The Pennan Inn became world-famous thanks to the film Local Hero and the phone box out front. But reducing the Inn to just the film would do its owners a disservice.
Because Nikki and Peter Simpson have put their own stamp on the Pennan Inn – without denying the house’s history. Walk into the Inn and everything still feels in keeping with the place. On the right is a bar hung with all sorts of fishing-themed bits and pieces: small ship’s wheels, models, ship’s lamps. A stove keeps things cosily warm.
And here you’ll still find traces of “Ferness”, as the village of Pennan was called in the film Local Hero: photos, a signed film poster, a newspaper clipping and a few fan souvenirs visitors can buy.
But as I said: the Pennan Inn offers more than tradition and film nostalgia. Instead of heading right into the bar, walk down the corridor towards the back and you’ll reach the restaurant. And here the Pennan Inn offers more than local fish, steaks or burgers. Peter Simpson has also specialised in Thai cuisine: Thai chicken curry, fried noodles or vegetables with tofu all appear on the menu – exotic cooking made largely from locally sourced ingredients.
A proper inn also means the option to stay the night (I’ve described exactly what sets an inn apart from other types of accommodation here). Five rooms are available, priced around £70 to £100 a night. The rooms are furnished in a thoroughly modern, well-kept style, but fairly small, owing to the way the house is built – there’s no room for seating in them.
We were there in 2012, and since then the owners have, according to their website, renovated the rooms once again. And in 2015 they planned to expand further, aiming for six double rooms and one single room, each with its own bathroom.
In April 2020, Monika Focht took over the Pennan Inn – bookings are already possible.
The Pennan Inn is therefore certainly the address to go for if you want to stay a while in famous Pennan.
Good to know: The Pennan Inn is 200 years old
In 2007, the Inn initially closed its doors for almost two years. The owners at the time moved to Canada. That happened in the same week a mudslide hit the village and caused major damage – though the Inn itself apparently wasn’t particularly affected.
In 2009, the Simpson couple bought the house. Bit by bit they took the building in hand, adding more and more rooms over the years. In 2013 there were just three; soon there were meant to be seven.
Let’s hope the boom continues and the Inn survives for a long time to come. After all, it’s said to have stood here for over 200 years already. A piece of history like that deserves to be preserved.
Personal note: A room for a good night’s sleep
We were there in September, after the big summer rush of tourists. We really enjoyed our night at the Pennan Inn – we made peace with the small room easily enough, since we took an evening stroll in the mild air watching the sun go down, and really only went up to the room to sleep.
Getting there:
For your sat nav: enter “AB43 6JB”. That leads straight into the village of Pennan. At the bottom of the descent, the Inn sits right at the T-junction on the right.
From Aberdeen: take the A90 just over 20 kilometres to Ellon. At the Ellon roundabout, turn onto the A948 towards “New Deer”. Follow the road straight on until, after another roughly 20 kilometres, you pass “New Deer”. Then watch out: the road forks left towards New Pitsligo. Follow that road all the way to Pennan. Watch out for oncoming traffic on the steep descent into the village.