Standing on the summit of the mountain I’ve just cycled up, overlooking the vast Glenlivet Estate, being blown around by the wind, I’m reminded of why I love Scotland so much.
Visiting Moray Speyside is an absolute delight. Known as ‘Whisky Country’ it has so much to offer. It covers the area of Scotland nestled between the Cairngorms and the NE coast between Inverness and Aberdeen. I check the weather forecast before I arrive and it looks grey and overcast, so I am delighted with the beautiful sunshine that comes day after day. Later finding out that this part of Scotland has it’s own microclimate and no midges!
Always on the hunt for adventure, my days are filled with surfing, wild foraging and swimming. I have adrenalin fueled packrafting and paddle boarding adventures down the rivers that feed the whisky distilleries so famous to this area. I explore the Moray Firth coast by horseback, feeling so much freedom in galloping down a beach with the wind in your face and the waves lapping on the shore. Deep in Speyside, I spend an afternoon exploring the Glenlivet Estate by electric mountain bike, before relaxing with a wee dram at the most unique place I have ever stayed ‘The Hideaway under the Stars.’
I packed all of this into four days and four nights and can’t wait to share everything with you to inspire your own trip to Moray Speyside. I thought I had seen the best of Scotland, but I was wrong! With the beauty of the beaches, wildlife, forests and rivers, the history of the whisky distilleries and unique places to stay, it’s a fantastic destination.
Adventure Activities in Moray Speyside
Surfing at Lossiemouth Beach
I have a two hour session with Donald from New Wave Surf School. After a quick lesson on the sand, we head into the waves and have a really fun time in the water. The beaches around Lossiemouth are so beautiful! Vast, unspoiled and not many people there. The beach we surf on is completely empty as the only way to get there is to wade through the water whilst they build a new bridge!
Foraging, Bushcraft and Wild Swimming in Findhorn
I meet Liz and Ellie from Wild Things at the Findhorn Marina where we take a short water taxi over to an island nature reserve. We see seals basking in the afternoon sunlight and osprey looking for prey! We take a walk through the forest where Ellie shared her knowledge of the natural world and pick some nettles and kelp for a foraged feast over the fire. After a beautiful and bracing swim in the sea, when the curious seals come to say hello, we make a fire and cook nettle and kelp crisps. Wild Things is an environmental education charity that create inspiring wilderness, nature based and outdoor learning experiences for all ages and abilities including wild camping and foraging adventures.
Horseriding
Whilst riding on the beach, a lady took a photo and said it was for her friend whose dream it is to ride on the beach. Made me think, how many of us have dreams that we haven’t put into action? Some dreams are harder to initiate, but holidays can be a fantastic time to do things you’ve been dreaming of! Few things are as exhilarating as riding on the beach, with the wind in your hair and the power of this majestic animal making tracks in the sand that will soon be covered by the sea. I had a wonderful two hour hack with Equus Riding School and a very well mannered horse.
Packrafting the River Findorn
Allow me to introduce you to packrafting, in case it’s not on your radar! It’s an inflatable (but sturdy and reliable) vessel to explore rivers and rapids with. After a short walk and safety briefing I head out on the River Findhorn with the team from ACE Adventures; Sam, Andrew and Doug. They are professional and welcoming, the perfect mix between making me feel safe, but also up for having fun! The river is incredibly beautiful and we don’t see another soul. At the end there’s a chance to jump off some rocks which I love, before heading back to the centre and giving Disc Golf a go!
Trail Running, Paddle Boarding and Whisky Adventure
I meet Sally, Ali and Fergus (their lively dog!) from Skedaddle North for a fantastic day. It starts with Sally and I running 8 miles along the River Spey, chatting the whole way. I love hearing people’s stories and why they do what they do. Sally started organizing trail running trips during lockdown as a way of getting people outside and moving. She has a wonderful effervescent energy and the fact that she loves what she does oozes out of her. She wants to break down barriers - especially for women - to feel accepted and enjoy the great outdoors. Many of her adventures involve cake, delicious local food or whisky and gin!
She’s teamed up with Tom from Aqua Play Scotland whose passion lies in paddle boarding. After a delicious picnic lunch, we paddle board the section of the river we’ve just run along. Negotiating some pretty full-on rapids, I didn’t think I could paddle board let alone through rapids, but it’s always fun to challenge myself and learn new skills.
To finish off the adventure, I head to Cardhu Distillery for a tour and tasting before heading back to my hobbit house to relax by the fire. Although I saved the whisky for when i got home as there’s a zero drink and drive policy in Scotland. You can ask the distillery for a ‘drivers pack’ if you are driving. What a day!
Electric Mountain Biking
If you haven’t tried electric mountain biking, I hope it goes firmly on your list as it is just so much fun! It takes the slog out of mountain biking giving you power to fly up the hills that would normally sap your energy. I spent two hours with James from Glenlivet Mountain Bike Trail Centre and had an absolute blast. There’s trails for different abilities - so something for everyone. We cycled to the top of a mountain where the wind was so strong, I could lean right into it - pretty amazing to feel the power of nature like that! Afterwards I had a delicious lunch, tea and cake at the cafe.
Places to Stay
Hobbit House: Hideaway under the stars
Built from the earth by volunteers with love, this place really has to be seen to be believed. Kim and Mark, the owners - bought the land 12 years ago and built their own eco home there. It’s an incredibly magical and spiritual place with a fairy glen, fire pit, beautiful natural pool in the river, stunning views over rolling hills and an edible garden that guests are welcome to help themselves to. With a rolling roster of volunteers from all over the world, they are always making new additions - building a Mexican sauna when I was there. The Hideaway Under The Stars is incredibly unique and every single feature shows how much love and care went into building it. There’s a double bed and bunk bed and I love that the house is round!
Wigwam Cabin with Hot Tub
The Loft Glamping and Camping is family run and situated on a working farm that’s been in the family for generations. The wigwam cabins overlook fields and get sun all day, late into the evening. The hot tubs are an amazing feature - each cabin has it’s own and they feel quite private. After a day adventuring, it felt so cool to come back, light the fire in the hot tub and wait for 2-3 hours until the water was warm enough to soak my tired body. What a way to relax! The owners are lovely and this part of Moray Speyside is really well located to enjoy many activities with a short drive, and of course, to make the most of the microclimate and sunshine!
Places to Eat
Brodie Countryfare
I stocked up with food at Brodie Countryfare at the beginning of my trip. Here you’ll find a huge range of local food and alcohol, plus there’s a lovely gift shop and cafe. Found some true gems!
Phoenix Café
The Phoenix Cafe is in Findhorn and one of the best lunch spots around! Everything is local, organic, homemade, so delicious and healthy. I had the best Turmeric Late I’ve ever had, soup, a wrap and carrot cake!
The Mashtun
The Mashtun is in Aberlour, whisky country. Named after the big tubs they make whisky in and right beside the River Spey which provides one of the three ingredients needed to make whisky; water, barely and yeast. I had a starter of Scottish black pudding, haggis and potato cake and a main with chicken wrapped in prosciutto, stuffed with cream cheese. Less healthy than lunch at the Phoenix cafe, but so yummy!
How to get there
Take a train or fly to Inverness. From there, I explored the Moray Firth coastline which was only 40 minutes from the airport. After two days there, I drove to Aberlour where the hobbit house, whisky distilleries and Glenlivet estate are. It’s a 1hr 30 drive from there to Inverness, so it’s one of those trips where you can do and see a lot and not feel like you’ve spent much time in the car. I hired a hybrid car from Scottish Vauxhall who were fantastic and met me at the airport to drop off and pick up the car which meant I had no time waiting around. The car was absolute dream to drive and I only used half a tank of petrol for the whole time!
This blog is sponsored by Moray Speyside in partnership with the ‘STOP ~ BREATHE ~ GO’ campaign. All content and photos are my own (except for a few from Wild Things of the wildlife). Thanks for reading, love to hear any comments and let me know if you plan a trip!