Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth
is the local seaside town for Elgin situated on the Moray
Firth at the mouth of River Lossie and 6 miles north of
Elgin. Lossiemouth is a thriving fishing port with excellent
sandy beaches to the east of Lossiemouth and Roseisle to
the west. The town is the birthplace of Britain's first
Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald who was born there
and spent his childhood there. Like all coastal towns in
the area the architectural style is dominated by small neat
white cottages. The town incorporates the communities of
Old Lossiemouth, a fishing village which was laid out by
the Merchants of Elgin in 1764. The original port was moved
from Spynie to its present position in 1698 after the mouth
of Spynie Loch had become cut off from the sea by the stones
and shingle thrown up by a series of storms, so the Town
Council of Elgin established a harbour at the mouth of Lossie
and later, in the nineteenth century it developed into an
important fishing port.
RAF
Lossiemouth
RAF
Lossiemouth is one of the RAF's most important bases. It
is situated to the south-west of Lossiemouth. Foreign aircraft
on their way to North America often make fuel stops at Lossiemouth.
It is well know for its spotting and photography opportunities.
It has become home to what is known as the Lossiemouth Tornado
Wing. This wing consists of four squadrons 12, 14, 617.
Squadrons are all front-line strike attack/units and are
declared to NATO as primary attack squadrons. Squadron 15(R),
is where the new tornado pilots are trained in how to fly
the aircraft and how to use its complicated weapons systems.
The final Squadron at Lossiemouth is 202 Squadron which
is equipped with two Sea King HAR3's that provide Search
and Rescue service for the North East of Scotland.
Lossiemouth
Fishing and Marina
The
opening of the Railway in 1852 followed by the building
of the new harbour in 1860 brought an increase in the population
of Lossiemouth, this then led to the increased fishing,
the herring shoals moved further from the Northern Coasts,
which led to bigger decked boats. Steam Conversions in the
1880s led to a fleet of 19 steam drifters, by the turn of
the century, enabled the boats to catch cod and haddock.
By 1946, the town had 69 motor boats. The first of the famous
'Zulu' class fishing boats, the nonesuch was designed and
built by a Lossiemouth fisherman in 1879 and after the First
World War the first modern seine net vessel was also designed
here. During the summer, the area surrounding the marina
is a focal point for tourists, as they gather to watch the
coming and going of the yachts. The East Basin has been
converted to a large marina, with full onshore facilities
for all sizes of yachts and craft.
Lossiemouth
Today
Lossiemouth,
today has become a popular resort for beach loving holidaymakers,
like the neighbouring villages of Hopeman and Burghead.
Alongside the traditional fishing, which is still an important
factor in the towns economy, it also owes its prosperity
to the tourist industry and to the RAF Station. The town
offers visitors a range of facilities including sea angling,
a swimming pool and two 18-hole golf courses, one of which
is a regular venue for championships. There is a variety
of interesting shops to explore and in the summer the harbour,
is busy with yachts, speedboats and other sailing crafts.
The Lossiemouth Community Fisheries Museum at Pitgaveny
Quay, gives an insight into the past and present of the
fishing industry at Lossiemouth, it exhibits the scale models
of fishing vessels, also there is a reconstruction of James
Ramsay Macdonald, the first Labour Prime Minister of Britain's
study. The
Silver Sands Leisure Park is a camping and caravan site
situated alongside West Beach. The award winning park is
ideally located near the many golf courses, distilleries,
castles, fishing villages and Elgin's Leisure Centre. Caves,
rock pools and sand dunes line the beach and make it a haven
for peaceful walks and exploring.
