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THE COAST

The Banffshire Coast is diverse - from unspoilt beaches, to high cliffs, from quaint and quiet villages, to bustling fishing ports and marinas, the coast is located at the heart of North East Scotland's Coastal Trail - a signposted tourist route which runs from St.Cyrus in the south to Findhorn in the north.
 
Located on a headland, the park is ideally positioned for watching an abundance of bird and sea-life, including seals, porpoises and the famous Moray Firth Dolphins - the largest of only 2 bottle nosed dolphin colonies to be found around the coast of Britain.

If you are lucky enough to see the dolphins, the park provides a perfect viewing point as they are normally very close to the shore as they swim from headland to headland, between each of the bays.

The village of Whitehills is just 10 minutes walk from the Park. Until recently, Whitehills was the smallest village in Scotland to retain it's own fishing fleet and daily fish market. However with changes in the fishing industry, the fish market has now closed and the harbour has been re-developed as a popular marina. The marina is just 5 minutes walk from the park.

Whitehills has a number of shops, a post office, pubs and restaurants. The village is located on the Aberdeen / Inverness bus route (Stagecoach Bluebird bus route number 305).

A 15 minute drive from the park takes you to the towns of Banff and Macduff.
 
Banff, the adminstrative centre for the district, is a conservation town with many 17th and 18th Century buildings. The town has a variety of shops, pubs and restaurants and, like Whitehills, a marina.

Across the River Deveron from Banff is the industrial port of Macduff. The town is largely dependent on the fishing industry - it's busy harbour includes a modern shipyard and various factories and facilities that support the fishing industry.
 
To the east of Macduff, the coastline changes dramatically: the accessible beaches and shoreline give way to high cliffs and rocky outcrops. Villages such as Crovie and Pennan can be found nestling at the base of the cliffs.
Pennan was made famous by its appearance in the 1980's film "Local Hero". The Pennan Inn and the red phone box which featured prominently in the film are still in existence today.

 

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