Home Report Forres

Forres is a very picturesque and attractive town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 25 miles northeast of Inverness and 12 miles west of Elgin. The town is home to roughly 10,100 residents making it one of the larger towns in Moray. Forres is one of Scotland’s oldest towns and up there with being one of the most attractive as it has won several Britain in Bloom and Scotland in Bloom competitions for its beautiful floral displays.

Residents tend to work in the town or commute to the wider area, in particular the nearby town of Elgin and city of Inverness. As such, transport links are well developed. Forres is situated on the A96 trunk route connecting the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness while the A940 connects Forres with Grantown-on-Spey, Aviemore and the south directly without the requirement of driving via Inverness. The B9011 connects Forres to Kinloss Barracks and Findhorn Bay. Forres railway station is situated just outside the town offering easy links to Inverness and Elgin, as well as trains to Aberdeen. Forres is also ideally placed to reach Inverness Airport in good time, with a total travel time of approximately 30 minutes by road.

Despite being a small highland town relative to larger cities of Scotland, Forres has a lot more to offer than one might think. The town has plenty of amenities and things to do as well as having a fantastic high street with a diverse offering. The town centre is home to many chain high-street stores as well as a diverse range of independent shops. There are also excellent local cafes, restaurants, pubs and takeaways for residents to enjoy. Forres also has plenty of green spaces to enjoy such as Grant Park, where there are stunning gardens and floral sculptures to enjoy. The nearby River Findhorn and Findhorn beach is a great place to go salmon fishing, or just to enjoy a stroll along the sands. Just a few miles away from the town centre sits Brodie Castle, which attracts locals and tourists alike for the extensive and well cared for gardens. Also of note is the town’s Benromach Distillery which is the smallest working distillery in Moray, with just two distillers producing the single malt. There are even a number of annual and bi-annual cultural events in the town and wider area, including the popular including the popular Culture Day and Findhorn Bay Arts Festival in September.

As for local schooling, the local primary schools are Anderson’s Primary School, Applegrove Primary School, Pilmuir Primary School and Forres Academy is the local secondary school. There is also Moray Steiner School, which encourages practical learning as much as academic, made famous for a while in recent years when the Hollywood actress Tilda Swinton announced she would send her kids there.