Local Attractions

A safe, sandy beach is two minutes walk along the sea front from Seascape cottage. There are more sandy beaches all along this coast with the sands of Cullen, Sandend & Lossiemouth.

The village of Portessie offers a general store & post office, small pub and fish & chip shop, all within a short walk. Nearby Buckie ( 1 mile ) contains pubs, supermarkets, restaurants, swimming pool and a range of shops. Further afield are Elgin or Inverness, both of which have good shopping centres set against attractive historical backdrops.

Buckie's working harbour is the home of both the Gemini Explorer Dolphin Watching Boat and the White Horse Diving Charters. Sail away along the coast to spot dolphins, seals, whales and birdlife, enjoy a spot of sea fishing, dive down to ship wrecks, or simply enjoy the romance of a shipboard glass of champagne against the backdrop of a glorious sunset.

Also worth a visit is the ancient harbour in the quaint conservation area of Buckie known as Yardie. The well-known Speyside Way Walker's Route starts near here too. Follow the Coastal Trail - the villages all along this coast are very picturesque, including Portsoy & Pennan, the best known; and the tiniest, Crovie, just one row of houses clinging between the shore and the cliff, without even space for a road! For a close-up view of marine life visit MacDuff aquarium a few miles down the coast. See the osprey and other bird life at Spey Bay, where, in the summer months, you can also see the salmon leaping. Visit the Ice House Museum or just stroll along the River Spey.

Follow the Whisky Trail and sample the famous Speyside Malts. There are many distilleries open for tours, so you can choose your favourite malt! Why not visit during the Whisky Festival? To many people, a visit to Scotland is not complete without a trip to Loch Ness and it is undeniably a most beautiful spot. Within easy driving distance, the loch is surprisingly large and very deep in places - perhaps this is how our Loch Ness monster stays so well hidden? Take a sailing trip out on the loch and see if you can spot Nessie!

The Castle Trail is also a popular tourist route and is a good opportunity to see a variety of beautiful Scottish architecture and landscaped gardens. If you visit Brodie or Cawdor (Macbeth country), take a detour to Culloden Battlefield and imagine the battle between the Jacobites of Bonny Prince Charlie and the English.

For grandeur of scenery drive to the Cairngorm mountains and take the funicular railway to the very top of Cairngorm itself. If you prefer to keep your head out of the clouds, try the Strathspey Steam Railway which runs from Aviemore. The scenery here is breathtaking all year round but arguably the winter covering of snow makes the setting even more magnificent. Aviemore and the Lecht are both centres for all sorts of snow sports, especially skiing and snowboarding.