Portknockie
Human settlement in Scotland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Portknockie (Scottish Gaelic: Port Chnocaidh, the hilly port) is a coastal village on the Moray Firth within Moray, Scotland.
Portknockie
| |
---|---|
Bow Fiddle Rock | |
Location within Moray | |
Population | 1,230 (2020)[1] |
Council area |
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Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
Website | village website |
57.7027°N 2.8597°W / 57.7027; -2.8597 |
The village's name is written as Portknockies in the Old Parish Registers. This would suggest that the port's name referred to not one, but two rocky hills at the hythe - the Port Hill and the Greencastle. Nearby towns include Buckie, Findochty and Cullen.
Historically in Banffshire, the village was founded in 1677 and it became a significant herring fishing port during the nineteenth century, although today only a handful of commercial inshore boats remain.
The town was on the railway network, until Portknockie station closed in 1968.
A popular site in Portknockie is Bow Fiddle Rock, a large rock about 15 metres (49 ft) high just off the coast. The quartzite structure has a large sea arch, which somewhat resembles the bow of a fiddle, making it an example of a natural arch.
Small numbers of seabirds nest on the coastal cliffs. These include fulmar, black-legged kittiwake, common gull, razorbill and shag. Additionally common eider can be seen in and around the harbour and coves during the summer months.