Driftwood - A coastal experience by the sea.

Our cosy apartment is close to the harbour.
It is ideal for 4/5 but can accommodate 6. (It has one bathroom). The garden is a sun trap where you can relax. Nibbles? Wine?
Our windows all have harbour/sea views.
We have 3 bedrooms, a king size, queen and twin beds.
The kitchen and living area has TV, DVD, and Wifi. There is an oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge and washing machine.
The original 19 th century stairs are steeper than nowadays so please be aware and be careful and mindful.

On parking outside Skylark’s Rest, enter the space between the houses. Head towards the gate and up the steps.
Press the door handle into the entrance- it’s original, small and blue.
The key box is to the right. There are two keys for the door.
The room on our front page is the one that you will see as you enter. Have a great stay!

The entire apartment and the right hand side garden. There are seats to relax on.

I am always available on my phone.

It’s a great neighbourhood. People are very friendly. The local pub The Harbour Bar is a superb meeting place for locals and visitors alike. It is the hub of the village and holds Quiz nights that are always entertaining!
The Harbour Bar serves good food also. Oh and there are Darts Boards and Pool tables to use. It’s such an atmospheric old place.

If you want a nice meal then Quayside Restaurant has a beautiful view for you to take in whilst eating. On the other hand downstairs they have an award winning fish and chip shop . It serves the best fish and chips.

Then on the road into the village is a Chinese take away shop.

Next to the harbour is Gourline fresh and home smoked fresh fish shop. We LOVE the hot smoked salmon.

The Maggie Law Maritime Museum is open in season and it has some great stories to tell. It is open at weekends.

You can walk north along the seashore to Inverbervie which is the the next village. There are pubs and fooderies, a delicious bakery The Phoenix, Bannerman’s the excellent butcher, a Post Office, Newsagents, Beauty Salon and a Supermarket -Scotmid which is well stocked for its size. Touchwood is a very interesting and especially eclectic shop for decor and furniture. It is a MUST to look around.

Then of course you can take the coastal walk south which takes you to another fishing village; Johnshaven. The Anchor Hotel serves amazing meals and it’s speciality is local fish . You should look them up and make a reservation. The Lobster Shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday or Sundays depending on the season. Such tasty choices !

The Hidden Treasure tearooms are open from Thursday to Sunday. They serve delicious soups and sandwiches and Mary bakes the best of cakes. They may open longer in peak season.

From May to September The Johnshaven Old Lifeboat House Museum is open at weekends. This year’s exhibition celebrates children.

The Starfish Studio sells handmade crafts and beautiful art work. They too are extremely popular. The walk is so enjoyable especially on a sunny day along the sea and Johnshaven is a well visited village.

Oh and I have started my guide book to help with things to do. It gives you my opinions of places to go both close and further afield. Have a look at it.

Go to St Cyrus beach - it’s so beautiful and if you can walk far enough to the caves and the waterfall it is well worth it. Coming back near the cliffs you will see the old Fish Bothy and The Old Kirk Yard. Look up the sad story of George Beattie who died for unrequited love. He is buried there.

On your way, take a sneaky look at Johnshaven. It is Dog friendly.The Museum will be open at weekends in season. The harbour is a central area to the village. The Lobster Shop sells gorgeous food which you can eat whilst watching the sea. The Hidden Treasure tea room is so popular. It serves light snack sandwiches , soup and delicious home made cakes. You I’ll return here. We bet. Then there is the Anchor Hotel. It is very quirky and has rooms both in the hotel and around the harbour. The food is delicious and the fish dishes just so popular. It is also dog friendly.
In Johnshaven there is the local well stocked store. If you are buying gifts , go to the back of the Anchor Hotel and you will find the Star Fish Studio. It seems to be so very popular with tourists and locals alike. If you find the Village Hall, opposite and in another lovely little cottage there are eclectic art pieces that are made from the flotsam she collects. There are a few pieces in Driftwood.

Lunan Bay Beach is also famous for its beauty. It is exhilarating. It is on the A 92 going south towards Arbroath. And quite close is the Arbikie Gin and Whisky tasting Bothy. It’s a glorious view as you enjoy your food and drink.

If you like to walk , then the Blue Door Walk in Edzell is spectacular as the water rushes through the Rocks of Solitude. Edzell Castle is fun for the family and has one of the original Renaissance gardens. The Laird was very much a supporter of girls’ education.

Further South on the A92 is Arbroath Harbour. It is nice to walk round the Signal Tower Museum and discover the story of The Bell Rock Lighthouse which was a major project built a few miles off the coast. The caves are spectacular if you follow a guide.
The cliff walk is spectacular and you can canoe, kayak , paddle board even take a boat trip to Bell Rock.

Montrose Beach and Play park is good as is the cafe on the front next to it.the on the is a second cafe called the Pavilion which is next to the tennis courts in Montrose. The RAF Air Museum is a chance for the children to see the aeroplanes and maybe sit in the cockpit of one.

If you want to visit Dundee it is a 50 minute drive from Gourdon .where the quayside has different attractions… The V and A Museum of Design. There is also the Discovery - the ship that went to Antarctica and further back is a galleon from earlier times. There’s a fab museum and a Science Museum and lots of little places to eat in the streets.away.

Drive over the Tay Bridge from Dundee and in 20 minutes you are in St Andrews.

Back to Gourdon on the 92 and you can go north to ABERDEEN. Kids like the Marine Museum as it has lots to learn about -oil rigs and deep sea divers. There are other museums too. On the sea front there is Córdona’s funfair, an Ice rink and trampoline extravaganza but I can’t remember it’s name!
If you go to the harbour across from the Union Street Shopping Mall entrance ; you can take a trip around to spot the local dolphin pods. They hang around there all the time.

Just message me if you want to go further afield……

There is a set of steps at the back of the house. If you park outside 26, Skylarks’s Rest and go past the bins,(to the right); at the side of the house. It leads up the steps to the entrance to the apartment.. There is a gate at the entrance to the steps. It encloses the garden for pets and children to safely play.
Welcome to Gourdon and to Driftwood. We love being here when we can get up from Yorkshire.

We have some suggestions which help out our cleaning ladies and also the bin lorries so that cleaning is as eco supportive as we can be.

Would you please ensure your general rubbish is placed in the bin bag. If you use more than one bag then the bins are at the side as you go out into the street. ( Sorry if they aren’t always clean but the seagulls’ flight path is directly above). We all recycle and the council is very strict. The contents information is on the bins. (We have to follow Aberdeenshire guidelines or they won’t empty them).🙁

We have 3 large double bedrooms and can accommodate up to 6 people . We think 4 is ideal but contact us should you want more just so we are aware for laundry purposes.

During busy periods it’s so very helpful to the cleaning company if the beds are stripped - they are most appreciative. The summer turnover is a very short turnaround time and the cleaning staff have more than just us.

Thankyou for reading this. Have a great time, lovely walks , some bracing sea air and tasty food!

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