Moray Speyside
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Welcome to Moray Speyside www.morayspeyside.com From dramatic mountain scenery to an award-winning 02 coastline, incredible food, and of course, world Itinerary 1: famous Speyside Malt Whisky, Moray Speyside has all the ingredients to make sure every visitor enjoys a Landscape & Nature magical, memorable experience. 06 These 5 themed itineraries have been created by Itinerary 2: Moray Speyside Tourism, to give you an exclusive taste of this most beautiful part of Scotland. History, Heritage & Culture 10 Nestling between the Scottish Highlands to the Itinerary 3: west, the Cairngorm National Park to the south, and Aberdeenshire to the east, Moray Speyside is just Food & Drink 3.5 hours from Edinburgh by road, less than an hour from Inverness Airport, and just over an hour from 14 Aberdeen Airport. Main line rail services operate from Itinerary 4: London and Edinburgh to Inverness and Aberdeen with stops in Forres, Elgin and Keith. Action, Adventure Inverness • & Outdoors We invite you to experience the best of Scotland here in Moray Speyside. We think you will agree that Moray 18 • Aberdeen Speyside is the ideal location for visitors from across Itinerary 5: the globe. Shopping & Staying www.morayspeyside.com Glasgow • • Edinburgh 02 Itinerary 1: Landscape & Nature This itinerary takes advantage of Moray Speyside’s rich and varied landscape; from the high tops of the Cairngorms to the cliffs and coves of a spectacular coastline. Moray offers great landscape diversity and the wildlife that goes with it, including the famous dolphins of the Moray Firth. Start point: Forres Duration: 3 nights Day 1: The Moray Firth Coast Beginning today with a tour along the Look to the hill above the park, and if the flag Elgin 2 southern fringes of The Moray Firth, one of is flying from Nelson Tower you can climb Forres 1 Keith 3 the most beautiful and scenic stretches of to the top for a superb view of the Laich coastline in the world. of Moray, the coastal plain between the Grampian foothills and the inner Moray Firth, Dufftown Set out from Forres, a multiple Britain in spanning around 30 miles (48km) from the Bloom winning former Royal burgh, where a River Spey west to beyond Forres. visit to Grant Park and the award-winning gardens offer a beautiful display and ideal Make sure to visit Sueno’s Stone, a Pictish introduction to the flora and fauna of Moray standing stone situated on a raised bank on Speyside. a now isolated section of the former road to Findhorn. Standing at over 6.5 metres (about 21 feet) high, it is the largest such stone in the British Isles. 04 Itinerary 1: Landscape & Nature Head eastward from Forres towards The Moray Firth has the largest resident The woodland area behind the beach runs to To the east of Cullen, a wild rocky coastline is Remember too that all along these coastal Roseisle Forest, where there are walks colony of bottle-nosed dolphins in the UK the Spey Bay Wildlife Reserve and where easily accessible via a coastal path that takes stretches the skies are particularly dark over galore, then onward to Burghead where the (though other cetaceans can often be seen.) the Moray Coastal Trail joins the Speyside in the Giant Steps (created to help walkers the Moray Firth to the north. bay is famous for its flocks of sea-duck where The Moray coast has excellent viewpoints for Way, there is also plenty to learn with a visit to access a rocky cove) and brings the coastal the headland is just the place for a spot of cetacean-spotters. the Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay. walker to the hidden Sunnyside Bay. Overnight in Elgin - Moray Speyside’s dolphin-spotting. biggest town, with a wide range of Continuing along the Moray Coastal Trail Continue east along the coast, passing by As an alternative to coastal walking, if time accommodation options from B&B’s to The rocky coastline at nearby Hopeman towards Lossiemouth, known as the Riviera Portgordon, where seals are often to be seen and energy permits, climb the Bin Hill. The 4-star hotels, ideal for FIT’s and small / has plenty of interest, including pre-dinosaur of the North, where fine sandy beaches on the rocky shore. Continue via Buckie and distinctive landmark of the Bin of Cullen is a medium sized-groups. footprints (and even the mark of a dragging are perfect for a picnic lunch (weather picturesque Findochty (black guillemots landmark for miles around and offers a grand tail!) on the sandstones by the shore. permitting!) common offshore) to Portknockie. Here, walk for the energetic as well as superb views! the distinctive Bow Fiddle Rock, shaped by The coastal path from Burghead to Hopeman the sea from tough quartzite, can be seen offers easy walking for all abilities. from the popular coastal walk that can be continued to Cullen. www.morayspeyside.com 06 Itinerary 1: Landscape & Nature Day 2: The Cairngorms National Park Today will be spent exploring Glenlivet Scotland’s most threatened birds and network for all abilities which offer fabulous Deeper into The Cairngorms National Park, Estate and The Cairngorms National animals. Sixty species of bird breed or are vantage points, from where to view the the Moray boundary runs through the Park. resident on the estate and a further forty extensive stretches of woodland, moorland summits of Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui seasonal visitors and migrants may be seen and water-based wildlife, such as red which offer superb vantage points to enjoy Departing Elgin, continue south on the A95, throughout the year. squirrel, roe deer, pine marten, wildcat, fabulous views over the entire mountainous taking the B9008 to reach the boundary of otter, salmon, osprey, grouse and golden area. the Glenlivet Estate. The communities of Glenlivet, eagle. Tomnavoulin and Knockandhu lie at the OPTION: Part of The Crown Estate, this heart of the estate and make good bases for The dark skies in many parts of Moray, such Why not try a wildlife, Land Rover or 23,000-hectare swathe of upland moor its exploration. as the Glenlivet Estate, the nearby Cabrach even an ArgoCat safari - a great way and woods lies between the Ladder and and along much of the Moray coast offer to get up-close with the wildlife and the Cromlix Hills, much of it within the A visit to the recently refurbished some spectacular star gazing opportunities. landscape! Cairngorms National Park. Tomintoul Discovery Centre in the heart There is also a very good chance of seeing of Tomintoul offers an opportunity to plan the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis as Overnight in Keith - a bustling and The diverse landscape supports a wide your visit round the estate. In addition to they can happen at any time of year as long friendly town nestled in the Isla valley variety of wildlife, including many of farming, forestry and sporting activities, as it is dark enough! and an essential stop on any trip to there is an extensive waymarked path Moray Speyside. www.morayspeyside.com 08 Itinerary 1: Landscape & Nature Day 3: Keith to Dufftown The onward route today travels from Keith The railway operates from March to to Dufftown via The Keith and Dufftown October, with popular events at Halloween Overnight in Dufftown - the world’s Railway - an eleven-mile heritage railway and Christmas. It can also be chartered Malt Whisky Capital – with a range of line linking the market town of Keith to privately for groups and special occasions. accommodation options, from budget Dufftown, the World’s Malt Whisky Capital. to luxury and a wide choice of eating Onwards from Dufftown to marvel at the places as well as a world-famous The journey from Keith Town station Craigellachie Bridge, a cast iron arch bridge whisky shop. passes through some spectacular scenery spanning the River Spey just below the with glimpses of the varied and often town. It was designed by the renowned civil rare, wildlife, including red squirrels, deer, engineer Thomas Telford and built from buzzards and other large birds of prey. 1812-1814. Climbing through dense pine forests and rolling alongside the tranquil waters of Loch Park, this journey affords views, not accessible by road. www.morayspeyside.com 10 Itinerary 2: History, Heritage & Culture Contrasts in culture - from upland crofters to coastal fisherfolk; a living heritage of the Scots tongue; tales of religious conflict and battles long ago - plus some of the finest castles of the north. These are just a few of the themes for you to follow as you explore Moray Speyside. Base: Elgin/Grantown Duration: 3 nights Day 1: Nairn - Forres - Elgin Elgin 3 Setting out in an easterly direction today Commemorating Hugh Falconer, a Scottish Fochabers from Nairn, visiting the pretty village of geologist, botanist, paleontologist and Nairn 1 Forres, proud winner of Scotland in Bloom paleoanthropologist, The Falconer Keith 2 for numerous years and former Royal Museum was founded in 1871 and houses Burgh. The River Findhorn flows through a wealth of treasures relating to Moray’s Forres, one of the longest rivers in Scotland, distant and more recent past. flowing into the Moray Firth and very popular with keen fisherman for its stocks Just outside Forres, a visit to Brodie Castle Grantown-on-Spey of salmon and trout. is essential, where you can step back in time to the castle’s glory days, when Forres is noted for the Falconer Museum, the Brodie family were one of Scotland’s the town’s history as an ancient burgh, the most prominent families. Now under the mystery of the Pictish Sueno’s Stone, and care of the National Trust for Scotland, for being the home of ‘The Real Macbeth’.