Things to Do in Cairngorms

The northern edge of the Cairngorms region runs down to the Moray coast, and the days out here have a different flavour to the hills and glens further south. Around Lossiemouth, Findhorn and Burghead, wide beaches and sheltered bays draw paddleboarders and surfers, with outfits such as Blue Coast Surf & Paddle, New Wave Surf School and North 58 Sea Adventures offering ways onto the water without your own kit.

Inland, Elgin, Craigellachie and Fochabers hold the region's more traditional attractions: the Speyside Cooperage Visitor Centre explains the craft behind the whisky casks, the Fochabers Folk Museum and Moray Motor Museum cover local history and machinery, and Logie Estate near Forres gives a taste of the working countryside behind the coast.

Between the two, there's a natural split between a beach day at Findhorn or Burghead and a more sheltered, indoor visit inland, so it's worth planning around whichever town you're already passing through.