The progressive silting up of the harbour provided an inauspicious start to the 20th Century. Together with the advent of steam trawling in Aberdeen this led to a steady drift away from the village by fishermen and their families to Torry and Peterhead. A School Inspector’s report for 1900 notes that the roll had fallen by 30% from 80 to 56 children. Two miles to the north at the hamlet of Old Slains this trend took a dramatic twist. There, in 1911, the inhabitants saw themselves faced with a winter of starvation. They voted to abandon their homes and “tae trek tae Torry” the fishing community on the south bank of the River Dee in Aberdeen.

At the same time Collieston was growing in popularity as a seaside resort. As much as the fresh air, it was the reputation of Mrs Stock’s shortbread and the prospect of spelding teas that drew visitors to the village.