The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Findhorn is all about big skies and sea, with a cluster of fishermen’s cottages near the village harbour and a whimsical scattering of colourful traditional beach huts.
Full of old-fashioned family seaside appeal, the endless beaches are the perfect place for a spot of competitive kite-flying. If you can’t wait to get on the water, Findhorn Marina Watersports has sailing, powerboat courses and a terrific games-based learn-to-sail activity day for kids – wetsuits supplied. For something less strenuous (and potentially less humiliating), you can book a marine wildlife adventure and embark on some leisurely dolphin-spotting (adults from £30; children from £25; north58.co.uk).
Keen walkers will want to strike out across the sands, well-supplied with tea and ginger biscuits. Here, you can walk for miles, with every possibility of finding a stretch of shoreline littered with laid-back seals. If it’s windy, take cover in Culbin Forest, where paths wind through the sandfloored pine forest to the top of the “Hill 99” dune which offers some surprisingly good views across the Firth to the mountains beyond (scotland.forestry.gov.uk/ visit/culbin).
ISN’T IT A BIT WINDY FOR SEASIDE STROLLS?
If windblown sand is too big a risk to the complexion, consider a trip to the nearby market town of Elgin. It has a ruined cathedral (£4.50) and an attractive cashmere mill. There’s an informative exhibition – if you can get past a shop full of irresistible knitwear in mouth-watering colours ( johnstonscashmere.com).
Those that prefer whisky to wool will be delighted to find themselves surrounded by famous Speyside distilleries. Make a start at the historic Dallas Dhu distillery outside Forres (adults from £6; historic environment.scot/visit-aplace/places/dallas-dhuhistoric-distillery).
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WHERE ARE ALL THE CASTLES?
Keen on a keep? Check out MacBeth’s gaff at Cawdor Castle (adults from £11.50; children from £7.20; cawdorcastle.com), returning along rural back roads via Dulsie Bridge. Part of a military road built in 1755, it’s an engineering wonder you have to see from below to appreciate fully. Continue to Ardclach, an unusually lonely bell tower separated from its church, which lies hidden at the end of a nearby track in a peaceful clearing on a lazy curve of the Findhorn river (historicenvironment.scot/ visit-a-place/places/ ardclach-bell-tower). It’s an enchanting spot to break out the picnic basket.
If one fortified sanctuary isn’t enough, you won’t want to miss Brodie Castle, a picture-postcard beauty so “des res” that you’ll be looking for your mortgagelender’s number before you’re through the front door. It’s worth visiting for the nursery alone (adults from £11; children from £6.50; nts.org. uk/visit/places/brodie-castle).
It’s also the venue for the Findhorn Arts Festival production of The Buke of the Howlat, a musical adventure based on a 15th-century poem about an unhappy owl. The production will be soaked in atmosphere (and the audience in rain if they forget their umbrellas) as the play weaves its way through the wooded castle grounds at dusk (adults £12; children £10).
As it is part of the festival programme (findhornbayfestival.com), there are special ticket prices for families and free events as well. Travel in style between venues on a vintage shuttle bus or consider hiring bicycles (bikespokes.co.uk).
WHAT’S FOR EATS?
If the weather’s fine, it would be a shame not to have a drink harbourside at The Crown and Anchor (crownand anchorinn.co.uk). Consider tucking into a bowl of cullen skink or battered haddock and chips.
Should you be fine-dining inclined, you will want to make the 20-minute drive to Boath House – an unusually grand restaurant with rooms. You’ll find a three-course dinner on offer where the ingredients – “chickpea, chilli, cashew and bean sprout”, or “sirloin, shallot, cauliflower, wild mushroom, salsify” – add up to an impressive sum of their parts (boath-house.com).
Bonnie Prince Charlie once caught a cold in Elgin, staying there
for 11 days
THERE’S NO DESIGNATED DRIVER…
Then you should consider staying put if you intend to dine at Boath. A classic Georgian estate in miniature (complete with park), it has rooms that are a mix of traditional and contemporary with luxurious feature baths and walk-in showers. Pushing the boat out? Consider pushing it further by staying in the master bed chamber to enjoy side-by-side slipper baths with a view (telegraph.co.uk/ tt-boath-house; doubles from £295). There’s a dreamy little one-bedroom cottage in the grounds, too (from £150 per night, three nights minimum).
Or try Blervie House outside Forres: virtually a stately home-turnedguesthouse. It’s superbly traditional, absurdly glamorous and comes with its own peacock – not to mention goose-down duvets and a kitchenette for guests on each floor (doubles with breakfast from £120; blervie.com).