The village of Burghead on the Moray coast may be small, but it packs a mighty punch when it comes to surroundings, history and tradition.

It sits at the end of a peninsula jutting into the Moray Firth, about eight miles north-west of Elgin.

It’s this location which helps make it special, with a deep history of ancient settlement, and use as a defensive fort.

No-one knows this better than Dan Ralph, joiner, undertaker and long-standing Clavie King.

Dan’s been a ‘Brocher’ all his 76 years and confesses to a certain bias about Burghead.

“Our family tree kicks off here in 1758,” he says with pride.

“The native Picts are believed to have built the defensive fort on the peninsula now called Burghead or “The Broch” to the locals.

1. We’re Tough, defiant and warm

“Later the invading Norsemen settled here followed in more recent times by Gaelic speaking victims of the Highland clearances.

“We, the indigenous Brochers claim connections to all these cultures, making us tough, defiant and resistant to change, whilst offering a warm welcome to visitors and to others who come here to enjoy a unique way of life.”

2. The Burning of the Clavie

The Burning of the Clavie each year is unique to the Broch and one of the most vivid links to Burghead’s past.

The Clavie, a barrel filled with wood and tar and mounted on a large post is set alight and carried, traditionally by fishermen, around the village on the ancient Scots Hogmanay, January 11.

Dan has been a Clavie crew member for more than half a century, and the figurehead of the festival since 1988, earning him the title of Clavie King.

While the world has changed completely, he’s been a stickler for keeping the medieval tradition as pure as possible.

As Clavie King, Dan parades a burning barrel of staves around the village accompanied by a 20-strong Clavie crew.

The Clavie carries some superstition.

Villagers believe receiving blackened staves from the vessel brings luck for the coming year, and pieces are sent to expats worldwide.

Dan said: “We have kept this ancient ceremony going while making the effort to keep it as original as possible, while some other fire festivals have moved with the times and become more grand.”

In 2025 the event falls on a Saturday, so Dan and his crew are preparing for an extra big and extra lively crowd.

3. Cliffs, kite surfing and climbing

Dan says: “The Broch Bay, six miles of golden sand stretching to Findhorn provides a wonderful place to walk your dog, watch seals and dolphins, kite surf, or to refresh your lungs with fresh sea breezes, whilst enjoying the ever-changing panorama looking across the firth to the cliffs and mountains of Ross-Shire.

“The Collach Rocks one mile east offer a rock-climbing challenge on the weather-worn sandstone cliffs.”

Dan recommends a visit to Burghead Visitor Centre on the cliff top.

“It takes visitors from 400AD to the present time and is well worth a visit.”

He adds: “The community hall, a former church, offers a welcome to all at dances, ceilidhs, coffee mornings, concerts all well attended with a most generous and friendly atmosphere.

“The bowling green and football pitch are equally popular.”

4. The harbour

Offering deep, safe anchorage, Burghead was once an important port for sea farers.

Two centuries ago it warranted a regular steamer service to Glasgow via the Caledonian Canal, calling at Cromarty en-route.

A hundred years ago the harbour would have been crammed with fishing boats, with more than 40 based there.

At that time there were also 11 motor boats and 23 steam drifters in the harbour, and goods would have been loaded and unloaded by rail.

Dan says: “The local fishing culture, though much reduced in scale, continues  in our Thomas Telford-designed harbour, which dates back to 1818.”

Telford also designed the warehouses there, some of which survive and have been converted into flats.

5. Places to eat

Dan recommends The Bothy Bistro on Grant Street with its blend of traditional Scottish and Mediterranean.

He may be a little biased as his daughter Ruth Scott runs it with her husband Barry, but the rave reviews garnered by the bistro back him to the hilt.

He says: “It is an unrivalled place to eat with high-class cooking specialising in local seafood.

“Dog walkers can sit outside in the courtyard with their pets on return from their beach walk.

“The Harbour Inn has just changed hands and offers a meeting place for all.

Why Dan loves life in the Broch

Dan says: “I have travelled  most of the world and have sampled many cultures but have yet to find a community offering such warmth and support to others.
“Local events are well attended, especially fundraisers for national and for local charities.
“Everybody here will pull their weight and will help the event organisers to ensure success.”