Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The wide shingle shore and shallow channels where the River Spey meets the sea at Spey Bay.
Morayshire

Spey Bay

The shingle mouth of the River Spey on the Moray coast, with the Scottish Dolphin Centre, Scotland's largest icehouse, and dolphins offshore.

Welcome

Where the River Spey finally reaches the sea, it spreads out across a wide shore of rounded stones, shallow channels and shingle banks.

Spey Bay is a wild, open place, loved for its wildlife and for the sound of the waves rolling the pebbles, and a good place to hunt for sea glass.

Bottlenose dolphins are often seen offshore, and the Scottish Dolphin Centre, run by the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, is the place to learn about them, with a small exhibition, guides, a cafe and a shop, and free entry. Ospreys, red kites and kingfishers hunt along the river.

Across from the centre stands the Tugnet Ice House of 1830, the largest surviving icehouse in Scotland, where ice was once stored to pack the salmon from the Spey fishery. Tours can be booked ahead. A riverside walk leads to the Spey Viaduct, a great Victorian railway bridge finished in 1886.

A little further outCullenA seaside town on Cullen Bay with a sandy beach, sea stacks, a painted Seatown under great railway viaducts, and the soup named after it.17 min by roadSee itCullen
Before you go

Open coast, at any hour.

The Dolphin Centre keeps its own hours; check before you go.

Where
The mouth of the Spey, near Fochabers, IV32 7PJ.
Dolphin Centre
Free.
Icehouse
1830, tours booked ahead.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review
Where it is

At the mouth of the River Spey, north of Fochabers, IV32 7PJ; parking by the Dolphin Centre.

Close byThe Moray coast.
  1. Spey Bay Golf ClubSpey Bay Golf ClubAn out-and-back links by Ben Sayers on the shingle ridges at the mouth of the River Spey, laid out in 1907 and now for sale.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. Fiddlers, guitarist and harpist perform under purple lighting in a marquee tentSpeyfestA three-day festival of traditional and contemporary Celtic music in Fochabers each July, in a tented village on the playing fields.5 miles 8 min by road
  3. Speyside Coffee Roasting Co sign on a counter with white cups behindSpeyside Coffee Roasting CoCoffee roasted nearby.8 miles 13 min by road
  4. Covesea LinksCovesea LinksA nine-hole, pay-and-play links in a cove on the Moray coast between Lossiemouth and Hopeman, run by its owners Andy and Angela.11 miles as the crow flies
  5. PortknockiePortknockieA clifftop fishing village to the east.12 miles 17 min by road
  6. Grassy promenade beside the Firth, stone houses and shops lining the roadLossiemouthThe seaside town along the coast west.17 miles 23 min by road
Directions
A white harled farmhouse with a slate roof and chimneys stands amid greenery under a blue sky.ElginViewfield FarmhouseSleeps 8 · 4.6 miles
A yellow-harled tower house with battlements flies a flag above conical yew trees and a lawn.ElginInnes HouseSleeps 38 · 4.6 miles
The Gatehouse, MorayshireElginThe GatehouseSleeps 4 · 4.6 miles
Portknockie Fish Bar, a white-painted chip shop with green trim, at duskRestaurantsPortknockie Fish and Chips12 miles
Wooden steps lead down through grassy dunes towards a curving coastal pathAttractionsCullen Links Golf Club12 miles
Stone building with gabled dormers beside a clock tower flying the Union flagAttractionsJohnstons of Elgin12 miles
Ruined sandstone abbey walls and arches rise above a gravestone-filled cemeteryAttractionsElgin Cathedral12 miles
Sandy beach and sea seen through the arched window of a wooden saunaAttractionsSauna at the Kings12 miles
Framed landscape painting on stone wall above a leather dining chairRestaurantsThe Drouthy Cobbler13 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the bay, and when each is next free.

The Gatehouse, MorayshireThe Gatehouse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Elgin
  • 5 miles from Spey Bay
Check datesA yellow-harled tower house with battlements flies a flag above conical yew trees and a lawn.Innes House
  • Sleeps 38
  • In Elgin
  • 5 miles from Spey Bay
Check datesA white harled farmhouse with a slate roof and chimneys stands amid greenery under a blue sky.Viewfield Farmhouse
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Elgin
  • 5 miles from Spey Bay
Check datesThe timber cabin lit at dusk against a pink sky, a hot tub steaming on the deck beside two chairs.Callie Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pluscarden
  • 14 miles from Spey Bay
Free 30 Oct – 2 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in MorayshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Morayshire.

From the magazineMoray: Discovering the Nooks and CranniesCollectionScotland's Best Beaches
More in Morayshire
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .