Fochabers

This is the music capital of Moray, home to the famous Speyfest music festival in early August each year.

Fochabers can be found on the east side of the River Spey.  It is very attractive and offers visitors a selection of very fine buildings to enjoy. The Georgian church on the south side of the square is especially striking, complete with its clock-tower dated 1798. Another church on the High Street houses the Fochabers Folk Museum. This covers a range of subjects from natural history to local history, and makes an excellent visit if the weather isn't up to outdoor activities.

Baxter’s Highland Village is an internationally popular destination, this family-run fine food processing factory has an excellent visitor centre with an old shop museum and various speciality shops.  Nearby is also Christies Garden Centre, with spectacular nurseries and a fine gift hall with tasty cakes at the Teapot Restaurant.

Close by at the Moray Firth you can go whale and seal watching, walk the cliffs or take boat trips to see the resident colony of bottlenose dolphins.  Fochabers is a key stopping off point on the famed walking route the ‘Speyside Way’.  Walkers can also enjoy the Coastal Trail which includes the spectacular Bow Fiddle Rock, the arch shaped rock formation at Portknockie and explore the quaint coastal villages en-route.  Mountain bikers are also catered for with the Moray Monster Trails, which branch out from Fochabers and stretch as far as Ben Aigan where views spread out across Speyside.