20 Attractions to Explore Near The Keith & Dufftown Railway

The Balvenie distillery was built in 1892 by William J. Grant. The Balvenie, a unique range of single malt Scotch whiskies hand-crafted in Speyside using centuries-old skills passed down through generations. Balvenie makes whisky in the traditional batch process of the production of single malt. The use of locally grown barley is preferred, and it is floor-malted where possible. Of the 120+ distilleries in Scotland, Balvenie is one of only seven distilleries with its own malting floor.

The Glenfiddich Distillery based in Dufftown, Moray has been producing malt whiskey since 1887. William Grant is the founder of the distillery with it being built in 1886. Today, Glenfiddich remains the world’s best-selling single malt with sales in excess of a million cases a year.

Balvenie Castle stands on a small, wooded hill on the northern outskirts of Dufftown. The castle is rather overshadowed by its more famous and much more modern neighbour, the Glenfiddich distillery, one of Scotland's most well-known whiskey brands. The castle fell out of use following an attack by Robert the Bruce in 1308, which left the property uninhabitable. At some point in the 14th century the castle and estates of Balvenie passed to the Earl of Douglas. Today, the remains of the castle ar

The Speyside Cooperage is a cooperage located in Craigellachie, Aberlour, Scotland. Its visitor centre, the only such in Britain, is part of the Malt Whisky Trail, started in the early 1980s. Each year, it produces and repairs nearly 150,000 oak casks used by the surrounding Speyside Whisky distilleries, as well as distilleries elsewhere throughout Scotland. Owned by the Taylor family since its founding in 1947, the cooperage was sold in 2008 to the French firm Tonnellerie François Frères.

Auchindoun Castle is a 15th-century L-Plan tower castle located in Auchindoun near Dufftown in Banffshire, Scotland. It stands in a superb defensive location at a height of nearly 1,000ft just over two miles south east of Dufftown. Immediately to the south and east the ground falls away steeply into the valley of the River Fiddich, and the location offers control over one of the main routes south from Speyside into Aberdeenshire, today followed by the A941.

The River Fiddich is a right bank tributary of the River Spey in northeast Scotland. It rises on the eastern slopes of Corriehabbie Hill in Glenfiddich Forest and flows northeastwards beneath the A941 road, past Auchindoun Castle to a sharp bend adjacent to the A920 road where it turns westwards to flow to Dufftown.

Craigellachie Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge across the River Spey at Craigellachie. The bridge was built by the famous engineer Thomas Telford between 1812 and 1814. It features two sets of mock-Medieval turrets, standing 15 feet high on each side of the river. The bridge was commemorated on a Royal Mail postage stamp in 2015.It also features in the artwork and logos of Spey Valley Brewery who brew an 1814 lager in commemoration of the bridge

The Linn Falls is a waterfall in Scotland. The Linn Falls is situated south of Aberlour, close to Aberlour distillery. There are well-maintained paths to the falls, although boots or wellies are required. In this area you can see lots of wildlife, as well as rare lichens and mosses. It is very close to a distillery and the high alcohol content of the air even affects vegetation nearby, making tree trunks darker, for instance.

The Aberlour distillery is an active distillery with two wash stills and two spirit stills. Nowadays they have a yearly output of about 3.5 million litres. The Whiskies of the Aberlour distillery are usually all sweet with sherry, not smoky and more fruity then spicy. Since 1986, Aberlour Single Malt Scotch Whisky has won 58 Gold awards and 8 Trophies in the Tasting categories of two leading industry competitions: the International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Ben Aigan hill lies to the east of Rothes, the north east of Craigellachie and to the east of the River Spey which flows along the foot of its western and northern slopes. This majestic hill Rising to a height of 471m and extensively forested apart from the summit cone, the top of Ben Aigan provides magnificent views over Speyside, south to Ben Rinnes, and away to the north over the Moray Firth to the hills of Sutherland.

Ben Rinnes is the highest freestanding mountain in Moray at 2733ft (841 metres), and is classified as a ‘Corbett’ – a summit lying between 2500ft and 2999ft. The mountain has one main path and can be easily accessed from the nearby car park. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and running.

The Glen of Rothes Fishery is located near Elgin in Morayshire, covering about 6 acres of water set in a scenic Highland glen and offers stillwater bank fishing for rainbows, blues, browns and brook trout. The Lochs are mainly fly only, but there are also two bait lochs, including coarse fishing. The lochs have matured well over the years, fly life is abundant and dry fly sport can be great when the conditions are right. Even the big carp are said to take a well presented fly and I believe some

Cardhu is one of the most famous distilleries of the Speyside with an impressive history. It proudly serves as one of the Four Corner of Scotland Distilleries of Johnnie Walker. Cardhu was the first distillery that John Walker & Sons bought and Cardhu Single Malt Whisky was one of the six brands that started the Classic Malts Selection, representing the Speyside.

Strathisla Distillery is a scotch whisky distillery based in Strathisla, Speyside. The distillery was founded in 1786. Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail is a tourism initiative featuring seven working Speyside distilleries including Strathisla, a historic distillery and the Speyside Cooperage. According to a BBC article, visitors can tour the "traditional warehouse where the single malts that make up the premium and super premium blends are stored ... distinctive mellow honey flavour, offering a ful

Ballindalloch Castle is one of the few private castles in Scotland that has been lived in continuously by the family which founded it, the Macpherson-Grants. Originally a fortified tower house that was erected circa 1546, Ballindalloch underwent a significant period of renovation and extension during the Victorian era which transformed it into the sumptuous country retreat that stands today. An independent company of what was to become known at the Black Watch regiment was formed under the comma

Impressive mature larch trees stand out amongst the conifers lining the slopes above the man made fishery lake. There are leisurely lakeside walks and more challenging hillside paths offering great views of the Moray Firth. The planted rhododendrons and azaleas are really colourful in spring. A large variety of rhododendrons and trees have been planted and this attracts wildlife, from red squirrels feeding at the station to roe deer, badger, rabbit and if you are quiet and lucky, pine martin.

Fochabers Folk Museum and Heritage Centre houses a collection of gigs and carriages and an eclectic array of everyday objects showing the way of life and traditions of the north east of Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. Experience schooldays of the past in the Milne's schoolroom, set up to celebrate Alexander Milne, founder of Milne's Free School, a native of Fochabers who made his fortune in America and never forgot his home town.

Millbuies Loch was created by the damming of streams to provide angling facilities on the loch.Moray District Council took over the estate in 1975 and the fishing was extended to the public. The featured path around the loch is hard aggregate with various other paths leading off to scenic views. A large variety of rhododendrons and trees have been planted and this attracts wildlife, from red squirrels feeding at the station to roe deer, badger, rabbit and if you are quiet and lucky, pine martin.

The Moray Monster Trails in Morayshire, near Elgin, offer a real mix of off road mountain biking. Whether you’re completely new to mountain biking or an expert rider, there’s a trail for you. From an easy green-graded track to more severe black-grade trails and orange-graded downhill and Northshore sections.