Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ation of some rooms in the Palace of Versailles. Beside the harbour, the
Portsoy Marble
Shop & Pottery
(Shorehead; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct)
sells handmade stoneware and ob-
jects made from the local marble.
Each year on the last weekend in June or first weekend in July, Portsoy harbour is home
to the
Scottish Traditional Boat Festival
(
www.scottishtraditionalboatfestival.co.uk
)
, a
lively gathering of historic wooden sailing boats accompanied by sailing races, live folk
music, crafts demonstrations, street theatre and a food festival.
The 12-room
Boyne Hotel
(
01261-842242;
www.boynehotel.co.uk
; 2 North High St;
s/d from £40/72)
is a cosy and atmospheric place to stay, while the
Shore Inn
(
01261-842831; 49 Church St)
is a characterful real-ale pub overlooking the harbour.
Portsoy is 8 miles west of Banff; the hourly bus between Elgin and Banff stops here.
FORDYCE
POP 150
This impossibly picturesque village lies about 3 miles southwest of Portsoy. The main at-
tractions are the 13th-century
St Tarquin's Church
, with its extraordinary canopied
Gothic tombs, and the impressive 16th-century tower house of
Fordyce Castle
. The castle
isn't open to the public, but its whitewashed west wing provides atmospheric
self-cater-
ing accommodation
(
01261-843722;
www.fordycecastle.co.uk
; per week £675-750, 3
nights in low season £400)
for up to four people.
The nearby
Joiner's Workshop & Visitor Centre
(admission free; 10am-8pm Thu-
Mon Jul & Aug, 1-6pm Fri-Mon Sep-Jun)
has a collection of woodworking tools and ma-
chinery, and stages woodwork demonstrations by a master joiner.
FOCHABERS & AROUND
POP 1500
Fochabers sits beside the last bridge over the River Spey before it enters the sea. The town
has a pleasant square, with a church and clock tower dated 1798, and a handful of interest-
ing antique shops.
West of the bridge over the Spey is
Baxters Highland Village
(
www.baxters.com
;
ad-
mission free; 10am-5pm)
, which charts the history of the Baxter family and their well-
known brand of quality Scottish foodstuffs, founded in 1868. There's a factory tour with
cookery demonstrations on weekdays, and a coffee shop.
