The Grantown Society

2023/24 Winter programme now being constructed. Suggestions welcome.

Good News: The Fiddler of Strathspey will be back in 2023!

2022/23 Winter Programmes

Fri 17th Mar 7.30 Strathspey's War Graves

Fri 17th Feb 7.30 The History of Football in Grantow SEE VIDEO

Fri 27th Jan. 7.30 Ballintomb: Strathspey’s most Historic Site SEE VIDEO

Fri 18th Nov. 7.30 Alex Ledingham: Grantown’s Photographic Artist SEE VIDEO

Fri 21st Oct 7.30 “Look, Duck, Vanish” a re assessment of Grantown and Strathspey Home Guard SEE NOW

Fri 16th Sept 7.00 AGM and Governance members only

Fri 16th Sept. 7.45 Grantown’s Industrial Past - SEE VIDEO

Wed 21st Sept 10.00 - 12.00 "Wandering Wednesday" Inclusive Woodland Heritage Walk in association with Equal Adventure. Starting at the museum.

Sun 25th Sept 10.00 – 12.00 Heritage Walk: Grantown’s Industrial Past Starting from the Museum.

2023 Walks programme includes a Society Walk as part of Green health week and Statspey Tours Walks for the Cairngorm Park Festival also in May

2022 Guided walks

Also other Guided Walks led by John Halliday of Strathspey Tours *

Mon 26th Sept 10.30 – 14.30 Picts, Distillery and Standing Stones

Tues 27th Sept 10.30 – 13.30 Castle Grant and Old Grantown

Wed 5th Oct 10.30 – 14.30 The Dava Way

Fri 7th Oct 10.30 – 13.00 Discover Grantown-on=Spey

Sun 9th Oct 11.30 – 14.00 Explore Dava Moor

Wed 12th Oct 10.30-14.30 Battle of The Haughs of Cromdale 1690 Walk

*Part of the Highland Archaeology Festival

Friday October 15th "In the days of the Burgh Council". "The Good Old Days" ... or were they. This open meeting is an opportunity to talk about and comment on the services and facilities of Grantown during much of last century when local management was in the hands of the Burgh Council: from street lighting to new housing; waste disposal to public spaces, council offices and the burgh yard. Memories and reminiscences will be evoked and contributions will be very welcome on and before the evening.

Friday November 19th "The Cairn in its historic setting". [Alternative title -"What lies beneath?"] Gordon and Macphail will provide a presentation on our newest distillery and archaeological survey resultsand members of the Society will provide information on some of the background to brewing and distilling in Strathspey and point out some of the important features of the area from retting ponds to fishing pools and hostelries to hangings. As further background those interested may like to review "A Virtual Heritage Round of Brewers, Distillers and Purveyors of Fine Drink " to be found here on our walks pages.

2020/21 Winter Programme December Update

We look forward in 2021 to holding our regular monthly meetings once again in the Grant Arms. However, we have no idea yet when that will be. In the meantime we are, instead, running a series of specially created powerpoint presentations by Zoom. We aim to present these on the third Friday of each month (January to March). Invitations will be sent out to members. These virtual meetings are free, as were our regular meetings previously. However, those attending are invited to donate to the Society as this is our main source of income. This may be done by bank transfer to

The Grantown Society SCIO RBS account number 00139104 sort code 83-22-19

March 19th 2021 "Brewers, Distillers and Purveyors of Fine Drink" Virtual Heritage Walk meeting by Zoom (invitation will be sent to members) Others wishing to take part should email the membership secretary for an invitation.

February 19th 2021 "Health and Welfare Heritage walk" 7.15 for 7.30 Digital: Members' Meeting by Zoom (invitation will be sent to members) Others wishing to take part sghould email the membership secretary for an invitation.

January 15th 2021 "A Walk in the Woods" Digital: Members' Meeting by Zoom (invitation will be sent to members)

November 20th 2020 The Music of Strathspey Digital: Members' Meeting by Zoom (invitation will be sent to members)

October 16th 2020 The Grant Raid on Elgin Digital: Members' Meeting by Zoom

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The 2020 Fiddler of Strathspey Festival is under review because of the current crisis. However, if we have the all clear we will need something to brighten the world and cheer us all up.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings there will be musical rambles. In the afternoon we plan to have music in the High Street and Square to celebrate "Totally Locally" and the regeneration of our community. On Saturday evening there will be music in the park - Grant Park opposite the Craiglynne and beside the Skating Pond. That will be the venue on Sunday afternoon for a picnic in the park with traditional music.

This year's fiddle compettions will unfortunately be cancelled but we shall have a music/artand craft competition! This will take the form of a "cardboard orchestra". Individuals and groups are invited to make and decorate musical instruments out of cardboard (either 2D or better 3D) and we shall endeavour to display them in local shops where they will be judged on festival Saturday.

15 November 2019

"Timber Floating" by Bill Sadler

The transport of timber by water was a saga in the history of more than one river. The roads were, of course, little better than rough, rutted tracks and transport was consequently slow and and costly. Transport by water was relatively cheap, simple and swift.

In the middle of the 18th century the Spey, 95 miles from its source to the Moray Firth, was of considerable importance commercially, and timber floating created work for a large number of men.

One of the most famous of the floater was Alastair Grant Mor, the Laird's champion, painted by Richard Waitt as one of the iconic Grant pictures.

8 October 2019

"The Regality of Grant" by Charles Fletcher

In a charter of 1694, their Majesties King William and Queen Mary ordained that, "the town formerly called Castletown of Freuquhie, now and in all time to come to be called the Town and Burgh of Grant, and to be the principal burgh of regality, a market cross to be erected therein and proclamations to be made thereat ......

Wrong-doers might have been tied to the cross and scourged by the hangman. For example we know from the Regality Court books that in 1703 three women were charged with the crime of "conveying aquavite clandestinely to prisoners in Castle Grant, who drank to such excess that they died." The women were tied to the Regality Cross at Grantown, their bodies made bare from the belt upwards, and scourged with cords by the hangman, each receiving thirty stripes."

February 15th 2019 Grantown East End

This part of Grantown was, through the decades home of a great many worthies and the source of many tales. It was the territory of the East Enders whose clan lands ran from the Court House to the last houses at the end of what is now Castle Road East. Of the youngsters one author wrote, “Our sports were generally held on the street, shinty and football played between the end houses and the Court House. Marbles. Skipping. Bonnettie and lots of other games would be indulged in. Dogs and Hares. Hide & seek through the Back yards and gardens all going well until some man or woman would make an appearance raging on us for the noise we made. …… On Saturdays and School holidays with barrows and bags some of the boys would go down to the Spey for sand for the use of our Mothers in scrubbing the floor…….” Reports such as this, stories of residents gone but not forgotten and memories of times gone by are the source of the February Society talk. Grant Arms Hotel - 7.30pm.

Bridge over the East End Burn looking along Castle Road

January 18th 2019 The A 939

Through the Eastern Highlands there are a great many main and minor roads, roads old and new; trails, tracks, drove roads, thieves roads, smugglers trails – military roads, parliamentary and statute roads, estate and church roads and all have legends, stories to tell, scenes to admire and interesting places to visit. The A 939 and its associated military road from Royal Deeside to the Moray Firth as well as being one of Scotland’s valued scenic routes it is almost certainly one of the most historic. January’s presentation is a selection, a mere taster, along the route running from Braemar to Nairn and Inverness across some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery. Grant Arms Hotel - 7.30pm.