What's on in Morayshire

Moray is a registration county in Scotland, sometimes known as the ‘County of Moray.’ It was used as a local government county until 1975 when Elgin was its county town. Situated in the north east of Scotland it is bordered by Banffshire to the east, Inverness-shire to the south and Nairnshire to the west and it sits on the shores of the Moray Firth, one of Scotland’s most important fishing areas and also home to a delightful population of bottle nosed dolphins.

The landscape is one of wild beauty, with villages and towns along the coast all offering sandy beaches, ancient historic harbors and miles and miles of walking trails overlooking the Firth. Inland the terrain is one of lush valleys and gentle hills, with much farmland and seemingly limitless ideal locations for fishing. Trout are there for the catching in the lochs whilst the Rivers Findhorn, Lossie and Spey are good for salmon.

The region has been inhabited for thousands of years and consequently offers ancient remains and historic ruins from every era. In Forres there is the famed Sueno’s Stone, a massive Pictish cross-slab sandstone and at over 20ft, the largest surviving example of Pictish art in the UK. Also in Forres is the 16th century tower house of Brodie Castle, with incredible gardens and packed full of antiques and rare art. Forres, one of the oldest towns in Scotland (mentioned in Macbeth) is packed with historic buildings and the Falcomer Museum is well worth a visit to explore the town’s heritage, as is the Dallas Dhu distillery, a disused but well preserved ancient distillery.

The city of Elgin also has its fair share of treasures, including Thunderton House (visited by Bonnie Prince Charles in 1746), Spynie Palace, the Elgin Museum and of course, Elgin Cathedral, one of the finest medieval buildings in all of Scotland.

Lastly, when you’ve had enough of rugged coastline, beautiful scenery and historic buildings, why not take the famous whiskey trail and try out the whiskey distilleries that are going strong all around the region. One sample from every distillery should leave you with warm memories of this beautiful region.