Pennan Inn: Pennan

WHAT could be better than a day by the seaside?

Salty air, sandy beaches and a nice long walk to stretch your legs in the beautiful scenery of the Buchan coast.

And then it would be rude not to sample the food of a local pub.

We plumped for Pennan Inn, in the village which found fame after it was used for some of the locations in the film Local Hero.

With the hotel only yards from the North Sea, I couldn’t resist having dressed crab with salad for a starter (£6.95) which was very light and tasty.

For my main course, I carried on with the fish theme with scampi, chips and salad (£8.95) which was fine with an excellent dressing.

My husband, who hates fish, had a tougher time with his choice as many of the meals involved some kind of sea creature.

He had looked forward to a Thai curry which was on the hotel’s website as a main meal, but was not on the menu that early Saturday evening.

He went for a chicken burger with chips and salad (£6.50) which he said was fine although he would have preferred a chicken fillet rather than the patty served. He said the nice and crispy chips hit the right spot. The bill, together with a soft drink and a pint of ale, came to £26.80 – but with the fantastic view from our window seat thrown in, it was priceless.