Portsoy, nestled between Banff and Cullen, is a charming port village. The old harbour dates back to 17th Century and is the oldest on the Moray Forth. Portsoy is well-known for its local jewellery made from ‘Portsoy marble’ and for hosting the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in June and early July.

Peaky Blinders

In early 2021 Portsoy was also a location for filming the 6th Season of Peaky Blinders as reported in the Scotsman,

The BBC has spent weeks transforming the charming east coast village of Portsoy ahead of filming the latest series of Peaky Blinders.
Buildings at the 17th century harbour has been lined with wooden cladding, and outbuildings on the promenade have been erected to give the set a 20th century feel.

Scotsman, By Chelsea Rocks

The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

Besides the excitement of being a film set location for Peaky Blinders Portsoy also hosts the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival and welcomes up to 16,000 people each year! It places special emphasis on boat building, restoration and sailing, but it also showcases a wide range of arts, crafts, music, and food for the local area.

Portsoy is a great place to visit at any time of year but the few days in late June early July, when the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival is on, is a great time to be in the area.

We even featured the boat festival in the documentary we made about Craigston for Italian TV:

Craigston documentary airs again in Italy

Come and stay in our family home near Portsoy

Portsoy is less than 30 minutes from Craigston. The short journey is a wonderful drive taking in both the rural countryside and some magnificent coastline of Aberdeenshire.

Portsoy is a favourite place for the Urquart family, William’s parents were married there.

Come and stay in our family home, not far from Portsoy. Steeped in history and surrounded by beautiful countryside, Craigston Castle is the perfect place to stay. Whether you are looking for a self catering break or a holiday with full catering, staying at Craigston is the perfect base from which to explore this amazing part of Scotland.

Find out more now: Contact and Booking.