After breakfast today we headed east out of Inverness along the coast. This section of Scotland
has a different feel than the northern part we were in yesterday. A lot of the land is dedicated to grazing and raising wheat and oats, but there is also more industry, and that may be what gives this section a different feel.
Our first stop was at the coastal village of Findhorn, where we drove along a one-way road beside the harbor and through the quaint old town, which is located on Findhorn Bay. A number of sailboats and fishing boats at anchor dotted the harbor. It was quite windy today; it's hard to tell whether today was an exception or whether it is normally windy in this part of Scotland.
The Findhorn Foundation was only a short drive from the town, and before our trip I had been reading about how it got started. I was interested in participating in one of their programs, but our travel schedule did not mesh with the dates of their offerings. So we settled on a short visit.
Findhorn has an interesting history. It started in 1962 with three people at the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park (translated to RV Park), just a mile from the village of Findhorn. These three people didn't set out to form a community, but they were all committed to following a spiritual path and living a simpler lifestyle. They planted a garden which flourished, each person adding his or her particular talents to encouraging the garden to grow. The garden is what brought the first visitors to Findhorn, and some of them wanted to stay. The result was that a community was born "based on spiritual principles that were put into practical application" (according to the Findhorn Foundation website).
More than 50 years later, the community has grown to more than 400 people from all over the world. Some of those folks live at Findhorn full time; some come for shorter periods or to attend specific events. Some live nearby; some within the community grounds. The community has been focused on sustainable living since its inception. According to their website, they want to create a positive future, specifically through
We had lunch in their cafe, which is on the bottom floor of the Universal Hall, a large, beautifully designed structure where they have events and performances of all types for anyone who wants to come. It was interesting to walk along the streets of this planned community, one where spaces for quiet time and meditation were just as important as sports activities and gardening.
We drove along the coast road after leaving Findhorn and found the village of Burghead, which was constructed on the grounds of an ancient Pictish fort built around 500 AD. The visitor's center is housed in a former Coast Guard lookout, which means it has a terrific room where you can watch for dolphins. The delightful volunteer who was manning the center today shared her enthusiasm for the Picts who lived in the area so many years ago and for the dolphins swimming by the area today.
Continuing along the coastal road, we next found ourselves in Lossiemouth, or just Lossie to those who know and love this little village. Even though we just drove through, we were struck by the beauty of her wide sandy beach.
We had seen an interesting mark on the map that looked like a castle near Lossie. Turns out it was a palace, not a castle. Spynie Palace was for five centuries the home of the bishops of Moray. We learned that the main difference between a castle and a palace was that castles are built for defense and palaces are meant to be residences. This palace is in a state of ruin, but Historic Scotland has reconstructed parts of the buildings so that residents can get a good idea of what it might have looked like those many years ago. The view from the top of the tower was amazing.
Tomorrow we leave for Skye. Our weather so far has been delightful with not more than a few drops of rain. But that's about to change. The forecast for the next several days includes rain! I'm off to unpack those rain pants!
--Shann
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| The village of Findhorn sits on Findhorn Bay. |
Our first stop was at the coastal village of Findhorn, where we drove along a one-way road beside the harbor and through the quaint old town, which is located on Findhorn Bay. A number of sailboats and fishing boats at anchor dotted the harbor. It was quite windy today; it's hard to tell whether today was an exception or whether it is normally windy in this part of Scotland.
The Findhorn Foundation was only a short drive from the town, and before our trip I had been reading about how it got started. I was interested in participating in one of their programs, but our travel schedule did not mesh with the dates of their offerings. So we settled on a short visit.
Findhorn has an interesting history. It started in 1962 with three people at the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park (translated to RV Park), just a mile from the village of Findhorn. These three people didn't set out to form a community, but they were all committed to following a spiritual path and living a simpler lifestyle. They planted a garden which flourished, each person adding his or her particular talents to encouraging the garden to grow. The garden is what brought the first visitors to Findhorn, and some of them wanted to stay. The result was that a community was born "based on spiritual principles that were put into practical application" (according to the Findhorn Foundation website).
More than 50 years later, the community has grown to more than 400 people from all over the world. Some of those folks live at Findhorn full time; some come for shorter periods or to attend specific events. Some live nearby; some within the community grounds. The community has been focused on sustainable living since its inception. According to their website, they want to create a positive future, specifically through
- inner listening and self-knowledge
- peaceful relationships
- cooperation with nature
- sustainability on all levels
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| Findhorn Universal Hall with its intriguing architecture. |
We had lunch in their cafe, which is on the bottom floor of the Universal Hall, a large, beautifully designed structure where they have events and performances of all types for anyone who wants to come. It was interesting to walk along the streets of this planned community, one where spaces for quiet time and meditation were just as important as sports activities and gardening.
We drove along the coast road after leaving Findhorn and found the village of Burghead, which was constructed on the grounds of an ancient Pictish fort built around 500 AD. The visitor's center is housed in a former Coast Guard lookout, which means it has a terrific room where you can watch for dolphins. The delightful volunteer who was manning the center today shared her enthusiasm for the Picts who lived in the area so many years ago and for the dolphins swimming by the area today.
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| Early Pictish stone carving. |
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| View of the beach at Lossiemouth. |
We had seen an interesting mark on the map that looked like a castle near Lossie. Turns out it was a palace, not a castle. Spynie Palace was for five centuries the home of the bishops of Moray. We learned that the main difference between a castle and a palace was that castles are built for defense and palaces are meant to be residences. This palace is in a state of ruin, but Historic Scotland has reconstructed parts of the buildings so that residents can get a good idea of what it might have looked like those many years ago. The view from the top of the tower was amazing.
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| Spynie Palace, home of the bishops of Moray for five centuries. |
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| Another view of Spynie Palace, showing the large footprint of this interesting place. |
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| Front entrance of Spynie Palace. |
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| At one time, the palace had at least three stories! |
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| The incredible view from the top of a tower in Spynie Palace. |
Tomorrow we leave for Skye. Our weather so far has been delightful with not more than a few drops of rain. But that's about to change. The forecast for the next several days includes rain! I'm off to unpack those rain pants!
--Shann
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