Located on the Buchan coast, Peterhead is the most easterly town in Scotland and is also the largest town in Aberdeenshire apart from Aberdeen city. In any one year Peterhead will typically get 20 percent more sunshine hours than Edinburgh and, at less than 30 inches, it is firmly located in one of the driest corners of the land.Peterhead has been established for more than 400 years (celebrating its quatercentenary in 1987) and ever since it established itself it has depended on, and flourished from, its close association with the sea. Indeed the oldest known building in Peterhead dating from 1585, the 'Old Smoke House' is located on the south bank of the River Ugie estuary; it is still producing fine smoked fish products and is also the oldest working premises in the whole of Scotland. A number of legends exist around the origins of the Peterhead name but most probably the name comes from the 13th C. St Peter's Church, the remains of which still can be seen in the town. Peterhead is also known throughout the world as 'The Blue Toon' and here again there are many legends on how this came about. However the strongest contender undoubtedly is connected to the fact that the people of Peterhead are also known as 'Blue Mogganers'. Moggans are a knitted sock favoured by the seamen of yore and the Peterhead 'quines' always favoured a blue wool. The 'fisherman's ganzie' is the 'Blue Toon' fisherman's traditional jumper which is again knitted in blue and worn, allegedly, in order that any body found at sea could be identified as being from his home town - in this case, Peterhead. Peterhead also has its own specially designed 'Blue Toon' tartan. The town's harbour was probably started by the Cistercian monks in the early 13th C but the oldest remaining part, Port Henry, dates from the latter part of the 16th century. Before the Turnpike Act of 1795, there were very few roads in the Buchan area and there were no regular coaches serving the area before this time. When a coach service was eventually established it is recorded that the Peterhead to Banff coach did the return journey in 13 hours, (a journey of around 30 miles), which included a 3-hour stop over. It is estimated that at today's rates the coach fare between Peterhead and Aberdeen would have cost the equivalent of £300 to sit inside and a mere £245 to sit outside.
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