I was once in the car park at the Scottish Dolphin Centre and heard a grumble.

A bus trip had stopped for a visit and something had clearly been lost in translation as to what to expect.

You won’t get the chance to pet dolphins or watch them jump through hoops.

What you will find at the centre, beside Tugnet Ice House, Spey Bay (at the mouth of the River Spey), is one of the best places in Scotland to view dolphins from the land.

The Moray Firth is famous for its resident population of Bottlenose Dolphins.

Though the population (of about 200 dolphins) is based here, its members travel far and wide. The dolphins are individually named and some are easily identifiable. For example, Spirtle is marked by the remnants of sunburn from a stranding she survived a few years ago. Both she and other Moray Firth dolphins have been seen as far away as the south-west of Ireland.

This is the most northerly population of dolphins in the world. They are a hardy bunch and individuals are large in comparison to the average size for dolphins.

Entry to the Scottish Dolphin Centre is free of charge.

Salmon is part of the dolphin’s diet and it’s appropriate that the centre should be in a building adjacent to an ice house. This was used historically as a store for ice which was used to preserve salmon caught for human consumption.

The centre is run by volunteers.

It is owned by WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. WDC is the leading charity (Scottish Charity No. SC040231) dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins. Their primary aim is to secure a world where every dolphin and whale is free and safe.

Among its attractions are:

• Film from animal observation cameras.

• A “dry” dive under the surface of the Moray Firth, providing an audio-visual experience of the sea depths.

• A cosy cafe.

From outside, whether you’re looking out to sea or across/into the mouth of the River Spey, there is a lot of wildlife on offer, including: dolphins; seals; jumping fish; osprey; and otters.

Guided walks are available through the centre or you can amuse yourself on the pebble beach, with views east towards the Bin of Cullen (hill) and west to Lossiemouth. The Speyside Way leads upstream on the River and a relatively short walk takes you to the Spey Viaduct and the pedestrian/bicycle track across to the other side at Garmouth. From the bridge, views inland (to the south) extend as far as Ben Rinnes.

Spey Bay is not the only land-based point from which to view dolphins in Moray.

Other possibilities include the headland viewing platform at Burghead (which has commanding views round more than 180 degrees), and the harbour walls at Hopeman and Lossiemouth.

Various options are available if you would like to go out on a ‘rib’ into the firth to seek out dolphins at other sea creatures close-up.

Benriach Distillery, off the A941 just south of Elgin, Moray, is unmissable.

With its name painted in massive letters on a bonded warehouse beside the road, it’s all part of a recent rebrand.

This additionally includes the opening of a brand new visitor centre.

It’s a relatively small site – nothing like this size of, say, Glenfiddich or Macallan – and the new visitor facilities are homely and welcoming, which befits what is essentially a converted domestic dwelling.

Founded in 1898, Benriach has a history of experimentation in production and maturation techniques.

This has become common across the Whisky industry in recent years but Benriach seems to have got itself ahead of the game, with the result that it has an eclectic selection of mature malt for anyone who wants to try or buy.

Current Master Blender, Rachel Barrie, clearly loves having such a wealth of resources at her disposal.

Tours of the distillery itself are not currently possible due to Covid restrictions but tastings are available in the new bar within the visitor centre.

There are 2 different tour/tasting options at present.

One is called “Sense of Flavour” and the other “Barrels, Butts and Barriques: an exploration of cask maturation”.

Both of these options include a clever prop – the Benriach Box – a sturdy oak construction which sits snugly on the table in front of you, the drawer of which pulls out to reveal a variety of goodies chosen to display aspects of taste, smell and texture integral to the Whisky-making process. The hidden elements add a dimension of mystery and anticipation to the tasting experience.

The top of the box has the Benriach logomark on it as well as placeholders for whisky glasses.

With the Sense of Flavour tasting, you have an opportunity to savour Benriach’s Original and Smoky 10 and 12 Year Old Single Malts, finishing by creating your own whisky cocktail.

The separate tasting offering, exploring the Art of Maturation, involves sampling 5 single-cask whiskies – the featured casks including Burgundy, Madeira and Rum – culminating with a nip of Benriach 21-Year-Old to illustrate the winning integration of 4 different cask types.

Next door to the bar, the visitor centre shop is cosy.

It manages to pack in a lot of different expressions of the Benriach nevertheless. The décor reflects the new brand colours — muted and natural – and the friendly staff have created an enticing retail space.

Benriach’s own website describes the distillery as “ruggedly beautiful” and a “hidden Speyside gem”.

With the volume of traffic that passes the door every day and the fanfare of the different elements of its rebrand and visitor centre launch, you suspect that Benriach will not remain a “hidden” tourist attraction any longer.

Links

Benriach website

Distillery Tours / Tastings

The coast of the County of Moray is about 40 miles long.

It is part of a whole – from Inverness to Peterhead – which was included in a list of top-rated coastal destinations highlighted by National Geographic in 2010.

The article on their Travel website made particular mention of Moray’s amazing cliff scenery and visitor-welcoming community.

Going East to West along the coast of Moray, you begin at Culbin Forest.

The way is interrupted by the entrance to Findhorn Bay, with the settlement of Findhorn on its east side.

There is then the wide, sandy curve of Burghead Bay, including Roseisle Beach, and you then come to the town of Burghead on its promontory.

The coast has many cliffs and caves over the next stretch passing Cummingston and Hopeman.

Another sandy beach appears, as you near Covesea Lighthouse.

This is no longer an active beacon but it marks the northernmost point on the southern coast of the Moray Firth.

The beach below the lighthouse – Silver Sands – gives way to Lossiemouth’s West Beach and then the town of Lossiemouth itself.

The East Beach at Lossiemouth is normally reached over a pedestrian footbridge.

This is now the long, shallow bay known as Spey Bay.

Sand gives way to shingle and eventually the village of Kingston, at the west side of the mouth of the River Spey. You have to go inland about a mile to the former railway viaduct at Garmouth to cross the Spey and, once you get back to the east side of the mouth of the Spey – at the village known as Spey Bay – there is the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Visitor Centre with lots of information about the cetaceans who inhabit the Moray Firth (and are regularly visible from Spey Bay).

Moving further east along the coast, you come to various settlements surrounding and comprising the town of Buckie – Portgordon, Buckpool, Seatown, Ianstown and Portessie.

We are now reaching another dramatic and rugged section of coastline.

As we pass through the fishing villages of Findochty and Portknockie, the latter famous for the Bow Fiddle Rock – as appears on our Home Page.

Cullen has an impressive railway viaduct and a beautiful sandy bay with sandstone outcrops.

Beyond Cullen, we are soon at the boundary of the County of Moray. Beyond lie Sunnyside Bay and the dramatic ruins of Findlater Castle, both in neighbouring Banffshire.

Ben Rinnes is the highest mountain in Moray.

It is popular with hillwalkers.

It has one main, well-constructed path and can easily be accessed from the car park reached from the B9009, about 3 miles south-west of Dufftown, up the unclassified road to Milltown of Edinvillie.

‘Rinnes’ is originally a Gaelic word.

Ben Rinnes means Promontory Hill or Headland Hill.

In keeping with its name, it commands extensive views over the Laich of Moray and across the Moray Firth to the hills of Ross, Sutherland and Caithness. It has been said that, from the summit, it is possible to see 6 counties (Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Morayshire, Nairnshire, Invernessshire, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness.

Having a bold and well-defined outline, it is a prominent landmark which is easily identifiable from just about any direction.

At 841m (2,759 feet) in height, it meets the classification for a Corbett.