Elgin Area

Elgin Cathedral

Burghead

Duffus Castle

Area Main Page

Elgin, the capital of the Moray region, is a lively market town which grew up in the thirteenth century around the River Lossie. Much of the original medieval street plan remains; the busy main street opens out onto an old cobbled market place and there are wynds and pends to explore.

Elgin Museum is to be found at the top of the High Street in a building which has housed it since 1843, though as an institution it is much older. It is home to some fascinating displays on local history and regional archaeology.

The High Street itself is pedestrianised, and the buildings are attractive. To the west it widens out into the market place, known as the Plainstones, an area dominated by the Neoclassical parish church of St Giles, built by Archibald Simpson between 1827-8. On the western edge of Elgin is Glen Moray Distillery, complete with its excelelnt visitor centre.

Elgin cathedral, which dates back to the 1200s, was known as the Lantern of the North until destroyed in 1390 (see our Historical Timeline). Two miles north is Spynie Palace, the residence of the medieval bishops of Moray.

Straight roads and ditches criss-cross the flat land to the west of Spynie, which is home to RAF Lossiemouth. Lossiemouth, five miles north of Elgin, and its nearest seaside town, boasts two beaches and is popular with golfers. The East Beach is reached over a footbridge across the River Lossie from the town park and contains an expanse of dunes.

East from Lossiemouth are the coastal villages of Hopeman and Burghead, the latter home to the site of Burghead Promontory Fort, a Pictish fortress that probably served as capital of the Kingdom of Fortriu for up to 500 years. Nearby is the mysterious Burghead Well. Inland is Duffus. This attractive village stands at the gateway to Gordonstoun School while nearby are the medieval St Peter's Kirk and the remarkably well preserved Duffus Castle.

Six miles south west of Elgin is Pluscarden Abbey. Largely destroyed in the centuries after the Reformation, the Abbey returned to life in 1948 and restoration has continued since. Between Pluscarden and Elgin is another remarkable church, Birnie Kirk, one of the oldest churches in continuous use in Scotland.

To the east, the A96 bypasses the interestingly named Lhanbryde and nearby Urquhart before crossing the River Spey at the very attractive village of Fochabers. This is a popular stopping off point on the route of the Speyside Way, a long distance footpath from Aviemore to Buckie. On the west side of the River Spey is the old port of Garmouth, with Kingston just to its north, named after Kingston-upon-Hull.