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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Stonehaven
Give Stonehaven one night, or a half-day from Aberdeen: Dunnottar Castle plus the harbour is 3–4 hours on foot, and the last train back is early evening.
Stonehaven is a small fishing port 15 miles south of Aberdeen, and the reason to come is Dunnottar Castle: a ruined medieval fortress on a headland reached by a clifftop walk from the harbour. The town itself is a Victorian grid with a shingle beach, an open-air seawater pool and a fish-and-chip shop that claims the deep-fried Mars bar. One night covers it; a day trip from Aberdeen covers most of it.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, wind and rain)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £55–85 excl. bed · Mid £85–140 excl. bed · High £140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Emergency 999 · Emergency (any phone) 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips | £10–15 |
| Deep-fried Mars bar | £2–3 |
| Pint of beer in a pub | £4.50–6 |
| Dunnottar Castle adult / child | £13 / £6 |
| Open Air Pool adult swim | £10 |
| Taxi across town | £6–10 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ABZ · Aberdeen Airport
- About 40 min by road via the A90; no direct rail link from the airport, so taxi or bus into Aberdeen then train.
Typical fares
- Train Aberdeen → Stonehaven
- about £8 one way, 20 min
- Bus 8 Aberdeen Union Square → Barclay Street
- about 1 h, daytime hourly
- Taxi station → harbour
- £6–10
Get around
Walk. The centre, beach, harbour and the start of the castle path are all within 15 minutes on foot. Stagecoach buses 4A and 4C loop the town Monday–Saturday, roughly hourly. Local taxis: Dash Cabs and Zip Cabs (check current numbers).
See and do
Known for
- Dunnottar Castle
- The harbour and Tolbooth
- Deep-fried Mars bar
- Stonehaven Open Air Pool
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Train from Stonehaven station, about 20 min; or Stagecoach bus 8 from Barclay Street, about 1 h | About 40 min by train from the centre |
| Dunnottar Woods and Fetteresso | Walk inland along the Glaslaw Burn, about 1 mile | About 25 min on foot |
| Crawton and Fowlsheugh | Drive or cycle south on the A92, about 4 miles | About 15 min by car |
| Banchory and the Dee valley | Drive via the A957 and A93, about 40 min | About 45 min by car |
Sleep
- Harbour and Shorehead
- Pubs with rooms and guesthouses facing the water; 5–10 min walk to the castle path.
- Town centre (Allardice St, Ann St, Evan St)
- Guesthouses and a hotel by the Town Hall; closest to shops, buses and the beach.
- Station area (Arduthie Rd)
- Practical for one night with bags; the station is a mile west of the centre, downhill walk in.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Sorry | Sorry |
| Where is the castle path? | Where is the castle path? |
| One fish supper, please | One fish supper, please |
| Card, please | Card, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The castle path is rough and exposed: wear shoes with grip and do not stand near cliff edges.
- Dunnottar Castle closes in high wind or ice; check the official site before walking out.
- Stonehaven station is a mile uphill from the centre: allow 20 minutes with luggage.
- Coaches on the A90 do not stop in town; the bus from Aberdeen is Stagecoach 8 by day, X7 at night.
A quiet, safe small town; the real risks are the weather and the cliffs. The castle path is unfenced in places, and coastal wind and rain arrive fast — carry a waterproof and turn back if the path is icy.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Stonehaven yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Dunnottar Castle
- The harbour and Tolbooth
- Deep-fried Mars bar
- Stonehaven Open Air Pool
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Stonehaven visitor information portal: www.stunningstonehaven.com/
- Dunnottar Castle — official site: www.dunnottarcastle.co.uk/
- Stonehaven Open Air Pool: stonehavenopenairpool.co.uk/
- ScotRail — timetables and fares: www.scotrail.co.uk/
- Stagecoach Bluebird — Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire buses: www.stagecoachbus.com/
- Wikivoyage: Stonehaven, revision 5230278 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5230278
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Stonehaven
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Stonehaven; the nearest US consulate is in Edinburgh, and most other countries have embassies in London.
English is spoken everywhere; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/stonehaven). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.