Stonehaven harbour is a must see for visitors to the town. Originally a working fishing harbour it is now a hub for recreation, though there are still some local fisherman that bring in a daily catch. It is the home of the Tolbooth Museum, housed in a 16th century storehouse that later became the town’s prison. Upstairs in what was the courthouse there is now the seafood restaurant, The Tolbooth. Along the Shorehead are The Ship Inn and The Marine both containing a restaurant and pub as well as accommodation. On a fine summers evening, enjoy a drink sitting outside one of these establishments on the harbour wall with the locals. Want to see what's going on right now? Take a peek with the harbour webcam by clicking "website" link.

The Stonehaven Harbour to Duntottar Castle Walk commences here and we’re sure you’d welcome a nice pint or meal one your return!

The geeky bit…

Stonehaven Harbour was first built prior to 1607 but was destroyed by storms. It was repaired and again destroyed by storms so in 1678 it was built more robustly but this too broke up under the force of the North Sea. A new plan was drawn up in 1825 by Robert Stevenson and the Harbour works were constructed successfully. The Harbour was handed over to Stonehaven Town Council in 1962.

Stonehaven harbour is the largest of the recreational harbours in Aberdeenshire and has three basins extending to 18,200 square metres and 550 metres of berthing space on the quays. There are also additional mooring chains in the inner harbour totalling about 140 moorings. Both the inner and outer basins dry out at low water but the cofferdam basin, an open area protected by the breakwater, has a depth of three to four feet (1 metre) at MLWS.

There is no longer a Fish Market at Stonehaven and it is now more of a recreational harbour but it is still used by several fishing boats in the 50-foot class.