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Visit Moray Speyside has just launched their Winter Festival, which is a jam-packed spectacular showcase of this areas best winter events. It runs from November 2023 until January 2024 and all are welcome, including locals and visitors. The festival offers a diverse range of events suitable for all ages, ensuring that there’s something for everyone! It’s the perfect opportunity to dive into and embrace winter, by exploring the enchanting landscapes and rich cultural heritage.
Check out the Moray Speyside Winter Festival digital event programme here
Moray is often one of the most overlooked counties in Scotland… maybe due to most of the land being used for farms and being seen as a “boring” rural area. But we very much disagree, which got us thinking about all the things we love about winter up here… winter walks in crisp forests, wild winter swims and beach saunas! Northern lights (check out our blog post from a few weeks ago here) and star gazing, or even hot tub star gazing the Scandinavian hot tub way, Christmas shopping and whisky tasting….
Book a Cabin & Wood Fired Hot Tub
Take an outside dip into your very own wood-fired hot tub and gaze up at the stars! Just imagine taking a long walk along our beautiful, brisk coastline and then unwinding by plunging into the hot tub to warm the cockles. Bliss! Nighttime star gazing in the wood-fired hot tub is even more dreamy when it snows in the winter months. Believe us, you won’t want to leave! For more detailed information on our hot tubs, head over to the dedicated page here.
Wildlife Watching
There is also fabulous winter sea watching to be had, as well as the iconic wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park. On the Moray Firth, Britain’s finest gathering of Sea Duck can be seen.
Our estuaries and beaches are often strewn with Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Wigeon and Pintail. Not forgetting the noisy skeins of Pink-footed and Greylag Geese, constantly on the move, feeding in barley fields, often with Barnacle Geese or Greenland White-fronted amongst them. Bottlenose dolphins and seals are the main aquatic wildlife attractions on the Moray Coast, but sometimes we are treated to visits from orcas/killer whales, basking sharks and minke whales.
It’s also the season for close Golden Eagle & White-tailed Eagle encounters as they hunt low in the glens. With luck, you may also experience closer views of Red Deer than in summer, as they usually head to the lower hills in the winter.
We have some beautiful nature spots nearby, Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve is a great location for spotting an array of winter wonders, and the Findhorn Hinterland Trust promotes Biodiviersity, from slime moulds to birds! Blairs Loch, just over the other side of Forres is also one of our favourite nature spots, providing both a refuge for wildlife and an amentity for the local community.
Visit Moray’s many castles!
An abundance of Castles are available for you to visit in Moray, from grand ruins to fully intact furnished palaces still in use today. Visit Duffus Castle for an example of motte and bailey castle design or the pure grandeur of Ballindalloch and Brodie castles. There are a total of 38 historic castles in various states of disrepair and opulence, but here is a short list to get you started:
Follow the Malt Whisky Trail – Speyside Distilleries
Moray is famous for having the most malt whisky distilleries in Scotland; there are more than 50 speckled all over Speyside producing Scotland’s most famous export. Johnnie Walker, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich produce their world-renowned whiskies here. For a more comprehensive review with recommendations on Whisky tours, check out our blog post from earlier this summer.
Christmas Markets
Christmas markets have become a much-loved festive activity where you can wrap up warm and browse beautiful handmade gifts and unique food stalls in wonderful locations. But did you know that our winters haven’t always filled with Christmas cheer? Christmas was banned in Scotland for over 400 years! It was outlawed in 1640 by the Parliament of Scotland, and only became a public holiday in 1958.
Fortunately, nowadays we are allowed festive cheer and have some good options for Christmas markets throughout Moray, some of the most popular in our local area include:
Discover unique gifts, indulge in delicious seasonal treats, and soak in the joyful atmosphere.
Winter Dog Walks
As we already know, Moray is a dogs paradise, with so many great walks, from sea to river to loch and crisp woodland walks. the majority of the walks listed in our dog blog post are also winter friendly – just make sure you wrap up warm!
There’s so much to enjoy and fall in love with here in Moray and we’d love to share it with you this winter! And don’t forget – our en suite Wigwam Pods and en suite Sheiling Cabins with hot tubs are available to book all year round…
We have some fantastic winter discounts running until the 18th December, including 15% off a 2+ night stay – check out our special offers page for more info.
Keep up with news and offers by signing up to our Mailing List HERE!
References: https://www.speysidewildlife.co.uk/PrinterVersions/MORAYFIRTH.pdf & https://www.livebreathescotland.com/best-things-to-do-in-moray-scotland/
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