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The castle is situated on the Laich of Moray, a fertile plain that was once the swampy foreshore of Spynie Loch. This was originally a more defensive position than it appears today, long after the loch was drained.
The motte is a huge man-made mound, with steep sides and a wide ditch separating it from the bailey. The whole site is enclosed by a water-filled ditch, which is more a mark of its boundary than it is a serious defensive measure.
Duffus Castle was built by a Flemish man named Freskin, who came to Scotland in the first half of the 1100s. After an uprising by the ‘men of Moray’ against David I in 1130, the king sent Freskin north as a representative of royal authority.
He was given the estate of Duffus, and here he built an earthwork-and-timber castle. Freskin’s son William adopted the title of ‘de Moravia’ – of Moray. By 1200, the family had become the most influential noble family in northern Scotland, giving rise to the earls of Sutherland and Clan Murray.
In about 1270, the castle passed to Sir Reginald Cheyne the Elder, Lord of Inverugie. He probably built the square stone keep on top of the motte, and the curtain wall encircling the bailey. In 1305, the invading King Edward I of England gave him a grant of 200 oaks from the royal forests of Darnaway and Longmorn, which were probably used for the castle’s floors and roofs.
By 1350, the castle had passed to a younger son of the Earl of Sutherland through marriage. It may have been then that the keep was abandoned, possibly because it was beginning to slip down the mound, and a new residence established at the north of the bailey.
Viscount Dundee, leader of the first Jacobite Rising, dined in the castle as a guest of James, Lord Duffus in 1689, prior to his victory against King William II’s government forces at Killiecrankie. Soon after, Lord Duffus moved to the nearby Duffus House. The castle quickly fell into decay.
As part of a trip up to the Moray Coast we visited Lossiemouth to try some long exposure shots. As the tide was high the breakwater was a good choice of subject to photograph. Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and 10 minutes after this shot we had a heavy snow/hail shower that lasted until the point where we got back to the car. After which it cleared up. Typical Scottish weather!
In the image you can see that there is snow still lying on the platforms.
Nice old church ruins dating from around 1190, built by de Moray, the builder of Duffus Castle. Sits in a clearing in the woods a hundred yards or so from the road. There is a rare Mercat Cross in the graveyard. Close to Duffus Castle.
A wander around Burghead harbour, one of my favourite haunts, always something different to capture!
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Lola on what we think was her first visit to the coast. Baxter is looking for a lost tennis ball in the background.
The Millie Bothy is an abandoned ruin that dates back from the 19th century on Roseisle Beach.
New proposals lodged with Moray Council outline hopes to restore and convert the bothy into an office and erect 10 self-catering holiday units alongside it.
But objectors have argued it will negatively impact the surrounding landscape and that there is no right of access to the development.
In one objection submitted to the local authority, it is claimed the holiday accommodation “will drastically alter and destroy the natural environment and wildlife in the area renowned for it’s beauty and history.”
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
We were lucky enough to spend 10 minutes watching a pair of Kestrels hovering and hunting in the strong wind while we were out walking today.
This one suddenly dived towards the gorse below as I was trying to get a shot of it hovering.
9 High Street Elgin Morayshire Scotland.
Dating back to the 1890's. A magnificent structure, although it did have to be extensively rebuilt after a fire in 1973. ( ZOOM IN )
This wonderful sea arch is located not far outside Elgin near the small village of Portknockie. Its very easy to find if you just follow the signs.
A true wonder of nature. Here I used a slighty slow exposure to highlight the power of the waves coming in.
Next Skye workshops are in February but I am now down to the last few places
November is now full and the first February one has filled up as well.
imagetuition.com/product/skye-photography-workshop-11th-f...
Rock strata at Sandend harbour; one of the smallest of the many old fishing fishing villages scattered along the north-facing coasts of Moray.
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Burghead, a peaceful coastal village on the shores of the Moray Firth in the north east Scotland.
The rocky coast from Burghead to Lossiemouth is made from golden-coloured Permian and Triassic age sandstone, unique in this part of Scotland. This whole coast has been quarried for centuries as these sandstones are a beautiful building stone. There are also cliffs and sea caves, and some caves have evidence that they have been used from Pictish times onwards. The rocks at Burghead are Triassic, and are about 240 million years old. These Burghead sand beds were deposited by an ancient river system. If you look carefully you can see where channels eroded down into the layers below. You can also see pebbles transported by the river from nearby mountains.
Burghead, a peaceful coastal village on the shores of the Moray Firth in the north east Scotland.
The rocky coast from Burghead to Lossiemouth is made from golden-coloured Permian and Triassic age sandstone, unique in this part of Scotland. This whole coast has been quarried for centuries as these sandstones are a beautiful building stone. There are also cliffs and sea caves, and some caves have evidence that they have been used from Pictish times onwards. The rocks at Burghead are Triassic, and are about 240 million years old. These Burghead sand beds were deposited by an ancient river system. If you look carefully you can see where channels eroded down into the layers below. You can also see pebbles transported by the river from nearby mountains.
Focus stack of 35 images, Fuji X-T3 16-55mm 2.8
Part of my 'Duffus Castle through the seasons' project.
The castle is situated on the Laich of Moray, a fertile plain that was once the swampy foreshore of Spynie Loch. This was originally a more defensive position than it appears today, long after the loch was drained.
The motte is a huge man-made mound, with steep sides and a wide ditch separating it from the bailey. The whole site is enclosed by a water-filled ditch, which is more a mark of its boundary than it is a serious defensive measure.
Duffus Castle was built by a Flemish man named Freskin, who came to Scotland in the first half of the 1100s. After an uprising by the ‘men of Moray’ against David I in 1130, the king sent Freskin north as a representative of royal authority.
He was given the estate of Duffus, and here he built an earthwork-and-timber castle. Freskin’s son William adopted the title of ‘de Moravia’ – of Moray. By 1200, the family had become the most influential noble family in northern Scotland, giving rise to the earls of Sutherland and Clan Murray.
In about 1270, the castle passed to Sir Reginald Cheyne the Elder, Lord of Inverugie. He probably built the square stone keep on top of the motte, and the curtain wall encircling the bailey. In 1305, the invading King Edward I of England gave him a grant of 200 oaks from the royal forests of Darnaway and Longmorn, which were probably used for the castle’s floors and roofs.
Spynie Kirk was moved in 1736, stone by stone, from the site beside Spynie Cemetery where it had been built in the late 12th century to be rebuilt, in a different form, at its present site in New Spynie to the north of the Quarrelwood. One point of interest is that the lintel over the east door was installed upside down, and remains so to this day.
It is a typical old-style country kirk with box pews and a Communion pew – two pews facing inward to a narrow table between. There are two lofts to east and west and the central pulpit on the south wall.
In the heartlands of Moray, there is a chasm cut by the swift white waters of the River Findhorn, called Randolph’s Leap. It is an impressive sight to see, even without the backdrop of the story that played out there many centuries ago. It is a tale of feuding families, civil war, a bloody battle and the brutalities connected with the medieval siege of a castle. Set within the time frame of the Scottish Wars of Independence, it is a tale of a family in decline and the seeming rise of another family. As Robert the Bruce rose in power, he appointed his nephew, Thomas Randolph, as Earl of Moray, with the purpose of crushing his bitter rivals once and for all. There are tales of a haunted castle in the aftermath of the events which occurred at the great forests of Darnaway, located just outside the town of Forres. In a final insult to the defeated Comyns, Randolph’s Leap is named after the Earl of Moray and not the young Comyn who jumped across the Findhorn to save his life.