Moray coast - Lossiemouth - Friday 17th May

Lossiemouth sketch

Cloudier than yesterday, but dry. Better than forecast. Before heading back to Inverness to meet up with Munros Man during the afternoon, I took the bus from Elgin to Lossiemouth. I seen it up the coast from Spey Bay, had heard of RAF Lossiemouth and the their aircraft, so I was curious to look round.  After stopping at the gates of RAF Lossiemouth, on the south side. I got off in the square. Most the town was on a cliff above the harbour, between the West Beach and East Beach. Came down to a marina with sturdy harbour walls on the sea facing north side. 

River Lossie

From here, I walked round to the more interesting of the two beaches, the East Beach and the mouth of the River Lossie. This river, much slower flowing than the Spey and the Findhorn either side of it along the NE coast, meanders through Elgin, though away from the city centre, near the Cathedral ruins / Biblical Gardens. I didn't really see it there, separated from the city by the main road. Also some very involved flood defence work going on around there. Glimpsed this on the bus back from Fochabers yesterday. It all looked a bit barren, rather hemming in the relatively narrow river. 

At Lossiemouth, it was tidal, diverted westwards along the coast by longshore drift - the direction of drift along this coast is the reverse of that on the English Channel coast of southern England, with weather fronts often coming in from the east. It flowed behind sand dunes separating it from the wide sandy beach. I hadn't expected a sandy beach: I'd thought it would be shingle drifted along the coast from Spey Bay. A bridge across the river to the dunes and beach. Behind me fishermen's cottages on shore, built with longer walls perpendicular to sea. Did my sketch (photo above) in this area before walking back up the hill and round towards the West Beach. Further along the West Beach a tall white lighthouse, though it wasn't as attractive as the East Beach, the dunes occupied by a golf course.

River Lossie and cloud coming in from the east

West Beach and the lighthouse