Conference Tours
Moray Speyside Tour
A tour of beef and barley. Three busy working farms with very different agritourism offerings, surrounded by whisky distilleries near the Morayshire coast.
EDINVALE
Hosts – Jock and Fiona Gibson
Farm Retail
All the Scotch beef reared on the family farm is sold through the family butchery, Macbeth’s, in the nearby town of Forres. The family have also opened up a Micro Bakery and refill store next door to the butchery. Over the years food products have won a number of great taste awards and most recently the butchery shop was “Highly Commended” at the Regional Countryside Alliance awards. The farm retail business is a core community group member of Scotland’s Monitor Farm Programme. The butchery business sells a large percentage of meat for wholesale supply to the hospitality sector as well as direct to consumers online and through the shop.
Farm
Edinvale Farm near Dallas is home to Fiona, Jock, Tilly and Rory. The farm is around 650 acres, all pasture based with 250 head of cattle, all Highland and Shorthorn. Jock grew up on this family farm and moved back 10 years ago. The farm is Pasture for Life Certified and farmed to organic principles. Jock is currently undertaking a Nuffield Farm Scholarship researching enhanced meat-eating quality from 100% Grass and Forage fed systems.
DUFFUS ESTATE
Host – Ed and Caroline Dunbar
Agritourism
Ed and Caroline Dunbar from Duffus Estate started their first self-catering property, Old Duffus Farmhouse in 2009. The self-catering business has built up to opening a 6th property this summer. An eco cabin (solar powered) was opened in 2020, this being a new project with a modern design.
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After identifying a large number of dog walkers coming to Duffus Castle, Kula, the takeaway café, opened in 2021. Half the land at one of the farms was recently sold to finance agritourism growth via a campsite development and also the full renovation of a further farmhouse for holiday accommodation. The campsite opens in the summer of 2025.
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Duffus is a base for Earthtime Outdoor Nursery & Forest School, supporting education and learning in children. Local charity, Outfit Moray, also use land at Duffus for some of the Bush Craft and Crate Climbing sessions they offer to young people.
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Duffus House was used as a boarding house for Gordonstoun School for 82 years. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, was a past resident. The special rooms for him and his body guards are still there.
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Duffus Estate is currently part of the Core Community Group within Scotland’s Agritourism Monitor Farms Programme.
Farm
Duffus Estate has 4 farms, 3 are rented out to other farmers (Rothills, Old Duffus & Begrow) and 1 is farmed (Unthank). Unthank is 200 acres and mainly grows malting barley but also grows some fields of potatoes.
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A large part of the Estate’s current farmland used to be a sea loch. It was drained during the 1700’s as part of a land improvement scheme, designed by Thomas Telford. The network of ditches that feed into the Spynie canal date from this time. As a result of this reclamation the farm has some of the best soil in region.
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The family harvest apples from trees across the Estate and bottle their own apple juice each year. This is given to guests as part of their welcome pack. Some of the old Apple trees in the old walled garden date from the early 1900’s. Ed’s ancestors were passionate about growing apples and other fruit. The family has an old published pamphlet dated 1847 listing over 150 types of apples and pears grown at Duffus together with tasting notes. Ed and Caroline are continuing this legacy in a very small way.
BYRES FARM
Hosts – Bill and Helen Smith
Agritourism
Byres Farm is a unique educational facility designed to provide children, the public and visitors with an authentic glimpse into a busy working farm. The agritourism venture at Byres Farm started in 2019 and has grown to include educational sessions for children, events, farm tours including the “story of malt whisky” experience, a regular farmers’ market and corporate hire.
Byres has a safe viewing space to watch the real working farm, walking routes around the farm and catering facilities.
Byres is run by husband and wife team, Bill and Helen Smith.
Farm
Byres Farm is part of a larger farming business run by the Smith family. The farm has breeding cows for Scotch Beef, breeding ewes for Scotch Lamb, “bed and breakfast” pigs and the family grow several hundred acres of cereals including malting barley for malt for the nearby whisky industry.
The farm is also home to a wide range of farm animals which are housed in pens near to the educational facility so visitors can get up close and learn more about farming life.
The farming business operates out of either side of the River Spey, with Byres Farm on one side and Gladhill Farm where Bill grew up on the other side of the river.
