Dufftown and Craigellachie
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-> Dufftown and Craigellachie
The cheery community of DUFFTOWN, founded in 1817 by James Duff, the fourth Earl of Fife, proudly proclaims itself "Malt Whisky Capital of the World", and indeed it exports more of the stuff than anywhere else in Britain. There isn't a great deal to do in the town, but it's a useful starting point for orienting yourself towards the whisky trail, and if you're keen to immerse yourself in some of the local history and lore relating to the precious liquid, the small museum at 24 Fife St (Mon-Fri 2-7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm) has a collection of illicit distilling equipment, books and old photographs.
Four miles north of Dufftown, the small settlement of CRAIGELLACHIE sits above the confluence of the sparkling waters of the Fiddich and the Spey. From the village, you can look down on a beautiful iron bridge over the Spey built by Thomas Telford in 1815. By the River Fiddich on the A95 Huntly road, there's a visitor centre for the Speyside Way (Easter-Oct generally daily 9am-5pm; tel 01340/881266), which sells maps of the route and gives advice on what to look for along the way.
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