Portsoy provides a great location to explore the local area and the wider North East corner of Scotland with a wealth of things to see and do. The Salmon Bothy in Portsoy provides a fascinating glimpse of local history as well as being the location for regular events and folk evenings. The annual Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy is a major event in the local calendar, attracting thousands of visitors to the weekend of entertainment and competition, and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023. The nearest towns of Cullen and Banff also both provide interesting excursions to explore the Moray and Banffshire coastlines. For golfers Portsoy is a great base with 8 courses within 30 minutes drive. Duff House Royal, Cullen, Strathleen, Buckpool, Huntly, Royal Tarlair, Keith and Turriff.
The Banffshire Coast mainly to the east offers a range of attractions to suit all ages - whether focusing on our fishing heritage, historical roots, coastline, wildlife, aviation heritage, or offering eating, shopping and whisky-tasting experiences. These include:
Banff Museum: one of Scotland's oldest museums
Boyndie Visitor Centre: for eating, shopping, walking and a small collection of aviation artifacts
Delgatie Castle and Tearoom: boasting some of the finest painted ceilings in Scotland, as well as the award-winning Laird's Kitchen tearoom
Duff House: an historic country house dating back to 1735 and 5-star Visitor Attraction.
Glenglassaugh Distillery: one of Scotland's oldest distilleries
Macduff Marine Aquarium: one of the top visitor attractions in the North East, providing a fascinating insight into our local marine environment - with innovative exhibits, a central kelp exhibit unique in Britain, touch pools, live gannet-cam link to Troup Head (an RSPB reserve), regular presentations, feed shows and free quizzes/colouring sheets for children
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses: a purpose-built museum built around the first lighthouse constructed on mainland Scotland.
The Malt Whisky Trail is within easy driving distance of the coast and makes a pleasant day trip. You don’t have to be a whisky connoisseur to enjoy a visit to a distillery as there is plenty to interest the whole family including guided tours, coffee shops and gift shops. Also of interest is the Speyside Cooperage with its award-winning visitor centre.
The Banffshire Coast is perfectly placed for following the Castle Trail - starting right on the doorstep with Duff House in Banff. Featuring 11 of the most interesting castles and fortified houses in the region, the Trail offers a wonderful insight into the historical, cultural and architectural heritage of North-East Scotland. Many also provide woodland walks, coffee shops and special events to ensure an enjoyable day out.
For the more energetic there are a number of cycle routes in the immediate area and walks of varying length.For more information about the Banffshire Coast visit: https://you-well.co.uk/visiting-banffshire-coast/
also: https://www.visitabdn.com/what-to-do/ for lots of information about things to do in Aberdeenshire

To the west the Moray Coast offers an equally inviting range of activities and places of interest. Why not explore the many walking and cycle routes in the area. The Moray Coastal Trail runs from the cliffs of Cullen through to the beautiful sandy beaches at Lossiemouth. The Speyside Way winds its way from Buckie to Grantown along the beautiful Spey valley.
Moray also has its share of castles and historical monuments such as Ballindalloch Castle home to the Macpherson-Grant family (as it has been since 1546) or the historic Brodie Castle, or explore earlier history at the Iron age fort at Burghead.

Moray is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with an abundance of wildlife. From the long golden beaches of the Moray Firth to the beauty of the River Findhorn and the Spey Valley area, the scenery is ever-changing and eyecatching. There are beautiful historic villages both inland and on the coast, where you can choose between views of rolling farmland and striking forestry or sights such as colourful little painted fishing villages with their harbours and marinas on the Moray Firth. Any visit to the area will not be complete without visiting the Spey Bay Dolphin Centre and the Spey Bay nature reserve where there is always a good chance of spotting the Moray Firth Dolphins or an Osprey fishing in the estuary. If you are really lucky you may also spot the elusive otter!
For more information on all that Moray has to offer visit: https://www.morayspeyside.com
A week is never enough!!