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Findhorn Bay

A shallow tidal basin on the Moray Firth that goes glassy around high water — one of Scotland's best flatwater spots.

Moray Firth · MorayDirections

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● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.

Location & launch

Know before you go.

Launch
Sand and shingle at the entrance to the tidal basin, beside the village and the boat club.
Wind
W · WNW · NW · NNW · N · NNE · NE · ENE · E winds work here.
Tide
The basin needs water in it. Around high tide it is a flat lagoon; at low tide it largely empties.

The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.

Local rules, hazards & spot guide

Need to know

The things that catch people out here.

  • The basin entrance runs a very strong stream on both tides. Do not get carried through it.
  • Time the session around high water — the basin needs water in it to be worth riding.
  • Findhorn Bay is a Local Nature Reserve and SPA. Keep clear of the marked bird areas.
  • Classified as a beginner spot for good reason: shallow, flat and sheltered — provided you stay out of the entrance.
  • The Moray coast is among the driest and sunniest parts of Scotland, which makes a trip here more pleasant than the latitude suggests.

Conditions

NESW
  • Best
  • Works
  • Offshore
Works in
W, WNW, NW, NNW, N, NNE, NE, ENE, E
Best in
NW, NNW, N
Offshore (careful)
ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
Wind quality
clean
Water
Flat
Depth
standing
Best tide
Mid to high
Spring range
4 m

Flat, low-lying land around the basin means clean wind from most directions.

Tide rule

The basin needs water in it. Around high tide it is a flat lagoon; at low tide it largely empties. The basin fills and drains through a narrow entrance and the stream through it is very strong.

Beginner
Ideal
Intermediate
Ideal
Advanced
Good

Hazards

Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.

  • high

    current The basin's narrow entrance runs a very strong tidal stream on both flood and ebb. This is the defining hazard.

  • medium

    tidal cutoff The basin largely empties at low water and the channels are not obvious.

  • medium

    cold water Moray Firth temperatures.

  • medium

    wildlife Findhorn Bay is a Local Nature Reserve and SPA with important wader and wildfowl populations.

Access & rules

Launch
Sand and shingle at the entrance to the tidal basin, beside the village and the boat club.
Permit
Not required
Insurance
Third-party liability expected
Tuition
Permitted
Facilities
toilets, cafe, pub, slipway

Parking

  • Findhorn village and boat club parking

    paid

Safety

Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.

Lifeguards
None
RNLI
Findhorn RNLI
Nearest A&E
Dr Gray's Hospital, Elgin (~20 min)
Water quality
Designated bathing water — excellent

The spot

Findhorn Bay is a large tidal basin behind a sandy spit on the Moray Firth. Around high water it fills to become a shallow, sheltered, near-glassy lagoon — genuinely one of the best flatwater spots in Scotland, and consistently classified as beginner-friendly.

The basin drains and fills through a narrow entrance, and the tidal stream through that gap is very strong on both flood and ebb. That is the defining hazard: stay well inside the basin and do not get carried through. At low water the basin largely empties and the channels are not obvious.

The bay is a Local Nature Reserve and SPA with important wader populations, so keep clear of the marked areas. The Moray coast is among the driest and sunniest parts of Scotland, which makes the trip considerably more pleasant than the latitude implies.

Nearby alternatives

Other launches around Moray Firth, with different conditions.

Sources

Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.

Confidence: medium · 2 independent sources · status needs-review · updated 2026-09-07

Verify locally. Coordinates 57.6547, -3.6194. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.