Crovie is a highly narrow fishing village on the east side of Gamrie Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The plain ground allowing settlement is so narrow that there is only room for a row of cottages. There is a footpath in front of the cottages; however, it is impossible to use any motor vehicles in the village. So, visitors have to leave their cars in a park above the cliffs.
Crovie was established by families sent away from the inland estates of Britain in the late 18th century. After their landlord displaced them to make room for his sheep, they started operating the landlord’s fishing boats. Nevertheless, it largely profited him and entirely risked the residents. By the middle of the 19th century, some fishermen built their own boats. The number of these owner-operated boats surpassed fifty by the end of the century.
The competition from the larger vessels operating in other ports resulted in the gradual decline of Crovie’s fleet in the first half of the 20th century. However, the end of the village’s fishing industry came abruptly on 31 January 1953 when a hurricane forced huge waves into the village. The waves washed away Crovie’s sea defenses and a number of houses. Most of the residents had to move to Gardenstown, a larger village opposite Crovie. Today, the village houses mostly function as holiday lets in summer.
