Elgin is one of Scotland's oldest established towns. Parts of the old medieval street plan still exist and there are also many 18th century buildings to admire in this former royal burgh.

The focal point of the town is the impressive ruined Cathedral. Known as the 'Lantern of the North', it was founded in 1224, but destroyed by Alexander Stewart 'the Wolf of Badenoch' in 1390. It is second in size in Scotland only to St Andrews Cathedral. If you feel energetic enough to climb the north tower, you will be rewarded with a great view of the town! The cathedral overlooks the unusual Biblical Garden which contains every plant mentioned in the Bible and is well worth a visit.

Other attractions in Elgin include an art gallery, leisure centre (with 2 swimming pools, ice rink, sauna, gymnasium), the Moray Motor Museum and the Elgin Museum. The Cashmere Visitor Centre (run by Johnston's of Elgin) offers guided tours, plus a shop and restaurant.

Elgin is located on the main railway line between Inverness and Aberdeen (there are regular trains running from London, Edinburgh and Glasgow every day). It is also on the main bus route from Inverness to Aberdeen with connections to all other major Scottish towns and cities. There are daily flights from London to the airports at Aberdeen and Inverness where car rental is available if required.

• Spynie Palace is a tower built around 1470, once the residence of the Bishops of Moray. Queen Mary stayed here in 1562.
• The impressive ruins of Duffus Castle (4 miles north of Elgin), surrounded by a moat, dates from around 1300.
• Birnie Church dates from the 12th century and is thought to be the oldest parish church in continuous use for worship in Scotland. Dedicated to St. Brendan the Navigator.
• Pluscarden Abbey (6 miles) was founded in 1230, burned down by the Wolf of Badenoch and restored in the 1940s. It is now the home of a religious community and is a centre for spiritual retreats.
• Sueno's Stone at Forres (12 miles from Elgin) stands 23 feet tall and was carved with battle scenes possibly as long as 1000 years ago.
• Brodie Castle (16 miles) is a delighful fairytale castle with splendid grounds including a lake.

You can easily follow the signposts around the Whisky Trail to sample the delights of Strathisla, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and other famous malts, but don't forget that there are over 50 local distilleries in Moray!

Drive down to Huntly and you can take the Castle Trail through the historic homes and ancient fortresses of Aberdeenshire.

You are spoilt for choice for local parks including Cooper Park with its boating lake, the rose garden at Grant Park, plus Millbuies Country Park and Quarrelwood Woodland Park. And there are beaches a-plenty such as the miles of sand stretching from nearby Lossiemouth. Nairn (22 miles from Elgin) was a Victorian seaside resort and is still popular today.

There are many picturesque villages to explore eastwards along the Moray coastline including Findochty, Cullen and Buckie where you can visit the Maritime Heritage Centre called the Buckie Drifter. Also be sure to look out for the Bow Fiddle Rock at Portknockie.

Burghead is famous for its ancient Celtic fire festival, the Burning of the Clavie, which is still held each year on January 11th to celebrate the start of the New Year in the old Scottish calendar.

Why not take a boat trip from Nairn or Spey Bay to see the Moray Firth dolphins?

This area has around 30 golf courses and one at Nairn hosted the famous Walker Cup in September 1999. There are many opportunities for fishing locally in rivers, lochs and reservoirs.

The Speyside Way is the famous long-distance hiking trail which stretches from Buckie to Tomintoul, said to be the highest village in the Highlands. You don't have to walk all 84 miles of it though as you can easily sample short sections just to stretch your legs and admire the scenery.