Moray Speyside is an area with lots of things to do and see. We love our area and our "Welcome Pack" details some great options for those exploration days and nights out during your holiday.
As your holiday planning begins, here are some ideas on places to visit.
Findhorn
Distance from The Loft: 4 miles
Findhorn is a peaceful seaside village ideal for a great relaxing day trip with miles of beaches and sand dunes to explore, Findhorn Bay is also popular for various water sports.
There are cafes, pubs and ice-cream shops available here making it perfect for a full-day trip that can glide into a great evening meal.
Findhorn has a Marina where you can enjoy a variety of water sports and The Captains Table serves food and drink.
At the Marina North 58* also offers dolphin, whale and nature spotting sea excursions along the Moray Coast, well worth a visit!
Findhorn is also home to the Findhorn Foundation Eco Village and Community which offer tours and access to events, shopping, organic food and cafes.
Roseisle Beach
Distance from The Loft: 4 miles
Roseile Beach stretches for nearly eight miles from Findhorn in the west to Burghead in the east. Roseile beach truly is the perfect setting to explore and unwind. It has both beach and forest scenery to enjoy, with Forestry Commission trails through the forest, and along stone and sandy coastline. The forest area also has a play park and BBQ area and picnic benches to enjoy food and fun while you relax for a day at the beach.
There are no shops here so pack a picnic!
Hopeman
Distance from The Loft: 7.2 miles.
Hopeman is a bustling seaside village perfect for an adventurous day of sandcastle building and rock-pool searching. The beach is sandy with rock-pool areas and the beach stretches for miles along the coast (this forms part of the Moray Coastal Trail) and links to adjoining beaches with cliffs and caves.
There are cafes, pubs and great ice-cream available here so perfect for a full day trip or pack
Lossiemouth
Distance from The Loft: 10 miles
Lossiemouth has 2 fantastic beaches, the East Beach and the West Beach. These are sandy beaches with dunes and rock pools, a great place to spend hours of beach fun.
A fun beach for surfing and taking part in surf lessons that are available here with New Wave Surf School.
Ice- cream, pizzeria, bars, restaurants, sweetie shops and fish and chips can all be found in Lossiemouth.
Burghead
Burghead is a local fishing village with an interesting history of The Picts, the blue-skinned warriors that inhabited the local area in times gone past!
Golf
Forres Golf Club
Forres has its own great golf course, designed by James Braid and Willie Park the course has been host to the Northern Open 2000 and the Scottish professional championship.
Kinloss Country Golf Course (1 mile)
9 hole parkland course with spectacular views across the Moray Firth.
Hopeman Golf Course (7 miles)
One of the most demanding links courses in the North of Scotland.
Whisky Country & Distilleries & Gin Experiences
We are on the Scottish Malt Whisky Trail!
Moray Speyside is Scotland's Whisky Country. The local area boasts more than 60 distilleries in a 50 mile radius so it is an essential visit for whisky lovers.
See more information on Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail, some distilleries are open for tours and tasting, booking in advance is often advised.
- Benromach
- Glenfiddich
- Cardhu
- Knockando
- Glen Moray
- Dallas Dhu
- Glen Isla
.... and the list goes on!
There is also an annual whisky festival "Spirit of Speyside" which is worth investigating and holds not only whisky-related tastings, tours and talks but music and other events.
Gin is also now a national love and Moray is home to some great local gins such as EL-Gin, Red Door Gin and Gordon Castles Botanics.
Historic Moray
Moray offers a wide and interesting range of attractions and historical interests as well as some local legends and historic tales
Immerse yourself in history with a visit to Brodie Castle, the Macbeth castle and walk the trail of the Wolf of Badenoch at Lochindorb and visit the home of the ancient Picts of Moray and don't forget Nessie just a hours drive away at Loch Ness.
Brodie Castle - 8 miles from The Loft
Cawdor Castle - 20 miles from The Loft
Culloden Moor - 23 miles from The Loft
Elgin Cathedral - 8 miles from The Loft
Suenos Stone, Forres - 4 miles from The Loft
Loch Ness - 40 miles from The Loft
Festivals
The local area hosts a variety of festivals throughout the year including:
The Findhorn Bay Festival (art and music festival)
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
The Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival
Food
There are plenty of options for both dining out and takeaway in the Forres area, choose from Italian, Chinese, Indian or modern & traditional Scottish Cuisine.
Kinloss
- The Abbey Inn
- Clock Tower Pizza
- Kinloss Chinese
Findhorn (4 miles)
- The Kimberley
- The Crown and Anchor
- La Boheme
- The Bakehouse
- The Blue Angel Café
- The Captains Table
Forres (8 miles)
- The Red Lion (locally known as The Beastie)
- The Mosset Tavern
- The Ramnee Hotel
- Cafe 1496
Elgin
- Cafe Kombucha (Vegan)
- Toscana (Italian)
- Ada Turkish Restaurant
- The Drouthy Cobbler
- The Laichmoray
- The Royal Hotel
- The Quismat Tandouri
- The Titsy Teacup
- Scribbles
Live Music
The Universal Hall, Findhorn (4 miles)
The Universal Hall hosts a variety of events and performances throughout the year.
The Beastie, Forres (4 miles)
The Beastie is a lovely feel good pub and is popular with the locals, check out their Facebook page to see upcoming events and live music nights.
The Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin (8 miles)
The Drouthy is a small and popular music venue and eatery, popular with a trendy young crowd and serving great food and a variety of local whisky, craft ales and gins.
Theatre
Check out what's on at Eden Court in Inverness who have a fantastic programme of touring theatre and events.
Leisure Centres
Swimming, ice-skating and leisure classes such as yoga and fitness classes are available at both Elgin and Forres so you can enjoy your gym time while away.
Paintball & Whitewater Rafting
Ace Adventure - Logie (12 miles)
Trampolining
Less than an hour's drive away is the fantastic city of Inverness where you can enjoy great fun at Infinity trampolining.
Skate Parks
If you have skateboard and scooter fans in your party then Elgin, Hopeman and Inverness all have great skate/bike park facilities.
Forest Walks
Culbin Forest
Roseisle Forest
Bike Trails
There are several bike trails and mountain biking trails locally in Forres (Sanquhar Woods), Culbin, Fochabers (Winding Walks) and lots of cycle routes.
Shopping
Logie Steading offers a full day out of gardens, riverside walks, food, coffee, cakes and shopping. With a wide selection of interests from art gallery, antique books, craft and jewelry as well as a great whisky and gin shop.
Baxter’s of Speyside, Based at Fochabers, are internationally renowned for their soups and jams. Free guided tours at the visitor centre.
Johnstons of Elgin are the famous cashmere specialists and offer tours of their mill as well as great cakes and lunches and a beautiful shop stacked with truly luxurious and desirable cashmere.
Brodie Country Fayre between Nairn and Forres has all sorts of gifts and clothes, plus a delicatessen and restaurant.
Gordon and MacPhail offer all you could want in terms of locally made whisky and lovely food.
Knockando Woolmill, heritage site and weaving museum where fantastic Scottish tweeds can be seen being woven.
Forres shops, Forres High Street has all you will need in terms of food provision during your stay, with supermarkets and local butchers. You will also find coffee shops, cafes, pubs and gift shops.
