Moorings in North East Scotland and Moray Firth

This coastal area covers the North Sea coast of North East Scotland, from Stonehaven and Aberdeen north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh, and the Moray Firth west past Whitehills, Lossiemouth and Nairn to Inverness, with Wick on the Caithness coast. The Moray Firth, Scotland's largest firth, stretches from Duncansby Head to Fraserburgh and narrows towards Inverness. Bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are the cetaceans most often seen there.

Berths here are mostly in walled harbours run by local trusts, port authorities and councils. At Stonehaven the outer harbour keeps about three metres of water while the middle and inner harbours dry, and a barrier can be put across the inner harbour entrance in bad weather. Peterhead Port Authority, a trust port, runs Peterhead Bay Marina inside the large harbour of refuge formed by breakwaters built between 1892 and 1956.

Along the Moray Firth, Whitehills has a village-owned marina, and Lossiemouth has pontoons in its east basin, with a boat lift and a covered workshop. Highland Council runs the pontoon marina at Nairn, where the basin is shallow and boats drawing more than 1.5 metres should check with the harbour master first. Inverness Marina can be entered at all states of the tide, and Wick Harbour Authority has pontoons in its sheltered inner harbour, though the entrance becomes dangerous in strong easterly winds.

At Inverness the Caledonian Canal leaves the sea through the sea lock at Clachnaharry and runs through the Great Glen and Loch Ness to the west coast, so moorings in North East Scotland and the Moray Firth include canal berths as well as tidal harbour and marina pontoons.