Accessibility |  Glossary |  Site Map |    Search |  

About the Laich Area

This area includes Lossiemouth, Hopeman, Burghead, Cummingston and Roseisle.

Lossiemouth was developed as a new port for Elgin after the original port of Spynie was cut off from the sea when large deposits of sand and shingle were formed by the River Lossie. Although the Loch of Spynie was renowned for its beauty, it no longer served as a shipping port and a new harbour was established at the mouth of the River Lossie. In the nineteenth century, when the herring industry was at its peak, the present harbour was built to cater for the increased fishing fleet. Designs for new types of fishing boats were also built in Lossiemouth; firstly, the famous ‘Zulu’ class fishing boat was created and built by a local fisherman in 1879. The first of the seine-net fishing boat was also designed in Lossiemouth after the First World War.

Colonel Brander of Pitgaveny, formed a new town to the west called Branderburgh, which grew in time to join Stotfield.

A feature of Burghead is a promontory, which juts out into the sea. This promontory has been occupied since prehistoric times, and was once a major centre in Pictland. The promontory is crowned by the remains of a Pictish fort and incorporates a rock-hewn chamber known as ‘The Burghead Well’.