Elgin Cathedral

remarkable abbey ruin ...would've been amazing to see in its day as what's left is looks pretty amazing ...lots carvings as well. . Even as a ruin, the cathedral shines out as one of Scotland's most ambitious and beautiful medieval buildings. Begun in 1224, Elgin was the principal church of the bishops of Moray. It lost its roof shortly after the Protestant Reformation of 1560, and later its central tower fell.

Had a lovely couple of hours here. A surprising gem with much more to offer than initially meets the eye. Two accessible high towers with narrow spiral staircases are not for the faint hearted but absolutely worth the effort with excellent views from the top platform and multiple rooms with exhibitions on the way up. Some fantastic carved stone examples and lots of great photo opportunities. Staff were very helpful and happy to chat about the history. There is parking on the roads nearby which is free.

Very nice ruin. Well maintained. Very nice staff at main entrance who gave us a snippet of what to see and expect. Lovely view of Elgin from the top. The stairs up were well maintained, not too narrow, not a hard climb either. I do recommend. We used explorer pass to enter.

Signed up for annual Historic Scotland pass. Visited the cathedral while touring the Moray Firth area. Found the site to be well kept with loads of informative information on it's history. Staff were great and answered my questions. Recommend

Hauntingly evocative ruins in stone. Curated exhibitions in the surviving snd partially restored towers add to appreciation of the time and place when Elgin was an active cathedral. The decorative stone sculptures are unique surviving treasures; some are whimsical and others are quite skillfully made. There is a nearby parking lot for easy access.

We visited Elgin Cathedral today and absolutely loved our experience. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming, and to our delight, we were even allowed to bring our dogs with us onto the beautiful grounds. That made the visit extra special and unforgettable for us. We are so grateful for this wonderful experience!

Beautiful place to visit. What a view from the top. Plenty of stairs, so be warned. Kids were engrossed in the history hunt, and we had to ask one of Historic Scotland reps to help us complete the last few.

Well worth a visit! Good informative interior displays of mostly the "bits" that have fallen off and grand views of Elgin from the top of one of the towers. Friendly and helpful staff.

Beautiful old cathedral. If you're here and you have time to stop in. See all the other photos posted. It is kept up somewhat but reminds you of a small town old cathedral. Ye tho i kneel Head bowed Yet heart unsealed Lifted high In prayer A moment for me A moment for thee A word of grace In this sacred place Blessed is thee Who takes a moment Prays Word passed A moment of grace Bless us all Blessings

We passed by this on our way to cross the bridge to Johnston's Wool. It's a ruin but still very beautiful. Feel *free* to stroll around the ground, or if you are a history buff, pay the admission for more info and closer look. The cathedral has been around since the 12th century! The grounds are well maintained.

We came here on a saturday on the way east. You can see the cathedral from far away and you could get some pics and a look without entering the site even. But make sure that you actually DO visit the whole site, since there's lots to see and learn. Since we're members entrance was free and our Bulldog was welcome as well on site. Building began in the first half of the 1200s. The cathedral was once richly carved and adorned with stained glass and painted decoration. A lot has gone, but a lot is still here and you still can image what a sight it must have been when it was whole. After the Protestant Reformation it was only used sometimes for Catholics and started its demise. The grounds, the cathedral, the graveyard. All equally impressive. Some sections you can visit from the inside as well and climb up. There's so much to read, see and learn. That's why it is very rewarding to actually enter the site and not just take a pic and leave. A wonderful, beautiful piece of history.

if you are visiting scotland, elgin cathedral is such a must see!! it looks a bit dreary from the outside but as you go inside and have a closer look its pretty cool. to be standing there apart of history. a cathedral that was once fully functioning. a location that got destroyed during the war and what is still remaining of it. there is staff who upkeeps the cathedral now. there is a bit of a climb up the stairs to get a view from up top. which was a very cool view. tiring as the steps on the stairs are tiny and you are walking in a circle. did i mention i had a 3 year old and an 11 months with me. it was hard work but oh so worth it. i highly recommend locals and tourists to come check out this piece of history. so worth the view and see apart of this history! tips: *street parking *there's a small fee *there's a gift shop *restroom available in the gift shop

Having already seen several ruined castles and abbeys on my trip, I wasn't sure that Elgin Cathedral was worth the £4.60 admission, and I was probably right. One can see much of the building's unique features, such as the intact octagonal chapter house, from the perimeter. They also have the tallest gravestone in Scotland.

Amazing cathedral! Yes, as the other two reviewers have mentioned you can see a lot of the cathedral from outside the fence but what they fail to mention, or maybe what wasn't available back in 2009 is the access to the two towers which house a lot of the stonework and masonry as a museum. You can also climb the stairs in the second tower all the way to the top and get a birds eye view of the grounds and surrounding area. I only wish that there was an audio tour to help walk you around the grounds and explain the different areas... You can by a guide book but on a rainy day, like the day I visited, it's difficult to keep these from getting soggy and wet!

This was new for me. I've been in loads of Cathedrals throughout Europe, but this was a ruin. Most of it was gone. The only other place I remember something like that was in Bermuda. We hadn't expected to find it but we were driving past and had to check it out. The Cathedral was closed for lunch when we got there and we though this was odd for a place that clearly hadn't been usable for hundreds of years, but we were able to walk around the outside. By the time we finished our second lap around the outside of the property, we decided that we wouldn't have seen much more if the Cathedral had been open and we had paid the admission. If I had paid to see this, maybe three stars because it was interesting but not a great deal. For free, I'll add an extra star. I like this web site better ( http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/elgin/cathedral/ ) but David R. was here first and I'll leave it up to him to decide if he wants to change it.