Low tide on the shoreline at Findhorn Bay Moray SCO 5470
In the seventeenth century Findhorn was the principal seaport of Moray and vessels regularly sailed to and from all parts of the North Sea and as far as the Baltic Ports. Changes to the narrow and shallow entrance to the Bay created obstacles to navigation and as the size of trading vessels increased so the volume of trade to the village declined. Findhorn Bay witnessed a brief episode in the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. In March 1746 the French brigantine Le Bien Trouve entered the tidal waters with dispatches for Bonnie Prince Charlie but her departure, with the Prince’s aide-de-camp on board, was delayed by the arrival of two British men-o’-war. Unable to enter the shallow bay, the two warships lay in wait in the Firth. Somehow Le Bien Trouve slipped out and away to safety on a dark night. The name is recalled in the modern-day training gig of the same name which is based at Findhorn. During the nineteenth century fishing predominated. During the 1829 floods known as "The Muckle Spate" five Findhorn fishing boats rescued Forres residents. For a few years (1860-9) there was a branch railway line to the village to take advantage of the herring fleet. Distant view of Findhorn across Findhorn Bay from Culbin ForestThe early twentieth century saw a decline in fishing as the traditional two-masted zulus were in their turn being replaced by larger vessels. Some of the craft, 'temporarily' beached on the western shore of the Bay whilst their crews fought in the First World War, were never used again. The wreckage is still visible at low tide. The shore-based salmon fisheries lasted until the 1980s but they too are no more. Today the village is a dormitory suburb and leisure craft dominate the moorings. The Crown and Anchor Inn, dating from 1739, is the oldest surviving structure in the village. Other prominent buildings of note include Findhorn House built in 1775, which is the home of the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club.
Size: 5620px × 3733px
Location: Findhorn Morayshire Grampuian Region Scotland
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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