The bay at Whinnyfold in 1990, still with boats pulled up on the beach

Whinnyfold or Whinneyfold is a small coastal village at the southern end of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Aberdeenshire (Siorrachd Obar Dheathain is one of the 32 unitary Council areas in Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.

Whinnyfold (locally pronounced finnyfa) is a clifftop hamlet of fisher cottages built in the 1860s, replacing an older settlement one mile inland. Whinnyfold has no harbour, and fisherfolk had to scramble up and down a steep grass slope to access their boats and catches. Nevertheless, in the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century it was a thriving fishing community, supporting as many as 190 fishermen operating 24 boats and exporting fish as far afield as Manchester.

During the herring boom the fishers abandoned the village for the summer season, seeking more lucrative employment in Peterhead. Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's largest settlement having a population of approximately 19000 Enterprisingly, those left behind temporarily converted a few of the cottages into a series of tearooms serving the moneyed holidaymakers visiting Cruden Bay. Cruden Bay is a Village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles North of Aberdeen. Among the visitors was Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, who eventually retired to the place. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary Antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.

Near the village, just off the south end of the Cruden sands, lies the treacherous area of semi-submerged rocks known as the Skares, the site of many shipwrecks and source of local lore, and inspiration to Stoker’s novel The Mystery of the Sea.

Mechanisation of fishing and ever larger vessels, plus the impracticality of the site and the loss of rail links to key markets, put an end to commercial fishing at Whinnyfold. Today the village remains small and without amenities, served for local shops, school, medical practice and even public telephone by nearby Cruden Bay.

The Colliston to Whinnyfold Coast is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for nationally important colonies of cliff nesting seabirds, including kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, fulmar and shag. ^[1] It forms part of the Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast Special Protection Area. ^[2]

External links

1. ^ SNH. Collieston To Whinnyfold Coast SSSI. Retrieved on 2007-05-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John
2. ^ JNCC. Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA. Retrieved on 2007-05-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John

Coordinates: 57°23′21″N 1°52′4″W / 57.38917, -1.86778