Moray & Badenoch - Richard Oram

Moray and Badenoch is an area of geographical diversity and contrasting landscape, set in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The region has been of great historical importance for centuries, controlling access to and from the far north of Scotland. As a result, the area has a wealth of archaeological remains and sites of historic interest: huge burial cairns near Aviemore date back to the Neolithic period, and signal the importance of the area as early as 3500 BC; Sueno's Stone, the 9th-century monolith, stands near Forres and bears scenes of Pictish battles and the bloody aftermath of war, the only one of its kind in Europe; Duffus Castle and Elgin Cathedral, both monuments to the growing wealth and power of the area in the Middle Ages; and Ruthven Barracks near Kingussie, captured and blown up the Jacobites on their march to Culloden. This book is a combination of guide, gazetteer and site maps. Its layout is chronological and each chapter deals with a different period, from prehistoric times to the industrial age.