A Guide To: Spynie Palace

Things to do at Spynie Palace

St. David’s Tower is the biggest part of the palace and it’s quite an experience to walk in and just look up at the walls towering above you.

Historic Environment Scotland have done a good job of installing information panels throughout the tower so you can learn about each section of the palace, and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore too.

Once inside the tower you can explore the semi-hidden rooms that extend out from the floor level before heading up the winding spiral staircase to take in the breathtaking views across the Moray countryside that can be found at the top.

The views here are fantastic and they’re definitely worthy of a photo or two, although if you don’t like heights you might want to stop at the lower viewing platform which lets you appreciate the size of David’s Tower without having to climb to the top.

It’s difficult to comprehend how the tower would have looked in medieval times but the column of ascending windows at least gives you an idea of where the floors would have been originally installed. Make no mistake, this would have been one of the most impressive buildings in Scotland back in its heyday.

Heading back outside you can venture down into the basement depths where you’ll find a series of storerooms, and returning back to the courtyard will let you appreciate the size of the grounds.

The site was so large that it even had its own bowling green at one time, as well as a tennis court! These are two very good reasons why the palace was also used as a guesthouse for royalty travelling through the region.

I really enjoyed my visit to Spynie Palace and I’d say there’s enough on offer to keep families entertained for a good couple of hours, and the facilities are pretty good for such a remote attraction.

There are a couple of picnic benches to one side of the lawn area with toilets nearby and you’ll find a small shop inside the ticket office where the HES guide will be able to answer any questions you might have.

It was thanks to the guide that I found out that for a small additional cost you can extend your visit to include Elgin Cathedral as well, which is something I definitely recommend you do if you’ve got any interest in Scotland’s history.

Even better, you’re only a 10-minute drive from Lossiemouth so if you don’t fancy heading into Elgin you can enjoy the gorgeous stretch of sand along the East Beach – which you can read about in my Complete Guide to Lossiemouth East Beach.

What I liked about this attraction

• It’s close to Elgin so you can also visit the cathedral in the same day
• Spynie Palace has lots of areas to explore
• The picnic area is a great place to take a packed lunch

My top tips

• Get a Historic Environment Scotland membership and save big on historic attractions like this one
• Get a Synie Palace/Elgin Cathedral joint entrance ticket and explore both attractions at a discount. You can find out all about Elgin Cathedral with my Complete Guide to Elgin Cathedral