Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Bus 10 from Aberdeen (1½ hours, hourly) to Inverness passes through Huntly. There are
also regular trains from Aberdeen to Huntly (one hour, every two hours), continuing to In-
verness.
Moray
The old county of Moray (
murr
-ree), centred on the county town of Elgin, lies at the heart
of an ancient Celtic earldom and is famed for its mild climate and rich farmland - the bar-
ley fields of the 19th century once provided the raw material for the Speyside whisky dis-
tilleries, one of the region's main attractions for present-day visitors.
ELGIN
POP 21,000
Elgin's been the provincial capital of Moray for over eight centuries and was an important
town in medieval times. Dominated by a hilltop monument to the 5th Duke of Gordon, El-
gin's main attraction is its impressive ruined cathedral, where the tombs of the duke's an-
cestors lie.
Sights
CATHEDRAL
Elgin Cathedral
(HS; King St; adult/child £5/3, joint ticket with Spynie Palace £6.70/4; 9.30am-5.30pm
Apr-Sep, 9.30am-4.30pm Oct, 9.30am-4.30pm Sat-Wed Oct-Mar)
Many people think that
the ruins of Elgin Cathedral, known as the 'lantern of the north', are the most beautiful
and evocative in Scotland. Consecrated in 1224, the cathedral was burned down in 1390
by the infamous Wolf of Badenoch, the illegitimate son of Robert II, following his excom-
munication by the Bishop of Moray. The octagonal chapter house is the finest in the coun-
try.
Elgin Museum
(
www.elginmuseum.org.uk
;
1 High St; adult/child £4/1.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri,
11am-4pm Sat Apr-Oct)
Palaeontologists and Pict lovers will enjoy Elgin Museum, where
the highlights are its collections of fossil fish and Pictish carved stones.
MUSEUM
