Exploring the Moray Firth coast

The Moray Firth, it might just be coastal perfection…

The Scottish coastline from Inverness to Peterhead at first might seem a little tame to those who love the fjord-like dramatics of the west coast, but with picturesque harbour villages, waves crashing over towering sea cliffs, huge swathes of beach, incredible changing light and not forgetting a famous soup… after recently spending a week exploring the Moray Firth, it might just be my new favourite part of Scotland.

Where to stay on the Moray Firth

• Culbin Edge is a dog friendly cabin near Forres with a fabulous wood fired hot tub
• Lochanshelloch Cottage (sleeps 6) is 30 mins from Findhorn, perfect for exploring the western part of the Moray Coast.
• Saplinbrae Hotel and Lodges is located in the heart of Aberdeenshire and 30 mins south of Gardenstown and Crovie.
• Meldrum House Hotel is just 40 minutes south of the Moray Coast and offers up country house hotel style

Eat: the Bothy Bistro at Burghead

With a bistro menu that offers up a selection of fancy pieces (Scots for sandwiches) fish n chips, hog roasts and decadent crab and chilli mac & cheese, this is a Moray Firth restaurant worth making a detour for. We went for a lunch of small plates – dirty fries (parsley, paprika, chilli & cheese) a wild mushroom bruschetta, amazing pasta nachos with an arrabbiata dip (this was a brilliant dish – so unique) and carrot and onion bhajis – but I wanted to try everything on the menu. The Bothy Burghead also do evening meals – I’d love to go back! Highly recommended.

Eat: Cullen Skink, at Cullen

What must be Scotland’s most famous soup, Cullen Skink wasn’t always made with smoky fish and cream. In fact, skink originally meant a soup made of beef knuckle. The story goes that at the turn of the century in northern Scotland times were a little hard and beef scrapings were hard to come by on the Moray Coast. What Cullen did have was loads of fish – smoked haddock to be precise – and Cullen’s own version of skink was born.

The Cullen Skink recipe might be pretty simple (potato, onion, smoked haddock, bay leaves, chicken stock, cream and black pepper) but the title of Queen of Cullen Skink is still hotly contested annually in Cullen. Try Cullen Skink at the Rockpool Cafe. Leaving Morayshire behind and heading into Banffshire the Moray Firth coastline becomes rockier and the villages become even more precariously placed – in fact, they look like they are hugging the coast for dear life!  

Visit: Small boats, pirates and a great pub at Portsoy

Boasting the oldest harbour on the Moray Coast (much of what was built in 1692 remains) Portsoy is possibly my favourite of the Moray Firth villages. Portsoy is thought to mean Saithe (fish) Harbour – and even though we visited on a windswept Autumn day – you can just imagine the harbour bustling with people and boats. Whilst the salmon and herring industry has moved on to Aberdeen and Peterhead, the Portsoy fishing heritage is still celebrated at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, which takes place each year in June.

The Festival isn’t Portsoy’s only claim to fame – the village is also famous for its quarried red and green marble (actually serpentine, a magnesium silicate) and for its delicious Portsoy ice cream and the harbour represented the main village of Todday in the 2006 remake of Whisky Galore! As the wind was blowing a hoolie we sheltered in Portsoy’s great harbour pub – the friendly Shore Inn.

Visit: Macduff Marine Aquarium

The Marine Aquarium at MacDuff isn’t just a stopping point on the Moray Coast if the weather isn’t on your side (or you just need to entertain the kids for a couple of hours) but a lovely traditional attraction in its own right.  Telling the story of the Moray Firth habitats, the aquarium has a unique kelp reef, daily talks and touch shows, as well as some greedy stingrays! Tickets for the MacDuff Marine Aquarium are Adult: £7.25 and Child aged 3-4: £2.90 – and are valid all day so you can come and go for the shows.

Photo stop: Gamrie – Gardenstown and Crovie

The Banffshire villages which make up Gamrie – Gardenstown and Crovie – are probably the most picturesque of the Moray Firth villages – and a popular spot for photos of the traditional fishing cottages hugging the coast. Gardenstown has a lovely 19th Century Harbour and Crovie has no road – the cottages are only accessed by foot.  If you want to take the popular shot of Crovie there is a car park at the top of the village with a good viewpoint of the string of cottages below.

Sadly most of the Crovie cottages are now holiday homes, which does leave a rather ghostly feel to the place. Gardenstown is a wee bit more bustling! Tip – don’t drive out along the sea wall at Gardenstown – it is a rather precarious proposition. There is a car park to your right at the bottom of the hill.

Visit: the most famous red telephone box in the world

With a row of cottages built end on to face the wind, Pennan is at first sight little different to nearby Gardenstown and Crovie, but visitors come to this wee village for one thing – the cult Scottish film about an oil company trying to buy an Aberdeenshire Village. Lined with washing poles, a traditional hotel, and a harbour, you can see why Pennan was chosen to represent the a-typical Scottish seaside village in Local Hero. The red phone box was actually a prop for the movie and was removed after filming. An outcry led to the phone box being returned – although it is in a slightly different location.

How to get to the moray firth

The Moray Firth Coast starts at Inverness and passes through Morayshire and Banffshire to Peterhead.  

The Moray Firth is best accessed by car but there are train stations at Elgin and Forres. Book your train tickets with trainline.com.

Stagecoach run the local buses – get a Dayrider Ticket for the Moray Coast or Banffshire Area.

By car, the western part of the Moray Firth is accessed by the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen and the eastern part by the A98 to Peterhead.

I’d make the Moray Firth home in a heartbeat. Wouldn’t you?

Love, from Scotland x