For many centuries fishermen from Craster pulled their boats up onto the shore of Craster Haven, with only the protection afforded by the offshore rocks of Little Carr and Muckle Carr. The Craster family constructed the harbour in the form you see today in 1906, to commemorate the loss of Captain John Craster who was killed on compaign in Tibet.
The harbour is bound by the sturdy walls of the north and south piers.
On sunny days, the pier is a peaceful place to sit and watch the world go by.
However, on stormy days, the harbour is a little more exciting.
On days like this it is usual for the fishing boats to be pulled out of the water; in the past this was accomplished by hand using a capstan, nowadays a diesel engine does the hard work of pulling as the boats slide on the logs left in the harbour for that purpose.
The strange construction at the end of the south pier is a puzzle to many visitors. In fact it was the foundation for three wooden towers that stood there until the beginning of the 2nd World War. These towers provided storage for crushed limestone that was transported there via an overhead bucket system from the old quarry (close to the present site of the Craster TIC).
The harbour is still owned by the Craster Estate, but visitors are welcome.
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