Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Villages
in Moray.

It’s 20:58 in Moray.
Morayshire

Fishing villages on the Moray coast.

The Moray coast is lined with charming villages. There's Cullen, with its painted Seatown, sea stacks and the soup named after it, and Portknockie on its clifftop above the famous sea arch. Findhorn sits between a sheltered bay and long sands, a lovely place for sailing and seals. To the west, Nairn has Victorian villas and a long beach. Walk the coast path between them.

Portknockie→
Cullen→
Nairn→
Findhorn→
Village of the day19 hours ago

Nairn.

A seaside town on the Moray Firth east of Inverness, with Victorian villas, a fishing quarter, a Telford harbour, long sandy beaches and famous golf.

Read about it
From our guide18 hours ago

Dufftown.

Often described as “the malt whisky capital of the world”, Dufftown was founded in 1817 by James Duff, the 4th Earl of Fife. Now a busy little market town, it’s home to various notable sights and attractions, including the much older Balvenie Castle, the world-famous Glenfiddich Distillery, and the end-point of the Keith & Dufftown Heritage Railway. Highland Games have been held in the town since 1892, on the last weekend in July.

See the place
From the magazine16 hours ago

The Moray Coast Trail runs 50 miles from Findhorn to Cullen, along a shore once named among the world's most beautiful by National Geographic.

This long-distance walk snakes along the shoreline from one end of the coast to the other, taking in cliffs, beaches, caves, coves and fishing villages on the way. It makes the perfect showcase for the Moray coast, with its pale sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and characterful little fishing villages. You can walk the whole trail, or simply pick a stretch for a day out with a flask. At its eastern end, Cullen makes a fine place to finish, a former royal burgh by the sea with a looming eight-arched viaduct.

Read the full story in Issue 9
Morayshire15 hours ago

Bow Fiddle Rock, off Portknockie, is named for the tip of a fiddle bow, and gulls nest on its ledges.

Bow Fiddle Rock is a natural sea arch of quartzite, just off the shore at Portknockie on the Moray coast. Its name comes from its shape, which looks like the tip of a fiddle bow. Herring gulls and great and lesser black-backed gulls nest on its ledges, and it is a short walk from the village.

Find out more about Bow Fiddle Rock
Lunch13 hours agoMorayshireRockpool Café100 yardsMorayshirePortknockie Fish and Chips1.6 milesAberdeenshirePortsoy Ice Cream4.9 miles

Lunch near Cullen.

The three good places closest to it: Rockpool Café, Portknockie Fish and Chips and Portsoy Ice Cream.

See Cullen
From our guide12 hours ago

Portknockie.

Set on a ravishingly lovely stretch of the Moray Coast, the village of Portknockie was founded back in 1677 and went on to become an important fishing port. This air of heritage and tradition still hangs over the place, with its streets and buildings huddled on a cliff above the harbour. Just offshore is the iconic Bow Fiddle Rock, an improbably steep natural sea arch.

See the place
From our guide10 hours ago

Tomintoul.

Basking in the title of the highest village in the Highlands, the lofty settlement of Tomintoul – perched along an old military road some 355 metres above sea level, on the northern slopes of the Cairngorms – is a neatly laid-out, stone-built village with a good selection of places to eat, drink, and stay. The surrounding Glenlivet Estate is prime territory for walkers and mountain-bikers, while art fans should go out of their way to visit Angus Ritchie’s nearby ‘Still’ sculpture: an outdoor installation with mirrored walls, providing spectacularly unusual mountain views.

See the place
Did you know9 hours ago

Dufftown, in Moray, was founded in 1817 to give work after the Napoleonic wars.

James Duff, 4th Earl of Fife, founded the town in 1817, close to the hamlet of Laichie. Like other villages of its period, it has spacious streets laid out in a regular plan.

See Dufftown · Morayshire
From our guide6 hours ago

Craigellachie.

Where the Spey meets the Fiddich, you’ll find the pretty village of Craigellachie, a centuries-old settlement famed for its pubs, its cast-iron bridge (the oldest of its kind in Scotland) and its whisky heritage. Two single malt distilleries are found here, as is the Speyside Cooperage. As a village in which to sip a dram and watch the water flow past in the dusk, it’s hard to beat.

See the place
From our guide4 hours ago

Elgin.

As the hub of regional affairs, the town of Elgin offers plenty in the way of top-notch Morayshire attractions, including several distilleries, dramatic scenery, and a ruined cathedral once considered one of the finest in Scotland. Dig into the town’s long history with a visit to the longstanding Elgin Museum, in situ since 1843.

See the place
Morayshire3 hours ago

The first village of Findhorn, on the Moray coast, stood a mile to the north-west and was lost to the sea.

Findhorn Beach runs along the shore by the village of Findhorn, near Forres on the Moray coast, and marks the western edge of Burghead Bay. Painted beach huts stand along the top of the sand, and seals are often seen basking at the top of the bay.

Find out more about Findhorn Beach
From the magazine1 hour agoThe printed copy of Issue 02Issue 02Spring / Summer 2021

Between November and March, the Moray coast east of Inverness is likely to get more sunshine than London, by the Met Office's figures, and less rain than the English average.

Victorian visitors noticed it too. Many wrote of their surprise at the mild climate and early harvests of north-east Scotland, and the Moray coast became a popular place to holiday. Even in the gloom of midwinter, seaside villages such as Findhorn, Hopeman, Findochty and Cullen are often bathed in golden light. Kinloss, for example, averages 624mm of rain a year, against 790mm at Eastbourne on England's south coast. The promise of drier days tempts walkers onto the Moray Coast Trail, 44 miles of beaches, coastal paths, quiet roads and old railways between Cullen and Forres, with views across the Moray Firth to the hills of Sutherland.

Read the full story in Issue 02