College of Roseisle is a small village of around 20 houses. It is just two miles from Burghead,
the nearest small town on the coast. Burghead has a Post Office, licensed mini-market,
chemist, doctor’s surgery, hairdresser, small hotel and three public houses. It has
an interesting history, being built on the site of a Pictish Fort. Many carved
stones of the “Burghead Bull”, now in the Museum of Scotland, were found here.
There is still a small but active harbour, and the town adjoins Burghead Bay, around 8
miles of glorious safe and sandy beach, backed by woodland and dunes, circling round to
Findhorn.
Elgin (6 miles) is the local County town, and has
large and modern Tesco, Asda, Somerfield supermarkets, the usual High Street shops such as
Next and Boots, a railway station, hotels, restaurants, cafes and take-aways. It has a
library with internet access, modern leisure centre with swimming pool, ice-skating rink,
bowling alley, cinema, and night-club. There is an interesting museum, a lovely public
park with boating pond and “Biblical Garden”, and the magnificent 12th
Century ruins of Elgin Cathedral. Elgin is also a starting point for the famous “Malt
Whisky Trail”.
Places of interest.
There are numerous other places of interest nearby. Findhorn is a quaint old fishing
village now home to the world famous Findhorn Community, and with a well-known yacht club.
Lossiemouth and Hopeman are also former fishing towns, with leisure harbours and
magnificent sandy and rocky beaches. Around the coast near Hopeman are some of the famous
fossil footprints found in the local sandstone, most now transported to the local museum
for display. There are castles and historic buildings to visit, from the atmospheric ruins
of Duffus Castle and Spynie Palace, to the beautiful paintings and furnishings of Brodie
and Ballindalloch Castles. In Forres, you can walk up the hill to the Nelson Tower, and
see Sueno’s Stone, the largest known Pictish carved stone.
Outdoor pursuits
The area is filled with opportunities for outdoor pursuits. There are magnificent coastal
walks along miles of unspoilt sandy and rocky shoreline, and for the adventurous the 48
mile Speyside Way. This leads from the mouth of the River Spey to Tomintoul through lovely
scenery and passing many of the distilleries for which the area is famous. There are five
18-hole golf courses within a 10 mile radius, with many more (including the renowned
championship courses at Nairn) just a short drive away. There are boat trips to see the
famous Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins and porpoises, sailing at Findhorn Bay and
Lossiemouth and canoeing on local rivers. Horse-riding is available locally. There is the
opportunity for shooting and fishing on local estates by prior arrangement, further
details can be provided on request. Bicycles can be made available by prior arrangement. |
