What is a good town to use as a base to explore the Speyside region of Scotland
I will be in the Speyside region for a couple of days mainly exploring whisky distilleries, I will have a car and a sober driver, I'm just looking for a nice town to stay in for a couple of days.
Ideally a smaller town with budget accommodation and some picturesque scenery.
Best Answer
Having just spent a wee bit of time there this weekend on my way back from a highland wedding I can recommend Grantown on Spey as a central location to visit distilleries as well as being close to Tomintoul, Glenshee and the Lecht if you want scenic views. Boat of Garten is close as well - a huge RSPB osprey reserve.
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Is Speyside a town?
Introduction. Speyside is a region of northern Scotland positioned roughly between Inverness and the Great Glen in the west and Aberdeen and the east coast.How do I get to Speyside?
Rail. ScotRail, Scotland's national railway service, connects Speyside to Inverness, Aberdeen and beyond. The nearest stations to Speyside are Aviemore, Keith and Elgin. For all timetables and routes, up-to-date journey information and to book tickets or travel passes, visit the ScotRail website at the link above.Where is the Speyside region of Scotland?
The region of Speyside is located in the northeast of Scotland surrounding the River Spey; it's a sub-region to the neighbouring Highlands because of the high density of distilleries in the area. It's home to the highest number of distilleries in Scotland, with well over 60 at present.Speyside, Scotland: The Heart of Whisky Country - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite
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Answer 2
I think that you should rethink the duration of your trip and a sober driver.
Found the Greater Speyside website which has some excellent suggestions on what to see and some accommodations. I think you should start at the list of distilleries you would like to visit and then look at the road maps to see what would be the best place to stay. As there are a lot of possible things to see.
Answer 3
Abelour - Craigellachie is kind of the heart of the matter as you'll likely want to go to the "major" items like Macallan.
For another view, don't forget Scotland is both bonnie and pretty compact ... you could very much just stay in Aberdeen. It's only an hour or two drive. (Stunningly beautiful, of course.)
It's perfectly commonplace to go to Speyside for the day, if you live in or around Aberdeen. (In my case it was "very commonplace!" :) )
Don't forget too, that "Speyside" is kind of spread out...for example my favorite really is Glenfarclas (photos - lovely isn't it?), which is a bit of a drive aways anyway.
I envy you and hope you have a good time. You've made the right choice with Speyside - peaty whisky is for naifs :)
(Also, don't forget, given that Macallan is the best whisky, their other property, Highland Park, is really the best whisky! So I suggest, forget about Speyside and go to the Orkneys :) )
Inexpensive accomodations would be a B&B ...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g667103-Dufftown_Moray_Scotland-Hotels.html
just go to tripadvisor, select Dufftown, B&B, within 25 miles, and there is a big selection. Any number of examples...
again it's a lot easier simply staying in Aberdeen and enjoying all the driving (if drunkenness is not an issue) (note that you have to drive home anyway even if you're staying in a local village; it's all spread-out.)
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