A Wee Bit More of John's Adventure's in Scotland!

When I first moved to Scotland in April of 2004 I lived for a few months in a rented farm cottage just outside of the city of Elgin. This city is situated in the County of Moray between the bigger cities of Inverness and Aberdeen. Elgin is in fact labelled as Scotland's smallest city, situated 5 miles inland on the river Lossie and is the main city and administrative centre for Moray.

Throughout history it has been a favoured spot by the many Monarchs, mostly for its hunting amongst its vast open spaces surrounding the city. There has been a castle in the area since the 11^th century. In 1224 it was given the title of royal burgh by David 1 and then chosen as the seat for the bishop of Moray. By the mid 19^th century the population had risen steadily to one of about 4000, further rising after the arrival of the railway, still to this day the city only has a population of about 20000.

The cathedral was damaged by fire in 1270; it was extended on its being rebuilt. In 1390 Alexander Stewart (known as the wolf of Badenoch) plundered and burned both Elgin (including inflicting serious damage to the cathedral) and the nearby town of Forres. In 1567 it was again under attack with this time the result being the removal of the lead from its roof. Further calamities befell the building before on Easter Sunday in 1711 the central tower fell down, damaging much of the building. It has never been rebuilt and remains in its ruinous state still today.

The castle built on top of the nearby Ladyhill was destroyed and all that remains are a few foundation stones around a column erected to the 5^th Duke of Gordon in 1839.

Alexander Graham Bell the famous inventor was a one time resident of Elgin.

Close to the city is Spynie palace, the one time home of the bishop of Moray, as well as the serving bishop's living there, it was also a favoured spot for visiting Monarch's to stay whenever they were in the area. The palace changed hands over the years between religions mostly between the Catholics and the Presbyterians. In1689 the palace fell into disrepair and like the cathedral just a few miles away, now only the ruins remain.

Elgin has a small museum, housing a number of local finds. Many local artefacts, ranging from Pictish stones and earlier fossils to more modern finds.

Pluscarden Abbey (6 miles from Elgin), was founded in 1230. It is the only medieval monastery in Britain still inhabited by monks and being used for its original purpose.

Elgin is also the start of the whisky trail, a route that takes you through some of the finest distilleries in the world. The vast majority of Scottish whisky is distilled in Moray and many of them are open to the public for guided tours. So whether your favourite tipple is a Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Glenfiddich or another of the dozens of the finest Scottish whiskies from this area be sure to pay a visit to one of these historical and somewhat refreshing spots.

Elgin is a name shared by many places throughout the world; in fact the name has spread to Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, South Africa and Australia. In the USA alone the name of Elgin is used far and wide with 19 states having chosen that name for one or more of its settlements. Further evidence of how far and wide former residents have travelled (or been removed) to in the past.

Sources: - personal knowledge

personal experience

elginscotland.org