Cullen is a picturesque fishing town in the North East of Scotland, right on the border between Moray and Aberdeenshire. Our sandy beach offers ideal surf and paddleboarding conditions and receives the occasional visit from passing dolphins!
With a great atmosphere and a variety of things to do and places to eat and stay, it's an ideal choice for a quick visit or a longer relaxing holiday by the sea for families and couples.
A natural sea arch near Portknockie, named because it resembles the tip of a fiddle bow. Breathtaking in person, and best seen from the water on our favourite SUP tour route! Not to be missed.
A hearty bowl of Cullen Skink is a delicious local specialty. A must!
The Bin of Cullen is a 320m hill rising above forestry to a bare summit that offers breathtaking views of the local coastline and landscape. When the surf is big enough, you can see the waves rolling in at Cullen Beach from the top of Bin Hill!
Andy at Coffee at the Kings is our neighbour at the beach, selling delicious coffee and cakes from Thursday to Sunday. Perfect for a treat after a session in the North Sea.
Gareth & Sarah run Coastal Pizza - delicious Neapolitan Pizza available regularly at Cullen Harbour. Highly recommended for a feel-good meal after spending some time in the sea!
A varied selection of great shops and cafes to visit. From breakfast at the Rockpool Cafe to dinner at the Seafield Arms Hotel, a Cullen ice cream, fresh fish & chips, or a stroll around the colourful shops; there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Combine water activities with a unique round of golf overlooking our beautiful beach!
Hot feel-good food served by friendly staff right at the beach.
There are a variety of walking routes from Cullen, along headlands, past castles, above secluded bays; a great way to enjoy a summer's day and take in the stunning view.
Discover Cullen is a great resource on the town and local area for more information. There are plenty more things to do & see, and places to visit that we haven't been able to mention here!
Visit us at Blue Coast for surfing & paddleboarding at our bay in the North East of Scotland. We're at Cullen beach year-round; every day in summer and for bookings in winter.
Looking northwest from the quaint fishing town of Cullen, down through its striking viaducts that frame the picturesque bay, it would be easy to miss something. You look over the water towards the headland at Portknockie as people around you slip in and out of the cafes and shops. It's a clear day and the sun on your face doesn't give it away; you'd be forgiven for forgetting you're in the North East of Scotland.
But if you look closely, down at the blue water and the white breakers that roll onto the sandy shoreline, maybe you'll see a figure or two out there, beyond the waves, paddling leisurely on top of the water. If you're really lucky, you might see a pod of dolphins putting on their playful show as they make their way across the bay, past the awestruck paddleboarders.
And if you had time on your hands, maybe you'd take a stroll down the hill and through the Seatown, pausing occasionally to admire the old colourful cottages. You'd make your way to the beach, under the viaducts that were so prominent all those moments before, and look out at the Moray Firth, at the North Sea, and you'd see the black dots floating just beyond the waves.
What are they doing? you'd think, as one begins to paddle and glide with an incoming wave. They'd stand up on their board and ride almost to the sand and you'd watch them grin, turn around and paddle out again, hoping for another glimpse of that magic and you'd think to yourself,
Maybe I'll give that a try.
Adam is fantastic - gear was great - what a fabulous experience - thank you
I had a great time learning to Stand Up Paddleboard with Adam. He was a very good instructor. I was a bit nervous beforehand,but I felt safe during the lesson. I learnt a lot and feel ready togo out on my own paddleboard.
We had a fantastic morning with Adam yesterday. He was an excellent teacher. He had us all standing on our boards within 10 minutes. We would highly recommend this fun and exciting experience
I booked the SUP lesson and tour for my mum's 60th birthday celebrations. It was our first time paddle boarding, at first my mum was very nervous but with lots of encouragement and a progressive approach to learning from Adam, she was able to summon the courage to venture out of the harbour. However we opted to stay in the harbour for the remainder of our lesson to build on the skills we had just learned and gain some more confidence instead of completing the full tour, Adam was incredibly flexible with his plans to meet our needs. I would definitely recommend this to beginners. We can't wait to come back and complete the rest of the tour.
Best surf lesson I have had! Adam was so thorough and clear in his teaching. He would make us all feel safe and also encouraged during our time in the waves. He took the time to give individual feedback on technique to help us improve throughout the lesson. Such a fun day out!
Our 1st time paddle boarding and we were both so glad to have had as well an experienced and knowledgeable person as Adam teaching us. A very enjoyable experience.
We did a couples introduction to SUP and we absolutely loved it! We learned a lot from Adam who was a great teacher. We would definitely recommend to others.
This was great fun and an excellent first-time surfing experience! I would definitely recommend this to any beginners / couples looking to try surfing.
I joined Kimberly and Adam for a fantastic Surfing and Yoga Day Retreat! The awesome, well guided, all-kit-provided surf lesson was sandwiched between 2 well-crafted and enjoyable yoga sessions. Followed by the most delicious pizza I've had all year!Despite feeling a bit nervous before the surfing, Adam put me at total ease, he was encouraging, supportive and helpful. It made the experience throughly immersive, enjoyable and fun. I loved every minute and didn't even get cold. I felt amazing afterwards, like I'd had full body massage! Can't wait to come back! -Alice
Excellent morning of coasteering with superb views and adrenaline fuelled adventure ending at Bow Fiddle rock. Adam our guide was very good, and his knowledge of the area is clearly visible. I think maybe he had an easy morning with us in a good way, with our background we all got stuck in, didn't have to ask twice, straight into higher jumps and the conditions were perfect. I would highly recommend Blue Coast for your adventure. Great communication from start to end.
Couples Intro to SUP. This was a really enjoyable intro to paddle boarding. Adam the instructor was excellent and the location was fab.
I can only repeat what has been said in many reviews before. Adam is a consumate professional and went out of his way to help especially as none of the four in our group had paddleboarded before. To compound things further two of us were'nt that confident in the water to begin with but Adam took care of that by giving us all a detailed and comprehensive briefing before going into the water and also by taking time to give some 1-2-1 help when we struggled with certain elements. Having listened to Adam's briefing we all managed to get mobile and after a short while of building up our confidence Adam got every one of us up onto our feet and paddling about with relative ease. I cant praise Adam highly enough for looking after us and for imparting his knowledge to us and for giving us practical lessons that were fun. If you want to learn the basics of paddleboarding within a safe environment Adam would be my first and only choice. Do it, you wont regret it !!!!
Fabulous coasteering trip - excellent relaxed and professional adventure. Adam ensured our whole diverse group challenged and enjoyed themselves from aged 22-61, Adrenaline seekers to first time rock jumper. Fab time
We had a great time doing the introduction for couples paddleboarding. Adam was a great teacher and we had lots of fun and learned a lot. Would definitely recommend
Such a fun experience! A beautiful location to try surfing and Adam was great at looking out for my two kids and making it fun for everyone. We can’t wait to come back!
We thoroughly enjoyed our group lesson on paddle boards at Port Knockie harbour. Keir was an excellent instructor giving us all the basics with patience and fun. We were so lucky with the weather. Some of us were worried about being cold but the high quality wet suits, gloves and boots kept us warm.
If you wear glasses remember to bring a head strap to keep them on. You will fall in and if you don’t, you’ll have to get in to practice “saving” each other.In summary, a fabulous fun and safe experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my paddle board lesson. It was completely out of my comfort zone, both the activity and booking by myself. However Adam explained everything clearly and was really encouraging. I can’t wait to be back in the area to book onto a tour!
Our older two daughters had tried paddle boarding before and had a great time. Now it was time for the whole family to give it go. We had a good time and Adam was a super instructor. He was really patient and encouraging and helped us all feel comfortable on a board. It was a fun afternoon activity.
Adam was a great teacher and put us at ease. We had never done paddle boarding before and thoroughly enjoyed it, we'll be doing it again!
Great intro
