Craigellachie, Moray

Craigellachie (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Eileachaidh) is a small village in Moray, Scotland, at the confluence of the River Spey and River Fiddich[1] (whose valley or glen gives its name to the famous Scotch whisky Glenfiddich), in walking distance of the town of Aberlour.

Craigellachie

The bridge at Craigellachie
Craigellachie
Location within Moray
OS grid referenceNJ293452
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townABERLOUR
Postcode districtAB38
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

The name means "Rock of Alarm" and was first applied to the cliff on which much of the village is sited, above the River Spey. Craigellachie dates back to at least 1750, when there was a ferry across the Spey where today's village now stands. It also stands at the intersection of the A95 from Keith to Aberlour and the A941 from Rothes to Dufftown.

Craigellachie has two malt whisky distilleries (Craigellachie and The Macallan) and is home to the Speyside Cooperage.[1]

Craigellachie Bridge over the River Spey was built by Thomas Telford between 1812 and 1815.[1] A plaque on one of the castellated towers guarding the entrance to the bridge records that the metalwork was cast in Wales: another that the bridge was restored to this, something like its original condition, in 1964. The bridge is a remarkable piece of engineering, and can be viewed from above or below.

Craigellachie railway station, closed in 1968, provided a link between the Strathspey Railway and the Morayshire Railway (later the Great North of Scotland Railway).

Craigellachie is an important stopping off point on the Speyside Way, a long distance path from Buckie in the north to Aviemore in the south.

Places in Craigellachie

Notable places in Craigellachie include the Fiddichside Inn (reopened early 2020), Highlander Inn, and the Craigellachie Hotel. It has a malt whisky distillery (Craigellachie distillery), The Macallan distillery is also nearby. There is a petrol station in the top half of the village, with a car wash and an electric vehicle charger. A notable nearby sight is Balvenie Castle. Many distilleries are in the area and available for touring, including most notably, The Macallan, Aberlour, Glenfiddich and The Glenlivet.

Craigellachie Golf Club (now defunct) first appeared 1898 – the club continued until the late 1930s.[2]

Name connection

Craigellachie, British Columbia, is named after the Scottish village and is the place where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in November 1885.[3]

Craigellachie is famous for its cheese making. The Craigellachie dairy farm has multiple highland cow’s, where their milk is used to make a mature cheddar. The aroma of the cheese fills the Craigellachie air.

References
  1. "Craigellachie:Overview". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  2. “Craigellachie Golf Club”, “Golf’s Missing Links”.
  3. Akrigg, G.P.V. and Akrigg, Helen (1970) 1001 British Columbia Place Names, p. 46. Vancouver: Discovery Press
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