A climatic quirk means the Moray Coast can be warmer than Cornwall, while its beaches and fishing villages are just as beautiful
“It’s often as warm here as it is in London – and we get less rain than Cornwall,” beams guide Will Hall of environmental education charity Wild Things, who spends his days surprising people with the Moray Coast. This secret stretch of Scotland’s eastern seaboard is alive with sandy beaches, marine mammals, plump lobsters and picture-postcard fishing villages, a match for Cornwall or – whisper it – even the frazzled Mediterranean. It’s cheaper than both, too. And comes without the crowds.
But why so hot? “In the northeast of Scotland, east of Inverness and along the coast, you often get very warm weather,” explains British Weather Services meteorologist Jim Dale. “In the Aviemore area it can reach 27C. Why? Because you’re in what’s called a rain shadow. You often get the winds that come across the Grampians and down again and warm things up. So sometimes when it’s 28C in London and you’re thinking that’s where it’s hottest, then you look north to the Moray Firth and you find the same sort of temperatures and the same kind of weather.”
The Moray Coast in Scotland’s northeast unfurls along the southern banks of the eponymous firth, the country’s largest, starting east of Inverness, sweeping from Findhorn all the way to Cullen. It’s a spectacular part of Scotland, formed by elemental forces during the last Ice Age when the firth was gouged by one giant glacier. The legacy in these tidal waters are rugged cliffs and vaulting rock stacks framing the beaches, and a fold of brooding hills as a backdrop. The imprint of man is painted across the wild brushstrokes of nature with wee fishing villages and towns, like Burghead, Cullen, Hopeman and Portknockie. You’ll encounter fewer visitors across all four on a summer’s day than in Padstow alone.
The beaches are quieter than Cornwall too. And bountiful, dotted all along the littoral. Findhorn Beach – unfurling beside a hippy commune turned alternative living hub – serves as a microcosm. Just follow the seabirds down the River Findhorn to its rendezvous with the Moray Firth. A seal colony lines the banks of the river as you work your way through the dunes towards the sweep of brightly painted wooden beach huts that stand stoically on the sands. In summer it’s a joy, with mile upon mile of clean beach and plenty of space for everyone. You can walk as far as Burghead, 12 miles away, and have white sands tickling your toes all the way.