11 Old Ruins to Explore in Moray

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.

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

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

Burghead Well stands in the north-eastern corner of what was once a great Pictish fort. Three huge ramparts and ditches cut off the headland heading into the Moray Firth. Behind them lay an inner fort, dating to about AD 500. Burghead may have served as a Pictish navy base, but it was destroyed by fire in the 800s.

Duffus Castle is a Norman motte and bailey castle augmented by a later stone keep. The original Norman motte and bailey fortress was composed of an impressive earthwork mound standing out from the low-lying Leigh of Moray, surrounded by a timber palisade. The castle was substantially rebuilt in the thirteenth century including construction of the large Keep seen today. Duffus was attacked on numerous occasions but remained in use until the eighteenth century.

Elgin Cathedral, known as the ‘Lantern of the North’, is one of Scotland’s most beautiful medieval cathedrals. The cathedral was once richly carved and adorned with stained glass and painted decoration. A fine collection of architectural fragments hints at the building’s lost beauty, while documentary evidence sheds light on religious life at Elgin.

Gordon Castle is located near Fochabers in Moray, Scotland. Historically known as the Bog-of-Gight or Bog o'Gight, it was the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon. Completed as one of Scotland’s largest houses in the 1770s by the Duke of Gordon, Gordon Castle is the historical home of the Gordons, one of Scotland’s oldest families. The estate nestles in the Spey valley, in the heart of whisky country, with a stretch of the Spey River running through the estate, which boasts some of the best sal

Pluscarden Abbey was founded in 1230 for Valliscaulian monks by King Alexander II. It is the only mediaeval monastery still in use for its original purpose in Britain. In 1948, the priory became a house of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation of Benedictines, and restoration began at the hands of monks from Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire. In 1966, the priory received its independence from the mother-house; it was elevated to abbatial status in 1974.

Spynie Palace was the fortified residence of the Bishops of Moray, standing some two miles north of Elgin on the edge of Spynie Loch, a sea loch providing direct access and a safe anchorage. It was also the centre of a thriving settlement. Today the splendid ruins of the Palace remain, but the loch is only a shadow of its former self and the medieval town has disappeared.

Sueno's Stone is the largest and most spectacular of the many carved stones that have survived from the early medieval period in Scotland. It stands in a purpose built glass shelter on the north eastern edge of the town of Forres beside a disused spur of road near the roundabout between the B9011 and the A96. The stone was erected c. 850–950 but by whom and for what, is unknown.

The Tolbooth is a landmark building in Forres, jutting out into the street at its highest point and providing a focal point to the High Street. Built on the site of an earlier structure, the current building dates from 1838–39 and was built by William Robertson in the Scots Baronial style. It is a three-storey courthouse and jail with an imposing three-stage clock tower and belfry with a crowning cupola and weather vane.