with legislation, laws can
have a negative effect. A building was taxable
but a structure with no roof is not a building
and is therefore not subject to tax. The
castle and its contents had been sold in 1916
but when the new owner, Sir John Ellerman gave
it up in 1920, its roof was removed to avoid
tax and the building fell into decay. What a
waste!
The Victorian era saw a
great expansion which brought prosperity to
Cruden Bay. In 1897 a railway branch line of
the Great North of Scotland Railway Company
was opened from Ellon to Boddam, and within a
couple of years was built the golf course and
a spectacular hotel (linked by its own tramway
to the railway station). The company promoted
Cruden Bay as a holiday destination for the
gentry only 12 hours from London.
Unfortunately the scheme failed. The railway
was closed to passenger traffic in 1932, the
hotel was requisitioned as an army hospital in
1939 and, although the railway had continued
to be used for freight, it was eventually
closed in 1945. All across the area visitors
can see remains of the trackbed and bridges of
this now defunct railway as it winds its way
across the countryside.
The golf course, however,
still survives and thrives.
Another claim to fame is that it was from here
in June 1914 that the first flight across the
North Sea started. Tryggve Gran, a 26 year old
Norwegion serving as a pilot in the Royal
Flying Corps was determined to be the first to
cross the North Sea from Scotland to Stavanger.
He decided to fly from nearby Nethermill
because there were many steamship routes
between Peterhead and Stavanger. He thought
that, should he get into difficulties and have
to ditch in the sea, he would have a good
chance of being picked up. The onset of the
First World War meant that all civilian
flights were to be banned from 6pm on 30th
July so at 8am he set off in his plane "Ca
Flotte", purchased from Louis Bleriot, but was
forced back by fog to land on Cruden Bay
beach. Eventually he took off and achieved his
aim. A small memorial stands in the village.
Today, Cruden Bay attracts
tourists. It has some small hotels and
guesthouses, its well-known golf course, its
magnificent long sandy beach and the small
harbour area, more correctly called Port
Erroll which is now home to just a few small
fishing boats. Even in the height of summer
the beach is uncrowded and there is no sign
whatsoever of its biggest hidden secret. It
was here beneath the sands of Cruden Bay, that
the first North Sea Oil pipeline was laid to
bring crude oil from the Forties field ashore.
From here it is piped by underground pipeline
to Grangemouth refinery. |
