Lossiemouth
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Lossiemouth is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. It lies on the north coast, at the mouth of the River Lossie. Originally a port linked to Elgin, the town is now popular for its beaches and golf courses, and has a small museum. The town was the birthplace of Ramsay MacDonald, Britain's first Labour Party prime minister.
The town consists of the old quarter, known as Seatown, where MacDonald was born, and the 18th Century planned town on a grid system known as Branderburgh. The harbour was formerly the base of a substantial fishing fleet and was served by a railway built in 1852 to Elgin. The railway was closed in 1964 (passengers) and 1966 (to fish traffic). The fishing industry has virtually disappeared and the harbour is used for leisure craft.
Stotfield is a suburb to the north west of the town and is the home of the Stotfield Hotel and the Moray Golf Club, which asked MacDonald to resign from its ranks in objection to his pacifist views during World War I.
To the west of the town is the RAF Lossiemouth air base. Until the late 1960s this was a Naval Air Station.
The towns premier football club is Lossiemouth_F.C., and they play in the Scot-Ads Highland League. The club play their home games at Grant Park, and the clubs website is www.lossiemouthfc.co.uk. The club has a history of finishing down the bottom end of the league, but have won several trophies in recent seasons, including the Highland League Cup and several North of Scotland Cups.
The town can be reached by road by the A941 from Elgin, about 6 miles away. A regular bus service links the towns. Elgin is the nearest railway station, Inverness (about 30 miles) the nearest airport.
External links
- Census data (http://www.moray.gov.uk/census_2001/uvtownspop_lossiemouth.htm)
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