Looking for somewhere that packs in superb scenery and lashings of things to see and do for all the family? Well, you just found it in the glorious embrace of Moray Speyside. This under-the-radar corner of Scotland may be more known for whisky, but I’d heard great things. So I took my daughters – Tara and Emma – up along with my wife to see how it stacks up for a family break. Well the straightforward answer is . . . brilliantly! Here are 8 reasons you should plan your next family adventure in Moray Speyside. A local tourist slogan says ‘Stop. Breathe. Go’ and I thoroughly recommend you do.
1. Stay in an Eco Chalet
Our Moray Speyside bolthole was ideal. The Findhorn Bay Holiday Park are clean and green pioneers, with their chalets built with the environment in mind. The electricity comes from the on-site wind turbines and my kids were fascinated that ‘our poo’ was processed through a ‘Living Machine’ water treatment system. Our wooden oasis peered out over the expanse of Findhorn Bay and I showed my daughters the wading birds on the beach just metres away, then a red squirrel dashed across right in front of us. I loved the solid oak dining table and the open plan living space.
2. Bash Down a River
I didn’t know about the watersports delights on the River Findhorn, but Callum Lewis of ACE Adventures was clearly a man intent on sharing them. And he shared them brilliantly, enthusing the kids and big kids alike in our party. After getting kitted out at their characterful forest base we were off down the roaring river. Working as a team we tackled tricky rapids with daunting sounding names – how about the Dragon’s Tooth and Carnage Corner? We largely managed to stay aboard with safety paramount at all times, so we could just relax, get wet and enjoy. An added bonus was the stop to take a leap off the riverside cliffs into the chill waters – an exhilarating experience! Another bonus was easing along by tree-shrouded banks under big skies with an ever-changing array of wildlife swirling around. On the River Findhorn the modern world of stress and beeping phones feels very, very far away.
3. Forage Along the Coast
Will Hall is clearly a man with a mission – a mission to inform, educate and enthuse people about the beautiful part of Scotland he now calls home. He works for Wild Things!, an environmental education charity who use your money from their trips to help people who may not find it easy to access the natural world and learn about it. Sustainability and being close to nature are key to what they do and we were soon immersed in the wild, elemental side of Moray Speyside. We eked down a coastal path to a rugged beach where a hulking sea stack loomed ahead. It was the perfect setting for a campfire, lit using flint and steel, along with local thistle wool. On the menu were the whelks and seaweed we foraged from the beach, Will showed us how abundant the world around us can be.
4. Get Spooked With a Real Life Witch
History tours can be a little dull, but there is no chance of boredom with Lynda Dean, who styles herself as the Whyte Witch. She looks the part too – her witch doctor-esque facepaint striking with her vaulting top hat and gothic garb. She instantly engaged us all and swept us along for a tour of a Elgin’s High Street. I had no idea the city was so historic. We learned, of course, of many a local ghost, but also of the British Army marching through Elgin en route to Culloden, and of the grand architecture that vaulted all around us.
5. Meet our Marine Mammal Cousins
Everyone loves dolphins and amazingly you can sometimes see our cetacean friends from the shoreline in Moray Speyside. Or take an adrenaline-pumping fast RIB ride with North 58. These guys know the local waters well, zooming out from Findhorn Bay deep into the wildlife-rich Moray Firth. The star attraction are the resident bottlenose dolphins, the most northerly of the species in the world and also the largest. They are like small cars soaring through the surf and leaping high into the air. The skipper knows when to approach them at a safe distance and when to leave them alone, with animal welfare paramount. You can often see porpoises too and there are always seabirds, and if you’re really lucky even whales. The scenery is epic too with the Moray Coast opening up all around – one of Scotland’s most dramatic littorals
6. Go Castle Crazy
You just don’t get many castles as family-friendly as Brodie Castle. I love history, but I’ll openly admit we didn’t even make it inside for one of their guided tours. And we had an amazing time! There is so much to do here, kicking off with the Playful Garden. This is a quite brilliantly converted walled garden, now a touchy-feely multi-sensory experience. We loved chiming away on the oversized xylophones, throwing our whispers with giant dishes and burrowing through tunnels. As if that isn’t enough they have a superb adventure playground, with a separate area for really wee ones, with a café next to it. Then there are the woodland walks – we headed off on one around a tree-shrouded pond where a couple of hides let us check out the bountiful local wildlife.
7. Tuck into Delicious Food
We ate well for our whole weekend in Moray Speyside. The first night – and all of our breakfasts – came courtesy of Brodie Countryfare. This remarkable foodie operations predates the likes of House of Bruar and for me has a more local, welcoming vibe. They left us a couple of hampers and well stocked fridge in our eco chalet. We’re talking irresistible Scotch Eggs, moist quiche, meaty sausage rolls and a whole host of Scottish cheese and preserves. And some very welcome beers from the local brewery, Windswept Brewing Company in Lossiemouth. We had pizza on site too from La Boheme just metres away, who do a mean Neapolitan-style pie laden with lovely toppings – highly recommended. As was the Mosset Tavern, where we feasted on prawns and juicy scampi landed in the local waters. They were great with the girls too.
8. Stroll with Seals
On our sun-kissed first night we savoured a gorgeous walk on Findhorn’s sweeping beach. I remembered seeing seals on the western fringes on a previous solo trip, but didn’t promise the girls anything. I marched them along and we were rewarded for our efforts with a dozen or so seals just offshore, so close we could hear them snorting and splashing. There is a large colony of seals just across Findhorn Bay – both common and harbour seals – and during the day a wee ferry nips over from the cute little village of Findhorn.
*This blog comes in association with Visit Moray Speyside, but all views are our own. For more information on Visit Moray Speyside see Visit https://morayspeyside.com.
