Collieston revisited

A lovely Spring day here in the NE of Scotland, just the day for another cycle ride to the old fishing village of Collieston, a few miles north of Newburgh on Ythan.

Fishing for herring, haddock, whiting and cod flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries and formed the backbone of Collieston's economy. The village was well-known for 'Collieston Speldings', salted and sun-dried haddock and whiting, a popular delicacy far and wide. At the time of the fishing the fishermen were carried out from the beach to the boats on the backs of their womenfolk so that they could set sail with dry feet. When we lived in the village, as newlyweds in the late 60s, this tradition was still being carried on by an old man and his sister who lived in the house in the lower right of the photograph. The house was much less grand in those days!

Today commercial fishing is but a distant memory but the village is a popular with commuters and given its fine sheltered beach, with holidaymakers and day-trippers.