Grantown-on-Spey

Grantown-on-Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Inverness (35 miles or 56 km by road).

Grantown-on-Spey
  • Scottish Gaelic: Baile nan Granndach
  • Grantown

A winter scene in Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey
Location within the Highland council area
Area1.30 km2 (0.50 sq mi) [1]
Population2,470 [1]
• Density1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi)
LanguageEnglish
OS grid referenceNJ031276
• Edinburgh96 mi (154 km)
• London426 mi (686 km)
Community council
  • Grantown-on-Spey[2]
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGrantown-On-Spey
Postcode districtPH26
Dialling code01479
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Websitehttp://www.grantownonline.com

Originally called simply Grantown after Sir James Grant, on Spey was added by the burgh council in 1898.

The town is twinned with Notre-Dame-de-Monts in the Vendée, Pays-de-la-Loire, France.

Visitor information

Museums

Grantown Museum is located in Burnfield Avenue near one of the town's three free car-parks.

Churches

There are a number of churches in the town (none of which has a burial ground):

  • Inverallan Parish Church (Church of Scotland): on Mossie Road[3]
  • Baptist, at the junction of High Street and Chapel Road

A church in the High Street (opposite Dunstaffnage Brae) is shared by two congregations :-

  • Scottish Episcopalian (St Columba)
  • Roman Catholic (St Anne), who advertise the location as Woodlands Crescent (postcode PH26 3EN)

Accommodation

In Grantown on Spey there are various hotels, B & B's and self-catering. One of the most popular caravan sites in the Highlands can be found in Grantown on Spey.

Cemeteries

There are two local cemeteries, both of which are maintained by the Highland Council:-

  • Inverallan, the original burial ground which is now only available for use by holders of existing vacant lairs. Most older inscriptions have been transcribed and published in book form; memorials with no events after 1855 are mostly unrecorded in published form. It is between the River Spey and Inverallan House at O.S. grid reference NJ 026 260 and is beside the car park at the end of a road leading from the B9102 road. Apart from the baptism font beside the entrance gate the original Inverallan parish church no longer remains. Official records for this burial ground were not started until the 1900s when the gravedigger retired and it was realised that he was then the only source of information regarding burials not indicated on the memorials; the current burial register was founded upon the information supplied by him thus only burials recorded since that time have details supplied contemporaneously by relatives or undertakers.
  • Grantown (also known as the New Cemetery) which has been in use since the early 20th century. It is located between the B9102 and the A95 roads south of Grantown at O.S. grid reference NJ 027 267. The main entrance and car parking is on the B9102 with an alternative access to the lower end from the A95 Grantown bypass.

Transport

Rail

There are no rail services to Grantown. The closest main line stations are Aviemore and Carrbridge from which trains travel north and south between Inverness and the Central Belt on the Highland Main Line. There is also a station at Forres from which trains run between Inverness and Aberdeen.

The Strathspey Railway is a heritage railway which currently runs between Aviemore and Broomhill (nr Nethy Bridge) via Boat of Garten. There is a proposal to extend this railway to Grantown.

Bus

There are several local bus services mainly concentrating on the route to Aviemore but also serving surrounding places. Some services operate only on schooldays. There are a few buses that go to the Cairngorm Mountain Railway (a lot more in the winter to get skiers up to the mountain).

Various long distance bus services are available in Aviemore, Elgin and Keith. Current information for bus services of most of the operators is consolidated within the websites of the Moray Council and the Stagecoach group.

Taxi

There are several local operators.

Notable people
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References
  1. "Grantown-on-Spey (Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. "Grantown and Vicinity Community Council, Grantown-on-Spey". Grantownonline.com. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. "Inverallan Parish Church (Church of Scotland)". Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. "Grantown-on-Spey to honour former resident Aung San Suu Kyi with plaque". The Scotsman. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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