Port Erroll Harbour
A historic working harbour, enjoyed today for fishing and leisure in a beautiful coastal location 

Port Erroll is a historic harbour, primarily constructed from mass concrete gravity walls using early concrete construction techniques. These substantial structures have stood against the North Sea for generations, but continued exposure to the marine environment inevitably takes its toll.

Where the outer concrete becomes damaged or breached, seawater can penetrate the structure and cause erosion and loss of material within the walls. Addressing this deterioration and carrying out the substantial repairs needed to protect the structure is one of the harbour’s greatest ongoing challenges.

Our aim is simple: to protect Port Erroll Harbour so that it remains a working harbour for future generations.

Achieving this requires careful planning, engineering advice, repair specifications, contractor quotations and, importantly, continued fundraising and grant support. Some of the structural work required is significant, and securing the harbour’s long-term future will depend on a combination of external funding, donations and the continued support of harbour users and the wider community.

Alongside these larger repair projects, the Trust also meets the ongoing costs of operating and maintaining the harbour and its facilities. These include water, electricity, mooring lines and chains, harbour buildings, public facilities and the wider harbour estate.

Improvements since 2023

With the support of volunteers, harbour users, funders and the local community, a great deal has already been achieved.

Work and improvements have included:

• Emergency repairs to the West Pier head after a substantial void developed within the pier;
• Refurbishment of the public toilet block, supported by NESFLAG and Coastal Communities funding;
• Installation of new harbour ladders and top rails, with support from Aberdeenshire/Buchan funding;
• Development and installation of two visitor information lecterns;
• Additional benches and picnic tables;
• Improvements to harbour signage and noticeboards;
• Levelling and edging of the drying green area;
• Replacement of mooring lines and chains, supported by donations;
• Continued work to secure funding for larger structural repairs; and
• Supporting students from SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) with projects connected to their degree studies.

These improvements are important, but significant work remains to protect the harbour for the future.

Port Erroll continues to support commercial crab and lobster fishing, leisure boating, visitors and the wider community. Protecting the harbour also means protecting an important part of the area’s maritime heritage and working coastal environment.

As part of the Trust’s wider strategy, we also want to support a sustainable blue environment — one in which the harbour can continue to support responsible commercial fishing, recreational use and the local community while respecting and protecting the coastal environment on which all of these activities depend.

Help support Port Erroll

Every contribution helps us maintain and improve the harbour and supports the significant repair work needed now and in the years ahead.

If you would like to support Port Erroll Harbour through a donation, fundraising, volunteering, sponsorship or other assistance, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Together, we can help protect Port Erroll Harbour and ensure that this historic working harbour continues to serve its users, visitors and the wider community for generations to come.