STONEHAVEN

Stonehaven’s glory days as a thriving fishing village may be behind it, but the culinary legacy of its past remains. Grab yourself a table with a sea view and tuck in to smoked haddock, award-winning fish and chips or fresh lobster — much of it caught by

In pictures: the Aberdeenshire coastal town serving up some of the UK’S best fish

Stonehaven has a prominent community of sea cadets, who can often be seen around the town. It’s also still home to a small-scale fishing operation, although nearby Gourdon Harbour has a higher turnover, supplying Stonehaven restaurants, such as the Tolbooth, with scallops and other seafood. With its rough waves, the North Sea remains a dangerous place for local fishermen like Ian Balgowan, who admits it’s harder to make a living fishing these days. His family’s culinary contribution goes beyond fish — in 1992, daughter Evelyn served up the first deep-fried Mars bar, at the Carron Fish Bar (formerly the Haven Chip Bar).

Among the several curious buildings in Gourdon Harbour, filleting sheds contain boxes used for salmon trading, while customer orders mount up in a fisherman’s hut. Meanwhile, in the smokehouse, fresh fillets of haddock are lined up for smoking. The final product is served with egg for breakfast at The Ship Inn in Stonehaven Harbour. There are attractive coastal walks from Gourdon in both directions, and tourists sometimes stop off here to buy fresh fish from recently returned boats.

The menu at the Tolbooth is seasonal and changes regularly. This fine dining restaurant is housed in one of Stonehaven’s oldest buildings, the former tolbooth, which it shares with a museum of local history. Like the Tolbooth, The Marine Hotel has great views over the harbour. It’s one of several places in Stonehaven where you can get excellent fish and chips. Other options include The Bay, which was has won national awards for its battered haddock and chips.