Take pleasure in Scotland’s piers

Words: Dr Joseph Brennan

The ‘pleasure pier’ – as a uniquely British construction – was, strictly speaking, a mostly English and Welsh tradition. Though Scots have always derived ‘pleasure’ from their piers, the traditions that were born from these structures were generally of a different type to what most would associate with the pleasure pier today.

Almost all of Britain’s piers started out with steamers in mind. However, as the expansion of the rail network during Queen Victoria’s reign took over the role of bringing visitors to the seaside, many of the seaward-stretching piers of England and Wales gradually gave themselves over to promenades and amusements instead.

A survey of the relatively small number of piers dotted around the Scottish coast reveals a key observation: these structures are more loch- and riparian-side than seaside, and often in difficult-to-reach locales. This ruled out trains in many cases, preserving their primarily watercraft serving functions. In a pinch, Scotland’s coast was too dramatic, too scenic.

That said, Scotland was an immensely fashionable frontier for the Victorian visitor, having its share of resort towns catering to saltwater bathing, mineral baths, and other medicinal seaside obsessions; but Scotland’s piers did not repurpose in the same fashion as their cousins to the south.

Scotland offered the Victorians a more rustic retreat, and its piers – plotted along some of the most scenic stretches of sheltered inner coastlines – were the threshold through which many visitors gained access to these shores. In some cases, ‘by-water’ remained the only way of reaching these locations long after the Victorians.

Over time, these piers started offering provisions for pleasure, too, and localised leisure activities sprung up on them – such as the swimming club that set up on Edinburgh’s pier at Leith once the sea-traffic had stopped calling.

Here, we visit six of the pleasure piers still standing in Scotland and remember two that have been lost to time, with their stories revealing the vital link to steamer and ferry services that these structures offered in terms of both livelihoods and leisure pursuits. PS Waverley, for example, is the last remaining seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world and calls in regularly to many of the piers on our tour.

Blairmore Pier (Built 1855)

Blairmore is an early wooden pier that served steamer traffic from the mid-19th century at a time when country retreats and villas were being built along the Cowal peninsula on the western shore of Loch Long. This was an especially scenic part of Argyll and Bute and a hub for Scottish pier-building.

This small village became a major destination due to the pier, attracting more than 4,000 steamers each year at the height of popularity (at the turn of the 20th century). After decline and closure, it made a triumphant reopening for its 150th anniversary in 2005. However, in 2020 a crowdfunding campaign was held to pay for ongoing maintenance and to try and find ways for it to generate income for the future.

The original pier ticket office has been lovingly restored as a holiday chalet available for hire. Rates at the ‘Old Ticket Office’ start from £50 for one night in the low season and £375 for a weekly stay in the high. cottages.com; seelochlomond.co.uk/discover/blairmore-cowal

Rothesay Pier (Built 1884)

On the Isle of Bute, this pier is more of a terminus and remains an artery for steamers carrying passengers and cargo from the Clyde. Sadly, its main baronial terminal building was lost to fire in 1962 – replaced with a replica in 1992. Its original Victorian toilets (dating from 1898) still stand, however. Tours of the gents (during quiet times) are even possible – for those ladies so inclined! Development of the site has continued into the current century, with today’s visitors enjoying cruises on PS Waverley and pier-adjacent attractions, such as fine gardens.

West Bay, Rothesay, c.1890.

Tighnabruaich Pier (Built 1885)

This pier is a listed building within a National Scenic Area along the Firth of Clyde. Of traditional wooden construction, it continues to receive goods and visitors today. In fact, the village – located on the western arm of the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute – was entirely dependent on the pier until 1969, when access was eventually gained via the national road network.

Fort William Pier (Built 1894)

On the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe, Fort William Pier has long provided a gateway to this popular town in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands, connecting wayfarers with Ben Nevis. A former bait shed on the pier was converted by a local fisherman, Finlay Finlayson, in 1989 and has maintained a reputation for serving the freshest catch with unparalleled views across the loch. The eatery – Crannog Restaurant –  remains popular today and offers cruises. Ensure you book ahead of your visit.

Dunoon Pier (Built 1835 – rebuilt 1895)

This pier shares a resemblance to Rothesay, and Dunoon is the main town along the Cowal peninsula. From the Victorian times to the 1960s, fleets of paddle steamers would bring people from Glasgow to Dunoon on their annual holiday. Even today, the pier has a bustle about it, accommodating three main services: Argyll Ferries, which operates a passenger service to Gourock; Western Ferries, which has the capacity to transport cars; and PS Waverley, which calls in for traditional pleasure cruises during the summer months. piers.org.uk/piers/dunoon

Kilcreggan Pier (Built 1850 – rebuilt 1897)

Kilcreggan juts out into the Clyde along the Rosneath peninsula, which separates Gare Loch from Loch Long. It is the last remaining traditional Victorian wooden pier on the Clyde. Its backdrop of handsome houses from the same period is proof of the profitability of piers in Victorian Scotland – built to house the directors of steamship companies. Like at Blairmore, visitors can soak up some Scottish pier history with a stay at one of its original entrance buildings – ‘Pier Cottage’ – or a visit to the museum, which is also housed in one of its original buildings. airbnb.co.uk/rooms/42483974

The piers along Scotland’s shores are all packed with stories. Whether you wish to live among them with a stay in one of their original buildings (at Blairmore or Kilcreggan); or opt for a more imaginative journey, walking the shores of Edinburgh’s beaches, or simply use them as a point to disembark along your journey: tourists, history buffs and local conservationists alike are bound to find that piers are the perfect accompaniment to any Scottish coastal tour.

Scotland’s Forgotten Piers

As part of our survey – which is not exhaustive – it is worth remembering two piers that are lost to us, as they have legacies still moored in the places they were built. Both were along the coastal suburbs of Edinburgh, at Leith (Trinity Chain Pier, 1821–1898) and Portobello (1871–1917).

Trinity Chain was designed by Samuel Brown (of Union Bridge fame) as a precursor (built two years prior) to the famous — also lost — Royal Suspension Chain Pier in Brighton, England. The pier fell into disuse before succumbing to a storm. One of the pier’s shore-end buildings, known as the Pier Bar during its lifetime, lives on as the ‘Old Chain Pier’, a popular pub today. oldchainpier.com

Portobello Pier resembled more closely the pleasure pier as it is conjured in the popular imagination – as a place to promenade and be seen by visiting or Edinburgh-local society elite. Its attractions included a camera obscura, tearoom and concert hall.

It is also notable as the only pier in Britain to be designed by Sir Thomas Bouch, infamous following the Tay Bridge Disaster of 1879. Storm damage, disuse
and corrosion of its iron supports led to its demolition, while plans for a restoration of a pier on the site have been ongoing since the 1930s.

Dr Joseph Brennan is a travel writer with a penchant for Victorian-era exploration and an enduring love of Scotland. josephbrennan.com