From the Toon to the Blue Toon
This week sees the re-emergence of Mrs Hopper, as we take a weekend break in Peterhead.
Balmoor Stadium is one of the four Scottish league grounds I have yet to visit, so obviously I’m excited to get one step closer to my goal of visiting them all.
Given the distances involved, it made sense to make a weekend of it, as we always enjoy our trips over the border, and I’m sure Peterhead will be no exception.
Peterhead is the busiest fishing port in the United Kingdom, so I expect there will be plenty to see and do around the harbour area.
Joining us there on match day will be Montrose, who, despite being located 77 miles south, are still one of the closer opposition games for Peterhead.
I did find it amusing to think that we would be heading from a town nicknamed the Toon (Newcastle) to one known as the Blue Toon (Peterhead).
So, without further ado, let’s go and explore another Scottish town.
The Journey
Needless to say, this is a long old trip!
Our Friday started with catching the 06:30 X1 to Newcastle’s Eldon Square bus station, arriving at 07:30. From there, we walked to Greggs for a bite to eat before continuing to Central Station.
We caught the 08:31 Lumo train to Edinburgh, arriving in the Auld Reekie at 09:55.
Time for a pit stop before picking up the 10:31 LNER service to Aberdeen.
Despite the long journey, this part of it went quickly as we had companionable neighbours sharing our table.
Despite that, it was still three hours later before we arrived in the Granite City at 13:35.
After another short pit stop, we walked to Union Square bus station just outside the railway station. From here, we caught the 14:00 X63 to Peterhead.
The journey is around 33 miles and costs £12.50 per person. Yes, I miss English bus fare capping when I’m north of the border!
I can theoretically buy a NorthEast Day Saver ticket and travel to Berwick-upon-Tweed for £7.50, and that’s 78 miles away.
We arrived on Prince Street at 15:15, a full nine hours after setting off from our house!
First Night in Peterhead
A short walk from Prince Street is the Trinity Boutique B&B. This is where we would be spending the next three nights.
After eventually working out how to get in through a passcode on the door and a safe box containing our room key, we walked into ‘The Parisian’ room.
Tastefully decorated, it looked the part for a nice base. The downside was the most important part… the bed.
It was an incredibly soft mattress that offered little to no support, and I knew I would have a bad back by the end of this.
Correct!
After dumping our belongings, we headed out into the town and walked down toward the sea.
Without really caring where we were walking, we found it difficult to get through all the fishing-related buildings that made up that part of town, and a raised bridge prevented us from crossing over the inlet.
We also had no idea where the pedestrian walkway shown in the photo below was located.
Cross Keys
Because we weren’t that bothered, we headed back into town and went into the Cross Keys pub for some dinner.
A typical Wetherspoons building, and if you’ve been in one, you’ve been in them all, right?
For around the same price as our bus fare from Aberdeen, we got a double chicken burger and fries each, a pint of Guinness and a Punk IPA.
That’s more like it.
Good for a cheap meal and first pint, but not the sort of place you want to spend the evening.
With that in mind, we headed across the road to try the nearest alternative.
The Caley Bar
This was a bit better. Great music coming from the jukebox and a decent pint of Guinness and a Tennent’s.
Some of the locals we spoke to recommended the Harbour Lights (or Scotcher Bar) for live music tomorrow night, so we made a mental note.
After a couple of pints, we moved on.
The Station Bar
This was the pub nearest to where our accommodation was, so it made sense to finish here before calling it a night.
There was a pool table, which drew our attention as we rarely get to play, and we both enjoy a game.
After the first game, I found out that seven-balling someone is called ‘grannying’ by the locals. I never mentioned you by name, Mrs Hopper!
Oops! Did I just mention her by name?
We had a couple of pints and a few games of pool before calling it a night and heading back to our B&B.
While we get ready for game day in the morning, why not have a read about the town of Peterhead?
Peterhead
The town of Peterhead is in Aberdeenshire, in northeast Scotland.
It sits at the easternmost point of mainland Scotland, around 108 miles east of Inverness, 32 miles north of Aberdeen and 163 miles northeast of Edinburgh. Hetton-le-Hole is a distant 300 miles to the south.
Peterhead is the second-largest settlement in Aberdeenshire and has long looked towards the North Sea for its survival.
At the 2022 Census, Peterhead had a population of 19,791.
Peterhead is known in Scottish Gaelic as ‘Ceann Phàdraig‘ and in Scots as ‘Peterheid‘. Its name is taken from an abbreviation of St. Peter’s Headland, named after a church on the shores of the bay.
Locally, the town is nicknamed ‘The Blue Toon‘, and its residents are known as ‘Blue Tooners‘. Another old nickname, ‘Blue Mogganers‘, supposedly came from the blue worsted stockings traditionally worn by local fishermen.
Archaeological investigations have uncovered Mesolithic and early Neolithic stone tools, as well as later burial and clearance cairns. These discoveries show that people have lived around Peterhead for more than 5,000 years.
Before the Scottish Reformation, Deer Abbey controlled the land on which the town now stands. In 1560, when the settlement was known as Peterugie or Inverugie of St Peter, Mary, Queen of Scots, granted the land to Robert Keith, 1st Lord Altrie.
Peterhead itself dates its foundation to 1593, when George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal, developed it as a planned settlement. The first recorded population numbered just 56 people. Twelve original feuars (Scottish landowners) occupied land along Seagate between Port Henry and an old causeway known as the Queenie.
The construction of Port Henry in 1593 set the direction for Peterhead’s future. Fishing and maritime trade quickly became central to the community, and by 1680 the town had developed a reputation as one of the best fishing locations on Scotland’s northern coast.
Peterhead also became something of a resort. Bath houses and mineral wells attracted visitors, particularly during the summer months, although these have since disappeared. By the early 18th century, the town contained around 230 families.
Fishing, Whaling and the Harbour
Peterhead’s harbour became increasingly important during the 18th century. In 1738, shipmasters from Leith described it as exceptionally well positioned for vessels trading across the North Sea.
The harbour underwent repeated improvements, while the town itself expanded uphill from the shoreline. The Town House replaced the old tolbooth in 1788, while elegant houses appeared around South Bay to accommodate visitors and sea captains.
Peterhead also found itself caught up in the Jacobite cause. James Francis Edward Stuart arrived from Dunkirk in December 1715, and the town supported the Jacobite risings of both 1715 and 1745. Its ports later helped receive money, equipment and reinforcements from France during the Forty-Five.
From 1788, Peterhead developed another major maritime industry: whaling. The trade grew until the town became Britain’s largest whaling port.
During the 19th century, herring fishing became increasingly important. In 1815, 72 vessels operated from Peterhead; by 1850, the figure had risen to more than 400.
Engineers including John Rennie, Thomas Telford and members of the Stevenson family helped expand and improve the harbour. North Harbour and its dry dock appeared between 1818 and 1822, while further piers, channels and harbour works followed throughout the century. A lifeboat station opened in 1865.
Peterhead Prison opened in 1888 and became known as one of Scotland’s toughest prisons. Convict labour later played a major role in constructing Peterhead’s enormous Harbour of Refuge, including its southern breakwater.
20th Century and Post War
By the early 20th century, Peterhead had become a thriving fishing port protected by vast breakwaters enclosing around 300 acres of Peterhead Bay. Fishing remained at the heart of the local economy and identity.
During the Second World War, Peterhead suffered heavily from German air raids. Luftwaffe bombers attacked the town 28 times, making it, according to the page, the second-most-bombed location in Britain after London. Its exposed position meant German aircraft heading towards Scottish targets often encountered Peterhead first.
A new period of economic growth began during the 1970s when Peterhead became an important service centre for the North Sea oil industry. The nearby St Fergus gas terminal strengthened this new role, while substantial areas of land were set aside for industrial development.
The town faced greater difficulties from the 1990s onwards as several major companies closed and changes to fishing regulations placed pressure on its traditional industry. Peterhead responded with a more diverse economy, including food processing, textiles and service industries.
Fishing, however, remains enormously important.
More than 193,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish, worth around £232 million, were landed at Peterhead in 2023. Around 700 fishermen worked in the industry, while the port remained the largest in the United Kingdom for fish landings.
Peterhead also retains a strong architectural connection to its past. Historic streets radiate out from the harbour, while notable buildings include the Town House, Old St Peter’s Church and the Old Parish Church. The oldest surviving building is the 16th-century Fish-House, also known as the Salmon House.
From a planned settlement of just 56 people to Britain’s leading fishing port, Peterhead has spent more than four centuries tied to the sea.
Whaling, herring, fishing, wartime raids and North Sea oil have all shaped the town at different points in its history.
Yet, the harbour remains at its heart, making Peterhead a town where its maritime past still plays a major role in everyday life.
Notable People from Peterhead
Film director Jon S. Baird, TV magician Stuart MacLeod, and actor Peter Mullan.
Saturday Morning
Before heading to the match, we decided we would pick up where we left off in our exploration of the town.
Specifically, the bay, Reform Tower and Peterhead Prison Museum.
This involved quite a bit of walking, and we definitely got our steps in for the day!
First, we walked along King Street, which heads southwest, taking us along the edge of the bay and past St. Peter’s Church with its picturesque graveyard.
There are some great views of the bay from here, and the sun shone for most of the day, making for a pleasant walk.
We turned left onto South Road, then right onto an unnamed road between Monument Close and Towerhill Road.
This brought us up to the Reform Tower, which you can read about here.
After wandering around, we retraced our steps back down to South Road and onto the Peterhead Prison Museum site across the road.
Peterhead Prison Museum
Entry to the museum is £15.00.
The prison closed its doors to inmates in 2013, but continues as a museum, where visitors can now see what one of Scotland’s toughest prisons looked like without having to stay.
For me, there isn’t enough to justify the £15 entrance fee, but I also realise that maintaining it isn’t cheap, and it’s worth keeping it alive… if only to scare people off from wanting to reside in a place like this.
An excellent educational tour for schoolchildren, I would imagine.
Since this piece is already exceptionally long, I will skip any narrative and just include my pictures and a link to the site’s history here.
We finished our excursion by walking around the back of the prison and eventually down a hill that led to the seafront near the southern breakwater.
By now, it was time to start heading back into town for the game. A total of over 6.5 miles by the time we got back to the B&B.
Not a bad day’s exercise!
More pictures from the walk are below, plus some from the previous day that help give you a gist of Peterhead.
After a quick pit stop at the B&B, we headed along Balmoor Terrace to the football ground.
Peterhead – Balmoor Park
Entry to the Balmoor Stadium is on the northwest corner, off Balmoor Terrace.
Before heading through the gates, we walked along the back of the stand on the west side and into the club shop.
From here, I picked up a pin badge for £3.00.
I bought a copy of the Peterhead programme from a young lad outside the club shop.
Programme
The Blue Toon Talk contains 48 glossy pages, of which 19 are adverts, equating to 39.6% of the content.
This is a double-match issue for today’s game against Montrose and an upcoming cup game against Inverness Clachnacuddin.
Inside are words from co-managers Jordon Brown and Ryan Strachan, along with photos from previous games against Cove Rangers and Dundee.
There are two double-page spreads on visitors Montrose and Clachnacuddin and a double-page article about Peterhead programmes from the past. A feature on ex-Blue Toon player Alex Bone and a double-page article on ex-Kilmarnock player Brian McIlroy.
There is also an article by the Blue Toon Podcast, and it’s nice to see a club giving its fanbase an official voice.
The usual fixture list, squad line-ups and league tables are all included, along with David Reid’s look around Scottish football’s latest talking points.
A solid effort from Peterhead, and the reading content makes up for all the adverts, I think.
Getting In
Entry to the Balmoor Stadium is on the northwest corner, off Balmoor Terrace.
My ticket was purchased for £16.00 via the Fanbase App and was scanned at the gate.
Once scanned, I walked into Balmoor Stadium.
North End
To my left, the North End is an uncovered flat standing area.
A wall stands between this area and a bank that leads up to Balmoor Terrace, from which you can peer down into the ground.
There is nothing of note at this end of the stadium.
East Stand
The east side contains a covered, seated stand and more flat standing in front of it.
There is also a converted shipping container, which has been painted and is used by the young Peterhead ultras.
I think this is a great idea by the club and gives the youngsters a place to think of as ‘theirs’ without disrupting other fans in the ground.
South End
Like its opposite end, the south end is an open, flat, standing area with no notable structures.
West Stand
The west side is the main matchday hub of Balmoor Stadium.
It contains the turnstiles, another club shop (by the entrance in the northwest corner), and a snack bar, plus the main stand.
This main stand is a covered, seated structure that houses the players’ tunnel and dressing rooms.
The technical dugouts stand on either side of the halfway line adjacent to the players’ tunnel.
Peterhead – Balmoor Park Gallery
Peterhead Tidbits
The Peterhead Football Club was founded in 1890, although football had been played in the town since the 1870s.
The club emerged from the ambitions of local football enthusiasts who wanted Peterhead to field a properly organised team under Scottish Football Association rules. Within a year of its formation, the town’s Feuars Managers provided the club with land at Raemoss Park.
The resulting ground, Recreation Park, opened in August 1891 in the presence of Provost Smith and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It remained Peterhead’s home for more than a century.
Peterhead began competitive football in 1900, joining the Aberdeenshire Football Association. The club remained in the Aberdeenshire League until 1931, when it joined the Highland Football League.
Peterhead’s first major success came with victory in the Aberdeenshire Cup in 1906. The club later won the same competition in consecutive seasons, 1934/35 and 1935/36.
A Record Defeat & Highland League Success
One of the more unusual episodes in the club’s early history occurred during the 1923/24 Scottish Cup.
Peterhead was drawn at home against Aberdeen, but the club committee accepted £300 from Aberdeen to transfer the fixture to Pittodrie. Peterhead’s players objected to the decision and walked out in protest.
The committee was forced to assemble a replacement side at short notice. Aberdeen won 13–0, which remains Peterhead’s heaviest defeat.
League football halted following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and resumed in 1946. Peterhead immediately entered one of the most successful periods in its history.
The club won the Highland League championship in its first season after competition resumed and added further titles in 1949 and 1950.
Almost four decades passed before Peterhead claimed another league championship. The club won its fourth Highland League title in 1988/89 before taking a fifth under manager Ronnie Brown ten years later.
Cup competition also brought sustained success. Peterhead won the Aberdeenshire Cup 20 times, with its most recent triumph coming in 1998/99. The club also collected five Highland League Cups, six Scottish Qualifying Cups (North) and an Aberdeenshire Shield.
Move to Balmoor & League Football
Peterhead left Recreation Park during the 1990s and moved to the newly constructed Balmoor Stadium, which opened on 28 September 1997. Recreation Park was subsequently sold for redevelopment as a supermarket site.
The move to a modern stadium played an important role in the next major development in Peterhead’s history.
On 11th January 2000, Peterhead and fellow Highland League club Elgin City were elected to the Scottish Football League. Their admission compensated for the loss of two clubs caused by the expansion of the Scottish Premier League.
Peterhead adapted quickly to national league football. Under former Scotland international Ian Wilson, the club finished fifth in its debut Third Division season and reached the Scottish Cup quarter-finals for the first time.
Two successive fourth-place finishes followed. Wilson left in January 2004, and Iain Stewart took charge. After another fourth-place finish, Stewart led Peterhead to promotion in his first full season as manager, finishing second behind Gretna.
The club came close to successive promotions the following year. A third-place finish earned Peterhead a play-off place, but Partick Thistle equalised with around 30 seconds remaining in the second leg of the final before eventually winning after extra time and penalties.
First League Title and Cup Final
After spells under Steve Paterson, Neale Cooper and John Sheran, Peterhead appointed Jim McInally in 2011.
The club produced several notable results during the following seasons. Peterhead held Rangers to a 2–2 draw at Balmoor in 2012 and later defeated them 2–1 at Ibrox.
Peterhead finished second that season but lost to East Fife in the promotion play-off final. Greater success followed in 2013/14, when the Blue Toon won their division by 13 points from Annan Athletic. It represented the club’s first championship since entering the national league structure.
After consolidating in League One during 2014/15, Peterhead enjoyed an outstanding 2015/16 season.
The club reached the Petrofac Cup Final, including a remarkable 5–0 victory away to Falkirk in which striker Rory McAllister scored all five goals.
Peterhead faced Rangers at Hampden Park in April 2016. Rangers won 4–0, but the occasion marked the first national cup final in Peterhead’s history.
The Blue Toon also finished third in League One that season but again fell short in the promotion play-offs.
Up and Down
Peterhead was relegated after finishing ninth in 2016/17, losing to Forfar Athletic in the play-off final.
The following campaign included a notable 2–1 League Cup victory over Hearts, while Peterhead finished second in the league, just one point behind Montrose. Another play-off defeat followed, this time against Stenhousemuir.
The club finally secured promotion in 2018/19, winning the championship on the final day of the season at Hampden. Peterhead then recorded finishes of eighth, seventh and seventh during its next three League One campaigns.
The COVID-19 pandemic created severe financial and operational difficulties, with the suspension of league football removing the club’s regular matchday income. Peterhead credits its management, players and local community with helping the club through the disruption.
Jim McInally eventually departed after 11 years as manager. David Robertson briefly succeeded him before Ryan Strachan and Jordon Brown took charge, initially as caretakers and later as permanent co-managers.
They could not prevent relegation at the end of 2022/23, but Peterhead responded with a second-place finish in 2023/24. Promotion again escaped the club in the play-offs.
The breakthrough came in 2024/25. With Strachan and Brown still in charge, Peterhead defeated second-placed East Fife in the penultimate league match to secure the League Two championship and another promotion.
They Played for Peterhead
Alex Bone, Jamie Buchan, Paul Cairney, Lyall Cameron, Martin Canning, Nicky Clark, Ryan Conroy, Paul Dixon, Ryan Dow, Liam Gordon, Cammy Kerr, Bobby Linn, Gary MacKenzie, David McCracken, Gary McDonald, Niall McGinn, John McMaster, Willie Miller, Garry O’Connor, Peter Pawlett, Mark Perry, Scott Robertson, Ian Wilson, and Robbie Winters.
Players representing both Peterhead and Stoke City are, unsurprisingly, thin on the ground. However, Steve Lennox did play twice for the Potters between 1982 and 1984, before going on to represent the Blue Toon 3 years later.
Peterhead – Pre-Game View of Balmoor Park
Peterhead v Montrose – The Game
Pre-match prediction: Montrose are coming into today’s game having won three on the bounce. I see them edging a close game by the odd goal – Peterhead 1 Montrose 2
Kick-Off
Summary
Forget my pre-match prediction!
I may have called a Montrose win, but it was much more convincing than expected.
In just the fourth minute, they took the lead through Jamie Barjonas and never looked back.
A 37th-minute goal from Jake Sutherland doubled the Gable Endies’ lead as we went into the interval.
The second half continued in the same vein, with Peterhead huffing and puffing but creating few threats on goal.
A second goal for Barjonas killed the game off in the 52nd minute, and apart from the last 10 minutes or so, this was all too easy for the visiting side.
A disappointing performance from the Blue Toon and one they will hope to quickly rectify in their next game.
If and when a Match Report becomes available, I will post it here.
Full-time – Peterhead 0 Montrose 3
Attendance – 579
Entrance Fee – £16.00
Programme – £3.00
Peterhead v Montrose – Match Highlights
League Table After Today’s Game
Peterhead Thoughts
We enjoyed our weekend in Peterhead.
The sun shone for the most part (okay, I wasn’t talking about you, Sunday!), and though the town clearly isn’t a tourist town, the pubs were welcoming, and the harbour and prison museum are worth checking out.
The stadium is compact and tidy, with 2 seated stands and flat standing elsewhere. We chose to sit in the main stand, as Mrs Hopper was suffering from back pain.
It was interesting to note that there was a cupboard at the back of the stand holding seat cushions should you want one.
Unfortunately, we didn’t spot this until after the final whistle.
At £16.00, the Balmoor Stadium is one of the cheaper grounds to visit in Scottish League One
Bonus points are awarded for the printed programme and pin badges being available for sale.
It still amazes me that some clubs don’t sell them.
I also think a shout-out to the club groundsman is in order, with the pitch looking in superb condition. So much so that I had to make sure it was natural grass.
There were a decent number of Montrose fans at the game, including one very exuberant chap who was banging on the advertising hoardings and singing as he marched up and down the sidelines. He seemed to take pleasure in going up to random people and singing at them.
He was certainly entertaining, but I wouldn’t advise him doing this at some of the grounds I’ve been to… 😂
All in all, Peterhead was a nice stadium to visit and one I’d happily recommend.
I just wish northern Scotland wasn’t so far away! There are so many Highland League grounds I want to visit.
Peterhead – After the Game
Following the final whistle, we made our way out of the ground and back to the B&B.
After getting ourselves ready, we headed back into town and into the Cross Keys for food.
From there, we headed on to the Harbour Lights that had been recommended to us the previous night.
This turned out to be something of a damp squib, due to a festival being held somewhere nearby. The locals deserted in their droves, leaving a half-decent band playing to a handful of people.
I did manage to find a couple of people playing on the pool table, and I enjoyed the night despite it being mostly empty.
Thanks to Adam and Josh, who play in the Peterhead pool league and were also kind enough to let me win on the night.
Sunday was spent taking it easy at the B&B as we avoided the rain. A brief sojourn to the nearby Chinese takeaway was the only time we left all day.
Monday’s trip home went smoothly, catching the 10:01 X60 to Aberdeen’s Union Square, arriving at 11:15.
We had a coffee while we waited for our ScotRail train, which left the Granite City at 13:11 and arrived in Edinburgh at 15:25.
The 16:08 TransPennine Express service to London King’s Cross dropped us off in Newcastle at 17:50.
A short walk to the bus stop, where we caught the 18:05 X1 home, and through our front door a little after 19:00.
Another successful Hop in the books!
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Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week, we’re heading down to the Midlands to visit family.
While we are there, I am taking the opportunity to tick off another of the 92, and a club I visited at their old ground on a few occasions.
I always enjoyed visits to Shrewsbury Town, despite some appalling results for Stoke.
In particular, I remember a 4-1 defeat where we were soundly thrashed. The Stoke fans decided to ignore this and started chanting and cheering like we were the team winning 4-0.
After scoring a late goal, you would have been forgiven for thinking we had turned it around and won 5-4, judging by the celebrations. 😂
The New Meadow is a far cry from the Gay Meadow, another case of an atmospheric, quirky ground lost to time and replaced by a modern stadium.
It remains to be seen if it is an upgrade, but it’s fair to say that the Gay Meadow had seen better days by the time it closed.
As always, I look forward to it, with the added bonus of seeing family and friends this weekend.
Onto the next!
