Duffus Castle
Duffus Castle near Elgin in Moray is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle of the twelfth century, one of the finest examples of a stone-crowned motte castle in Scotland and a property in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. Established by Freskin the Fleming, ancestor of the Murray family, the castle's most dramatically visible feature is the collapsed northwest corner of the later stone tower which has slipped down the side of the motte as the earthwork settled beneath the masonry weight, preserved exactly as it occurred. Freely accessible, the castle provides one of the most vivid and educational castle experiences in northeast Scotland. The surrounding Laich o'Moray, the fertile coastal plain between Elgin and the Moray Firth, is one of the most productive agricultural areas in northeast Scotland, with the cathedral city of Elgin and the Speyside whisky distilleries providing major heritage and tourism attractions nearby.