Beaches along The Moray Coast
22 Jul 2024The fabulous Moray coast spans the three council areas of Highland, Moray and Aberdeenshire with more than 500 miles of coastline. The Moray Firth Coast is renowned for the wonderful beaches and outstanding shoreside dolphin watching opportunities, resulting in it being voted one of the most breathtaking coasts in the world in a National Geographic Traveller Magazine survey, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/places_rated_scotlands_coast
The favourite beaches and spots that we have are:
Nairn Beach
You are spoilt for choice with 2 beaches to pick from and both are easily accessible from the town.
Nairn west beach stretches from the harbour and Fishertown to the Nairn Golf Club at its western end. The beach is sandy and gently sloping so is a good Place for sea swimming and paddling. If you want to keep your feet dry it is a lovely walk with views over Morray Firth to Cromarty on the far side. The stunning sunset views make an evening stroll well worthwhile. Throughout the year this beach has something magical to be seen, during the winter months you can catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the dark night skies or in the summer look along the coastline for a resident school of dolphins (top tip is to look at the bow waves of the passing ships as the dolphins love to race the bow wave!).
The east beach runs from the Harbour towards Culbin Forest which hides the UK’s highest sand dune amongst it’s trees; Hill 99 with a view point to scan the surrounding sea and country side. The beach is sandy and good for swimming but keep an eye on the tides to avoid being caught out on a sand bank.
The walk along the beach takes you to what is one of Scotland’s largest Sites of Scientific Interest at Culbin Sands and Forest. The beach is owned by RSPB and the woods by Forestry and Land Scotland, as a result there are well maintained and easy walks through the trees with the chance to see red squirrels, crested tits and an array of butterflies. The beach is excellent for bird watching and is one of only two locations in the UK where you can see wintering pale-bellied brant geese, there is also an abundance of other sea birds including oystercatchers, curlews, redshank, guillemots and cormorants.
Once you have taken in the sea air why not stop for a bite to eat or even a cocktail at the Sun Dancer, Bar and Restaurant with beautiful views over the Moray Firth and divine food this is one not to be missed, for a light snack during the day the West Beach Snack Shack is not to be missed to excellent simple hot takeaways and drinks with nearby benches so that you can see the sea go by as you eat!
https://sun-dancer.co.uk/ – https://www.facebook.com/Strathnairnbeachcafe
Findhorn Beach
Findhorn beach is miles of uninterrupted white sand beach close to the village of Findhorn, with plenty of car parking and two public toilets in the area this is catered to spend many hours exploring this breathtaking beach.
This is one of the most popular beaches on the Moray coast and you can see why, perfect for a gentle stroll or some serious birdwatching session. At the Findhorn beach you will find large concrete tank traps put here in World War two to stop tanks from being offloaded on the beach and inland. A modern add on is a string of brightly painted beach huts which provide a dry and wind free retreat but at a price.
If adventure is what you seek north 58 sea adventures have you covered, take a two-hour boat trip to explore all the wildlife along the Moray coastline or even take a private charter to explore.
Hungry form exploring or need a hot drink to warm you up, Captain’s Table Café offers a range of coffees, drinks, snacks and meals – http://www.findhornmarina.com/captains-table.html
East Beach (Lossiemouth)
East Beach is found in Lossiemouth, a seaside town that is popular with visitors, this beach has traditionally been popular location for surfers and birdwatching.
The popular beach starts as a pebble beach but walk westward and you will find smooth sand. This beautiful beach allows for dog walking, picnic, kite surfing and of course building sand castles. The popular beach is accessible by a new bridge sited just off the Esplanade. The new bridge is larger than the previous bridge which allows this bridge to be accessible by all.
An RAF base is not far from the beach and can be seen and heard when aircrafts are flying overhead, this adds to the excitement of the beach day out.
West Beach (Lossiemouth)
West beach is a family favourite, best walked at low tide with sand and pebbles to be felt below foot. This is a beautiful spot for an early morning walk or to watch a spectacular sunset. You will be treated to some beautiful wildlife such as birds and seals. You will also find rockpools to explore for hours.
A few miles along the beach you will find the beautiful Skerry Brae lighthouse, certain time of year access is allowed into this magnificent lighthouse, climb the stairs to the highest point and take in the views for miles. Behind the dunes you can see afar the towers of Gordonstoun school famous for being King Charles educators between 1962-1967.
You also have the Covesea Lighthouse in the west direction. This lighthouse was finished in the 1846 and manned until 1984, prearranged tours of the lighthouse can now be booked between Easter until end of October – http://covesealighthouse.co.uk/the_lighthouse.php.
Burghead Beach
Burghead Beach with a long sandy beach that can be seen when the tide is out has everything for a great day outdoors.
This beach is known for regular dolphin spotting and also even a whale or two if you are lucky. With Burghead Beach caravan park situated just behind the beach you can have a lovely picnic in the forest and access to play areas and walking trails. This is a popular spot for those water sport lovers also. From the carpark there is access to the beach through a small path, you will find bathrooms and a number of shops and places to eat within in the town.
The town of Burghead is located at the end of a peninsula, sea surrounding three sides of the town. The Bothy bistro and bar serves up some divine sea food right from the source, open from Thursday to Sunday – https://coastradar.com/places/united-kingdom/moray/burghead-beach/https://thebothy.co.uk/
Hopeman Village
Hopeman village, like Nairn gives you the choice of two beaches separated by a point of land out into sea where the harbour has been built. The larger of the two beaches is Hopeman East and both beaches are popular for surfers due to the large waves and excellent conditions for catching a wave.
The Hopeman beachs are both mostly sandy with a few rock pools making it a good place to explore, so grab a picnic and have fun enjoying all this beach has to offer and don’t forget to keep your eyes open to spot the passing dolphins!.
The coastal path runs along the back of the beaches so it is a popular stop off for walkers and if you’d rather go for nice walks than build a sand castles then head to the East Beach with it’s Beautifully-painted beach huts and follow the coastal path for a short way to the fossilized dinosaur footprints.
The village has a beautiful golf course with views out over te water, the club is family friendly so everyone will be able to hit a few rounds and enjoy the views. With stellar service and some of the freshest fish you will find, Catch 79 seafood bistro is a haven for seafood lovers.
https://www.hopemangolf.club/ – https://www.catch79seafoodbistro.com/
