County in Scotland
Moray
Moray has more malt whisky distilleries than anywhere on Earth, a cathedral called the Lantern of the North, and the real heath where Shakespeare's witches met Macbeth.
Key information
- County
- Moray
- Nation
- Scotland
- Population
- about 95,000 (2022 Census)
- Known for
- Speyside whisky, Elgin Cathedral, Macbeth, Cullen skink, RAF Lossiemouth
- What locals are called
- Moray folk
- Famous people
- Ramsay MacDonald, William Grant, Macbeth, the Wolf of Badenoch
- Football clubs
- Elgin City, Buckie Thistle, Forres Mechanics, Keith
About Moray
Seven stills and a whisky capital
Moray is the beating heart of Speyside, the whisky region with the densest cluster of distilleries in the world. Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Glen Grant, Aberlour and Cardhu all sit in the hills and glens around the River Spey. Dufftown has a rhyme about it: Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown stands on seven stills. William Grant, the man behind Glenfiddich, first ran spirit through his stills there on Christmas Day 1887. The whisky industry has spawned its own trades. At Craigellachie, the Speyside Cooperage still makes and repairs the oak casks in which all that spirit sleeps for years. Nearby, Thomas Telford's elegant iron bridge of 1814 spans the Spey.
The heath where Macbeth met the witches
Shakespeare set one of his most famous scenes on a heath near Forres, where Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches. The real Macbeth was no Hollywood villain. He was Mormaer of Moray, a powerful northern ruler, and later king of Scots, reigning for about seventeen years from 1040. Moray was once a kingdom-sized power in its own right, and the Scottish crown spent centuries trying to tame it. His stepson Lulach briefly took the throne after him. Forres still keeps older relics. Sueno's Stone, a Pictish monument over six metres tall, stands at the edge of town, carved with battle scenes whose meaning is still argued over.
A cathedral wrecked by the Wolf
Elgin Cathedral was once called the Lantern of the North, and its ruins still show why. In 1390 Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch and a son of King Robert II, burned it down after a quarrel with the Bishop of Moray. The building was rebuilt, only to decay after the Reformation. A few miles away, Pluscarden Abbey tells a more stubborn story. Founded in 1230 by Alexander II, it fell into ruin but was reoccupied by Benedictine monks in 1948. They still sing the daily offices there. Elgin itself is the county's main town, with a medieval street plan, a long High Street and a football club, Elgin City, that plays in the Scottish league.
Cullen skink, dolphins and a burning barrel
The fishing towns of the Moray coast gave Scotland one of its best-loved dishes. Cullen skink, a thick soup of smoked haddock, potatoes and onion, takes its name from the harbour town of Cullen. Buckie, Findochty and Portknockie built their fortunes on the herring and white fish trade. At Portknockie, Bow Fiddle Rock rises from the sea in the shape of a fiddle's bow. Off Spey Bay, bottlenose dolphins are regular visitors to the Moray Firth, and the Scottish Dolphin Centre there is one of the best places to watch them. Inland, Fochabers is home to Baxters, the soup and preserves firm started by George Baxter in 1868. And on 11 January each year, Burghead lights the Burning of the Clavie, when a flaming tar barrel is carried through the streets and up to an ancient hilltop altar. It marks the old-style New Year, and the burning embers are handed out for luck.
Jets, a prime minister and a very tough school
Lossiemouth gave Britain its first Labour prime minister. Ramsay MacDonald was born there in 1866, the illegitimate son of a farm servant, and became prime minister in 1924. RAF Lossiemouth is still the home of fast jets, and the sound of them overhead is part of daily life along the coast. Near Hopeman stands Gordonstoun, the school founded by Kurt Hahn in 1934. It was known for its outdoor challenges and cold-water routines. Prince Philip was a pupil, and so was his son Prince Charles. Findhorn tells a different story. The Findhorn Foundation, started in 1962 in a caravan park, grew into one of Europe's best-known eco-communities.
The sand that swallowed a farm
Moray's coastline can be dramatic as well as pretty. In 1694 a great storm sent the Culbin Sands sweeping inland and buried the rich estate of Culbin, which had been among the best farmland in the north. Over time, the dunes covered farmhouses and fields. Today the area has been stabilised by forestry plantations, and the forest runs down to a long beach near Findhorn Bay. Elsewhere, Brodie Castle, near Forres, is surrounded by famous daffodil displays, and the Highland League puts Moray's towns on the football map. Buckie Thistle, Forres Mechanics and Keith are all part of it.
Related articles
Scotch Whisky
Published
Scotch whisky has to sit in an oak cask for at least three years, so every bottle on the shelf is a small act of patience, and some outlast their makers.