Menondering; Wee Toons Big Hairts - part two

On Monday, I introduced you to Portsoy. Here's another of the Moray Firth's fine wee toons.

Less than ten miles west of Portsoy is the town of Cullen. This is where the famous smoked haddock soup called Cullen Skink arose from. Like many of our coastal places, it is built on cliffs and has very steep streets. There is one of the bonniest views as you drive down into the town square and under the old railway bridge. I will revisit Cullen and do the walk that takes one up onto the viaduct... but the purpose of my visit on this occasion was to spend a couple of nights at a newly opened, community-run campervan "aire". It had dawned on the community council that campervans and motorhomes were using ground down by the shore for stopovers. Here was an opportunity for income to the community, with some planning and effort. They raised funds, applied to the county council, and set up a gated area with drinking water and toilet disposal facilities, proper hard standing, and a limit of 13 vehicles for no more than two nights on any given stay. £15/n during July and August, £12 spring and autumn and £10 from Nov to March. It is situated next door to the pet cemetery, something else for which Cullen is famous.

One morning, one of the community council members was there placing a number marker like the one I had for The Grey. They only opened in April and have been solidly booked ever since! This shows the demand for decent and cost-effective parking for tourists and has demonstrated to the naysayers in that community that it brings in money and keeps things tidy. 

Though, to maintain the latter, they could do with providing bins on the site, rather than relying on folk doing the right thing and taking it along to the harbour bin - singular - which was clearly beyond its limit. The committee fellow also mentioned they were thinking of putting in EHU facilities (elec hook up). I suspect that will entail putting prices up, which would mean I would not use the place again. However, I really did enjoy my two nights there. Being able to arrive at midday and stay until 1030h on the day of departure also worked out at two full days, and as the weather was wonderful, I took the chance to get some laundry out...

There was the promise of a lovely shoreline walk out past the cemetery, but that, too, will have to await another visit. I did go to the harbour, though. I got chatting with Colin, a born-and-bred Cullen chap in his 90s who needs a slow walk and long talk. He'd trained at the still-operational Maritime School there, gone off to do his national service "sooth o' the border", returned and never left. He'd been a chandler, mainly for the local fisheries, but latterly for 'the yachting crowd'. 

He'd been thrilled with the aire getting up and going but less enamoured of his new neighbour (frae Newcastle ye ken), who was renovating the house for the purpose of listing on Air B&B. "Ye jus' dinny ken whae ye're gonna wake up tae!"

At the other side of the harbour, Colin took his leave to go up the wee side street to his home. I lingered and watched the lassie collecting cockles and clams.

From the van, I looked across at this... do you see what I see???

I could tell you a lot more about Cullen... but instead, here are photos of the info board beside the cemetery/start of the walk, and you can glean whatever interests you. It is a lovely town that had a bit of heart failure but is doing its best to get healthy again!