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- For other places with the same name, see Elgin (disambiguation).
Elgin is the county town of Moray in northeast Scotland, best known for its ruined cathedral which made it a "city". Together with nearby Lossiemouth it's the service town for two nearby Royal Air Force bases, with a population in 2022 of 24,600.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Ornithosuchus was one of the beasts that dragged its slithery tail across the Triassic sands that became the bedrock of Elgin: imagine a 2-m-long crocodile walking on its hind legs. (Towards you, quite rapidly, with a glint in its eye.) This and other strange local reptiles are exhibited in the Elgin museum. But the later value of that sandstone was to provide something to build upon and with, originally on higher ground 5 miles south. A town grew on the present site from the 12th century, under the patronage of Alexander II, and the cathedral foundations were laid. It would become one of the most serially-wrecked cathedrals in the country: sometimes "wyld, wykked Heland-men" were the culprits, but pretty much everyone had a go at it except the walking crocodiles.
The "Elgin Marbles" have only a tenuous connection with the town. It was the 7th Earl of Elgin who in the early 19th century removed (or looted or legally purchased or rescued from destruction, take your pick) many friezes and sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens — they're now in the British Museum in London. But the family residences were in Fife and elsewhere, and none of the Earls of Elgin lived here.
Tourist Information is in the library near the cathedral, open M-Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-4PM.
Get in
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By road follow A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, which runs through town, there's no bypass.
Trains run every couple of hours from Aberdeen via Dyce, Inverurie, Huntly and Keith, taking 80 min to Elgin and continuing west to Forres, Nairn and Inverness (another 50 min).
1 Elgin railway station is half a mile south of town centre. It has step-free access, toilets, a ticket office and ticket machines. No left luggage or cafe but there's a vending machine.
Stagecoach Bus 10 runs hourly from Aberdeen Union Square, via Inverurie, Huntly and Keith, taking 3 hours to Elgin and continuing to Forres, Nairn and Inverness, another 90 min.
Bus 35 takes a roundabout route from Aberdeen, four hours via Dyce, Oldmeldrum, Fyvie, Turiff, Macduff, Banff, Portsoy, Buckie, Cullen, and finally Elgin. Alternate buses turn back at Banff, so to Elgin they're hourly M-Sa and every two hours on Sunday.
Bus 33 runs every 30 min between Elgin, Lossiemouth and the RAF base.
Bus 32 runs hourly M-Sa between Elgin, Duffus, Hopeman and Burghead.
Bus 36 runs every two hours M-Sa from Dufftown via Craigellachie.
Bus 31 run three times M-Sa from Aviemore, taking two hours via Boat of Garten, Nethy Bridge, Grantown-on-Spey, Craigellachie and Rothes.
2 Elgin bus station is in town centre on A96 Alexandra Rd.
Get around
[edit | edit source]You can walk around town and take the bus for places along A96, but you need your own wheels for other outlying sites.
Taxis include Freddie’s (+44 7724 816909), JJ (+44 7818 255523), C & R (+44 1343 546546) and A2B (+44 1343 556655).
See
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- 1 Elgin Cathedral, King St, Elgin IV30 1HU, ☏ +44 1343 547171. Daily 10AM-4:30PM. Ruins of a cathedral dating from 1224. Over the following years it proved ever-so-combustible, needing rebuilding after 1270, 1390 and 1402. It was abandoned after the Reformation in 1560 and fell derelict; only from the 19th century did stabilisation and preservation begin. Adult £10, conc £8, child £6.
- Bishop’s House next to the cathedral dates from 1406, no access. It was actually the home of the Precentor, the resident clergyman, while the Bishop had much grander lodgings at Spynie Palace.
- Biblical Garden is a peaceful spot east side of the cathedral, open daylight hours, free.
- Elgin Museum, 1 High Street, Elgin IV30 1EQ, ☏ +44 1343 543675. Closed. This is closed temporarily as the building is unsafe.
- Lady Hill Monument on the mound west end of High St is a 24-m column for the 5th Duke of Gordon (1770-1836), aka Marquess of Huntly. The spiral staircase within leads to the statue atop but is rarely open. Adjacent are the scrappy ruins of Elgin Castle, built in the 12th century, captured by the English and then destroyed by Robert the Bruce in 1308.
- 2 Moray Motor Museum, Bridge St, Elgin IV30 4DE, ☏ +44 1343 544933. Apr-Oct daily 11AM-4PM. Collection of antique vehicles in a former mill. Adult £12.50, conc £11.50, child free.
- 3 Spynie Palace, Elgin IV30 3QG. Apr-Sep daily 10AM-4PM. Ruin of a fortified Bishop's residence from the late 12th century. The cathedral church was here until it moved to Elgin town in 1224. Donation.
- 4 Duffus Castle. 24 hr. A ruin off B9017 towards the coast. A wooden motte-and-bailey was built in 1140, wrecked around 1300, then replaced by a stone castle in the 14th century. That in turn was abandoned in 1705. Free.
- See Lossiemouth for points further north, which include Gordonstoun School and the small ports of Hopeman and Burghead.
- 5 Fochabers is a village 10 miles east of Elgin, now bypassed by A96. The main attraction is the walled garden of Gordon Castle, open daily 10AM-4PM. Admission costs adults £10.50, concs £8.50, children £5; half-price Nov-Mar. The castle itself isn't open for tours but is used as an event space. The 18th-century Duke laid out Fochabers village on a grid pattern; Fochabers Folk Museum on High St is open Tu-Sa 1-4PM. See also St Mary's Church (RC) and Gordon Chapel (Anglican), both with impressive stained-glass windows.
Do
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- Cinema: Moray Playhouse on High St shows mainstream releases.
- Football: Elgin City play soccer in League Two, the fourth tier. Their home ground is Borough Briggs (capacity 4500) just north of town centre.
- Golf: Elgin GC is on Birnie Rd a mile south of town centre. White tees 6458 yards, par 71. There's a handful of other courses by the coast around Lossiemouth and Burghead.
- Speyside Way is a hiking and cycling trail along a former railway track, from Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey then down the valley to Ballindalloch, Craigellachie, Fochabers and the Spey estuary.
- Burning of the Clavie is a New Year's custom in Burghead, but hews to the Julian calendar, so it's on 11 Jan. (When the 11th is Sunday, it's held on the 10th - this next happens in 2032.) The clavie is a burning barrel of staves carried around town then set up on Doorie Hill, site of the Pictish fort.
- Highland Games are held at Gordon Castle, with the next probably on Sunday 16 May 2027, tbc.
- Speyfest is traditional and contemporary Celtic music in Fochabers village. The next is probably 23-25 July 2027, tbc.
Buy
[edit | edit source]- "I commissioned something about seventy pair of shoes and brogues, which might come to 3 shillings or three shillings and sixpence each...."
- - the Earl of Kilmarnock, awaiting execution after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, sought to settle his debt to the Elgin shoemakers.
- Aldi is just north of A96, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-8PM. Asda and Lidl are next to the railway station.
- Johnstons of Elgin are a knitware chain. Their mill shop is 400 yards east of the cathedral, open daily 9AM-5PM.
Eat
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- Drouthy Cobbler, 48A High St IV30 1BU, ☏ +44 1343 666006. Sun-Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-1AM. Cosy relaxed place.
- Pattaya Restaurant, 54 High St Elgin IV30 1BU, ☏ +44 1343 551577. Tue-Sat noon-2:30PM, 5-11PM, Sun 5-10PM. Good Thai and Chinese food, spice levels just right.
- Qismat, 204 High Street, Elgin IV30 1BA, ☏ +44 1343 541461. Mon-Sat noon-2PM, 5-8PM, Sun 5-8PM. Reliable choice for South Asian, Indian and Pakistani food.
- Scribbles has pizza and the like at 152 High St, open daily 10AM-9PM.
- Pizzeria Planta is at 3 Batchen St, open Su-W 9AM-4PM, Th-Sa 9:30AM-10PM.
- Pizzeria Toscana, 20 Thunderton Place, Elgin IV30 1BG, ☏ +44 1343 551066. Mon-Sat noon-2PM, 4:30-9:30PM, Sun 4:30-8:30PM. Relaxed small place for pizza and other favourites.
- Ada is a Turkish restaurant at 29 South St, open M-Sa noon-10PM, Su 5-10PM.
Drink
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- Granary, 14 Thunderton Place IV30 1BG, ☏ +44 1343 555175. Daily 9AM-11PM. Part of Belhaven chain, family-friendly place with good grub.
- Dicey’s Bar, 185D High St IV30 1DW, ☏ +44 1343 540417. Fri Sat 9PM-2AM. This nightspot can get really busy.
- Joanna's Nightclub on High St next to Dicey’s is open Saturday night to 3AM.
- The Muckle Cross, 34 High St IV30 1BU, ☏ +44 1343 559030. Daily 8AM-midnight. Standard Wetherspoons pub with decent food, drink and service.
- Others in town centre are McKerron’s, Thunderton House, Against The Grain, White Horse Inn, Dean’s, The Cocktail Joint and Ionic Bar.
- 1 Glen Moray Distillery, Bruceland Road, Elgin IV30 1YE, ☏ +44 1343 550900. May-Sep daily 9AM-5PM, Oct-Apr Mon-Fri 10AM-4PM. This was founded in 1897; it was closed 1910-20 but re-opened by the owners of Glenmorangie, who were acquired by LVMH. In 2008 it was sold to La Martiniquaise, who expanded whisky production to 5.5 million litres annually. The company has a wide portfolio of spirits and most is blended, eg into Cutty Sark, Glen Turner and Label 5. Unlike LVMH they aim at the budget market, and their capacity is why single-malt Glen Moray is often available at discount supermarket prices. Standard tour £16.
- Other distilleries line the Spey valley. The main concentration is higher up around Dufftown and Grantown, but those near Elgin include Benriach, Longmourn, Mannochmore, Glenlossie and Glen Elgin. The long-closed Coleburn is being rebuilt and might resume production in 2027.
- Gordon & MacPhail, Newmill Rd IV30 4AF, ☏ +44 1343 545110. Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM. Opened as a grocer in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is an independent bottler of rare whiskies. The shop offers whisky tastings.
Sleep
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- Royal Hotel, Station Rd, Elgin IV30 1QW (facing railway station), ☏ +44 1343 542320. Pleasant trad railway hotel. B&B double £135.
- 1 Laichmoray Hotel, Maisondieu Rd, Elgin IV30 1QR (by station), ☏ +44 1343 540045. Clean convenient small hotel.
- 2 Sunninghill Hotel, Hay St, Elgin IV30 1NH, ☏ +44 1343 547799. Old-style hotel in a Victorian villa. B&B double £160.
- 3 The Mansefield, 2 Mayne Rd, Elgin IV30 1NY, ☏ +44 1343 540883. Good central hotel and restaurant. B&B double £200.
- St Michael’s Guesthouse is a block north of The Mansefield on Northfield Terrace.
- 4 Southbank Guest House, 36 Academy St, Elgin IV30 1LP, ☏ +44 1343 547132. Comfy friendly B&B in a Georgian town house, midway between the station and High Street. B&B double £130.
- 5 Mansion House Hotel, Haugh Rd, Elgin IV30 1AW, ☏ +44 1343 548811. Baronial pile, comfy but showing its age. B&B double £160.
- Moraydale Guesthouse is at 274 High St.
- West End Guesthouse is at 282 High St.
- Oldmills Garden is a guesthouse on Jock Inkson’s Brae west side of town.
- Eight Acres Hotel, Morriston Rd, Elgin IV30 6UL (west edge of town), ☏ +44 1343 543077. This now houses asylum-seekers.
- 6 Riverside Caravan Park, West Rd, Elgin IV30 8UN, ☏ +44 1343 542813. Clean caravan site a mile west of town, open April-Oct. Tourer £35, camping £15 ppn.
- Kilmorie House is a B&B at 6 Institution Rd east side of town.
- The Pines is a B&B on East Rd.
- 7 Premier Inn, 15 Linkwood Way, Elgin IV30 1HY, ☏ +44 333 777 7926. Decent-enough chain hotel, on the commercial park a mile east of town centre. B&B double £200.
- 8 Travelodge, 5 Coxton Park, Elgin IV30 8AZ, ☏ +44 871 984 6560. Reliable budget chain hotel two miles east of town. B&B double £110.
Connect
[edit | edit source]As of Aug 2026, Elgin and its approach roads have 4G from O2 and Vodafone, and 5G from EE and Three.
Go next
[edit | edit source]- Lossiemouth is a few miles north on the coast.
- Dufftown southeast is famous for its whisky distilleries.
- The Moray Firth coast has opportunities for dolphin-watching, and you can visit the offbeat Findhorn Foundation - a 1960s new age community which has become an ecological living centre, with self-built houses, circular meditation room, and wind turbines.
- Forres to the west has a Pictish stone and a monument to Nelson, but the star attraction is Brodie Castle 5 miles west.
- Inverness west and Aberdeen southeast are both an hour's drive away.