Findhorn Beach and Bay – Beach Huts, Village and Lunch
A day.
The route
Findhorn is a small village on the Moray coast, within half an hour of Forres, Nairn and Elgin, and it's a lovely place to spend a few hours by the sea.
Its beach is wide and open, with a row of painted huts along the dunes, while the village side looks across a quiet tidal bay to the pines of Culbin. Add a relaxed lunch by the marina, where children and dogs are welcome, and it's an easy day out.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Culbin Edge, 6 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Mon 9 Nov to Wed 11 Nov.
The day
Findhorn
Once the car is parked by the marina, the rest of the day is on foot, about three miles in all and almost all of it flat. It's a slow, easy few hours of sea air: a coffee at the Captain's Table to start, most of the walking before lunch, and lunch back there by the bay.
About four hoursAbout 3 miles on foot
Findhorn Beach
An attraction
The West Beach car park is signed, and the signs are a better guide than a satnav: it is to the left at the fork before the church, and on the right just before the marina. The walk goes over the dunes and east past the colourful huts for about a mile, then back. If the tide tables for Findhorn put high water near your arrival, do the bay path and lunch first. There's no lifeguard, so stay out of the water.
4 min on foot
The Captain's Table
Lunch
Lunch is at the Captain's Table, beside the marina and the car park, 4 minutes' walk from the beach. Its big windows look out over the bay, and it's open every day from 9.30am, serving fresh food made from scratch: breakfasts from a bacon roll to shakshouka, Buckie haddock, burgers, vegan dishes and daily specials. Dogs are welcome and have their own menu, children are welcome too, and step-free access is partial. If it's full, the Crown & Anchor in the village serves food from noon.
7 min on foot
Findhorn
An attraction
From the Captain's Table it's about 7 minutes' walk into the village, along the flat path at the edge of the bay. Benches look across the water to the pines of Culbin, and wooden boats sit drawn up on the grass. Wander the lanes, or stop for a drink at the Crown & Anchor or the Kimberley Inn, the village's two pubs. At low water the bay drains to sandbanks: stay off them, as the tide comes back fast. Then it's the same walk back to the car.
If it rains
A wet day still works here, unless the wind is too strong. Keep the beach walk short and let lunch run long: the Captain's Table has tables indoors as well as out. The bay path into the village is flat and quick.
Worth a detour
- Sueno's Stone
Sueno's Stone stands beside Findhorn Road on the edge of Forres, on the road south from Findhorn. It's a Pictish cross-slab over six metres tall, kept behind glass, carved with a great cross on one face and, on the other, rows of horsemen and foot soldiers in battle. It dates from around the ninth century, and whose battle it shows is still argued over. Stopping adds about 2 minutes to the drive south, and ten minutes there is plenty.
The Captain's Table, a restaurant in Findhorn.
Crown & Anchor Inn, a restaurant in Findhorn.