View of old lighthouse and coastline in Fraserburgh (Tamala Malerk)
“Fraser, are ya?” The museum attendant inquired.
“Well, by all means,” she deeply bowed while my mother and I giggled.
After learning we are direct descendants of the Fraser Clan of Scotland (my great-grandmother herself was a Fraser), we decided to take a trip to Scotland and visit Fraserburgh to learn more about our familial roots.
Fraserburgh, or as the locals, and now myself call it, “The Broch,” is named after the Fraser family. They first made their mark in the 1570s when Fraserburgh Castle was built and then again in the 1590s when my ancestor, Alexander Fraser, built a port and changed the name of the town from Fralie to Fraserburgh. In the 1700s, the castle was converted into Scotland’s first mainland lighthouse.
Exterior of the sport’s stadium, “The Broch” ()
You can still visit that lighthouse today as it has been converted into The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. The museum informs visitors about the lighthouse and acts as a tribute to the lighthouse industry in the area. You can read actual logbooks from lighthouse keepers and take a guided tour through the former castle/lighthouse which still has a room preserved with the style and décor from the last lighthouse keeper who resided there. During our tour, no one else was visiting, so we had the tour guide completely to ourselves. It was awesome!
It was also at the lighthouse where we learned that many local people speak the regional Scots dialect, Doric, rather than standard English. Our tour guide effortlessly switched between the two when speaking to us and to the local resident walking her dog along the beach.
After visiting the museum, our tummies were rumbling, and we drove to the town center to see what our food options were. A mural with a Doric quote from Alexander Fraser greeted us. Unfortunately, I was not born with an inherent ability to understand the language, but I did my best.
Sign in Fraserburgh city center of Alexander Fraser ()
As we meandered around town, we stumbled upon Findlay’s Fish Bar and Diner, which has been serving the locals and tourists for almost 100 years! Everything we ate and drank was not only delicious but also locally sourced. There is even a sign on the wall that tells you which boat and trip your fish was caught on.
I know it’s got to be some sort of crime to not eat fish and chips in the U.K., but I am not a seafood fan. I can, however, recommend the hand-battered chicken that had a delectable crunch as I bit into it. My spouse promises that the fish and chips was the best he has ever had.
Sign at Findlay’s ()
After lunch, we found the local football (soccer) club stadium. While I have lived in Germany for three years, I had never chosen a football team to support (sorry FCK). However, I immediately felt an affinity with the Fraserburgh team and bought a jersey and a beanie. At the time of writing, I am cheering them on (from a distance) as they compete in the Scottish Cup. Go FFC!
Today, Fraserburgh is a small, industrial town of about 13,000 people. Everyone we encountered was super nice and went out of their way to tell us about the town and its history. They were even kind enough to semi-gloss over the fact that our ancestors were kind-of wealthy jerks (it’s okay; we had somewhat of a clue from our prior research). It did not take us long to explore the area, but it was neat to walk around where my ancestors made such an impact. If you are ever in northeast Scotland, stop into Fraserburgh for a friendly welcome, a yummy local lunch, an intimate museum experience and/or a fun football game.
