Local Area

Moray...

Speyside is one of the areas of Moray, one of the former Pictish provinces, lies on the southern shores of the Moray Firth, the great inlet which bites deeply into the north-east coast of Scotland.

It extends south into the very heart of the Cairngorm Mountains and thanks to the shelter offered by them it enjoys a micro climate which is milder, drier and sunnier than its latitude might suggest. This is a district of outstanding gardens, fertile agricultural land, fine salmon rivers, an attractive coastline and, of course, its world famous malt whisky distilleries such as Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenfarclas.

The Moray Coast has a wealth of fishing villages such as Buckie, Portsoy, Lossiemouth and Spey Bay. There is a sculpture of an Osprey with salmon at Spey Bay, the mouth of the River Spey where it flows into the Moray Firth. This is also the end of the Speyway, the 135 km of walkway stretching from Avimore to Speybay.

The village of Findhorn in the north west of Moray, is a popular watersports centre for the Moray Firth, has a fine Heritage Centre but is world famous for the Findhorn Foundation, the international spiritual community founded in 1962.

Much older spiritual sites can be found in an area which was something of a cradle for Christianity in Scotland. Pluscarden Abbey can trace its origins to 1230 while Spynie Palace was for a short time the principal seat of the diocese of Moray until the consecration of nearby Elgin Cathedral in 1224.


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