Lossiemouth

The view from Prospect Terrace of Lossiemouth’s west beach stretching for miles, curving away into the distance is a beautiful site.

This Jewel of Moray is formerly a busy fishing port, operated for several hundred years until the decline of the fishing industry in Scotland, and now largely filled with yachts and pleasure boats.

But Lossiemouth has more to offer than its beaches and harbour. The locals call it ‘Lossie’, and it is a bustling seaside town and home to Scotland’s only military airbase.

Visitors enjoy this town for its mix of beautiful sandy beaches and fishing history. It’s an ideal spot for walks and family days out.

Two beaches

And as if one beach wasn’t enough, there’s another to the west, stretching for miles in the opposite direction, past a landmark lighthouse and historic caves.

In fact, the east beach has been closed to the public since 2019. The bridge that crosses the River Lossie was shut by the council when it was discovered to be unsafe.

A new bridge was built in 2022.

This part of the beach has extensive dunes, It is said that they were made using old railway carriages to give better protection for the seatown from heavy seas.

The west beach stretches for three miles past two golf courses, the Covesea Lighthouse and several caves where people once lived as late as the 1950s.

This beach is easily accessed from the narrow road which goes down past the Moray Golf Club. There’s plenty of parking. It’s a popular spot for photographing sunsets – well it’s a popular spot for photography full stop.

Prime minister’s birthplace

Lossiemouth is also the birthplace of James Ramsay Macdonald , Britain’s first labour prime minister. The illegitimate son of John MacDonald, a farm labourer and Anne Ramsay, a housemaid.

He was up brought up in his grandmother’s house which can be seen today at 1 Gregory Place. This is a private home but there is a commemorative plaque on the outside wall.

A viewpoint named after him is also to found on Prospect Terrace, high above the town. This spot was one of his favourite places, and has recently been widened to include benches to take in the magnificent view.

Golf in Lossiemouth

Lossiemouth has popular golf courses that attract many visitors with beautiful views over the Moray Firth. Moray Golf Club has two courses, an old and a new., while nearby Covesea Links, offers a more informal, undulating course.

RAF community

RAF Lossiemouth plays an important role in the country’s military defence, it has remained the only active airbase in Scotland, following the recent transition of RAF Kinloss and RAF Leuchars to the army.

It is the home of:

• 1, 2, 6 and 9 Squadrons flying Typhoons
• 120 and 201 Squadrons operate 9 Poseidon P8A MRA1 aircraft in a maritime role
• 5 Force Protection Wing, comprising 51 Squadron RAF Regiment and
• 2622 (Highland) Squadron RAuxAF

In addition, Engineering & Logistics Wing, Base Support Wing and Operations Wing all support the flying activities at RAF Lossiemouth.

See raf.mod.uk/raflossiemouth

If you are interested in spotting aircraft that take of and land at RAF Lossiemouth, you might find the RAF Lossiemouth Spotters Group  on Facebook useful.

Note: Drones are not allowed to be flown within a Military Air Traffic Zone (MATZ) without permission from RAF Lossiemouth. The MATZ around the airbase extends 2.5 nautical miles from the centre of each runway, and a 5k by 1km strip from the end of each runway. See our Flying drones page for more information.

History of Lossie

The history of Lossie is not forgotten. The harbour was a huge fishing port in the 1800s and much of this history is preserved in the Lossie Fisheries and Community Museum.