Spynie Palace

Overview

2023 Update - Spynie Palace is open 1 May to 30 Sept: Sun & Mon only, 9:30am to 5:30pm (last entry 5pm).

Tickets must be pre-booked on the Historic Scotland website.

Spynie Palace was built around the 1200s for the Bishop of Moray when the Cathedral of Moray was moved to Spynie. The cathedral was then relocated to Elgin in 1224 (see Elgin Cathedral). For five centuries until 1688, Spynie Palace remained the residence of the bishops of Moray.

Spynie Palace is located ~ 2 miles north of Elgin on the A941 to Lossiemouth. When turning into the access road take care as the access road is near a bend on the A941.

Nowadays the most impressive part of Spynie Palace is David’s Tower, named after Bishop David Stewart. Its walls are impressively thick, and it’s one of the largest towers of its kind in Scotland.

David's Tower has had some restoration work done to its spiral staircase so you may access balconies at the first and second floor levels. There is not a lot to see within the tower, but the views from the top are attractive.

We felt that Spynie Palace would have benefited from more information boards and we would not suggest making a large detour to visit the palace. On the positive side, Spynie Palace has a lovely setting in open farmland and it is accessed via an attractive walk through an avenue of trees.

Save money on visiting this attraction by buying an Explorer Pass