North East Scotland – the Moray Firth, Local Hero, and THAT red telephone box

If you’ve seen the cult 1983 film Local Hero, you will be familiar with the quaint little fishing village where the action takes place, and the central role played by the red phone box. As a big fan of this film, I was always keen to visit the village made famous by the movie. During a stay up on the beautiful Moray Firth coastline, with the Mark Knopfler soundtrack playing in the car, we took a drive out eastwards to Pennan, the village in question. That’s me in the phone box, although it is not in the same location as it occupies in the movie.

Pennan is a tiny settlement, tucked in between the hills immediately behind and the sea facing it. There is really only one road, which runs along the shoreline in front of the old cottages that make up the village. To get out, you need to drive up the very steep hill to the main road, and even then you are some distance from a town. It is a lonely and tranquil place, and it’s easy to see why it was cast as the village by the film-makers.

In the film, much of the action takes place in the local pub, and the Pennan Inn is indeed the central point of this sleepy village. Although I understand that the actual shots in the pub were not taken in Pennan, the exterior was used extensively in the film, and having seen the film several times the building looked very familiar, as did the little harbour alongside.

It is always good to visit a setting from a much loved TV programme or movie, and especially so when that setting is in such a picturesque spot. Pennan is worth a visit and a stroll along the shore, whether you are a fan of Local Hero or not.

The Moray Firth coastline has many isolated settlements filled with character. Maybe none is more unique than Crovie (pronounced Crivvy), which boasts no road and no more than 40 houses, all nestled close to the often raging sea. Cars are parked at the end of the village, and then residents and visitors have to walk along the coastal path to the properties (imagine getting a new freezer delivered; the man from Currys would not be impressed!)

Originally a fishing village, Crovie is now mainly made up of holiday homes, which means the community is almost deserted in the winter months. It can’t have been an easy life living in this remote place, a long car journey to the nearest shops and often ferocious northerly winds blowing in from the sea. The houses are not positioned facing the sea, as you might expect for a property that looks out over a pretty coastline. They are set facing each other, with a windowless side squaring up to the worst that the North Sea gusts can throw at it.

My highlight of our stop in Crovie was the walk along the shore to the next village, Gardenstown. Around a mile and a half along a rocky path and around a headland this is the largest village, and last remaining harbour of any significance, in this neighbourhood. Gardenstown has geared itself up for the occasional visitor in a way that it’s two smaller neighbours could not. It has cafes and restaurants, and plenty of places to enjoy a warm drink (much welcomed after a bracing sea walk). The people here have made money from the fishing industry in the past, although in recent times this industry has suffered from severe decline, and the populations have become largely elderly as the younger folk move out and investors snap up the houses for their second homes or letting properties. It is easy to while away an hour just meandering up and down the steep hills that lead from the harbour up to the hillside houses. 

This area of Scotland is rich is its heritage from the fishing trade, and since this entered a seemingly terminal decline, it has now become something of a backwater, with a minimal passing tourist trade. If you are a fan of Local Hero, do take the chance to visit this corner of Scotland where much of the film was set (although many of the sweeping coastal views and the beaches were actually filmed on the west coast). And for those less acquainted with the film, this area makes a great day out from Inverness or Aberdeen and will provide you with some hauntingly beautiful scenery, and an insight into a life that has disappeared elsewhere.