WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre

WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre

WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre
4.5
Visitor CentresHistorical & Heritage ToursDolphin & Whale Watching
Monday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM
About
We are a visitor Centre based at the mouth of the river Spey, where it meets the North Sea. Bottlenose dolphins are regularly spotted at the mouth of the river Spey and close to the shoreline, along with ospreys, seals, a huge variety of bird life and the occasional otter! You can book a tour of the historic Tugnet icehouse (Scotland's largest surviving icehouse), or enjoy the Explore the Bones family activity. Our cafe offers a range of home bakes, delicious soups and sandwiches and lovely coffee. Onsite is an eco-friendly gift shop and in the interactive exhibition area you can listen to sounds of whales and dolphins and use 'Dolphin Cam' to look out for dolphins swimming out in the bay! The Centre is the public face of the charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, so come and have a fun day out and learn about whales and dolphins and support our charity work to protect these wonderful creatures. We are now closed for the season but we are reopening on the 10th Feb 2023.
Fochabers, Scotland
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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(77 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles417 reviews
Excellent
243
Very good
108
Average
38
Poor
8
Terrible
20

CherryClift
Dulnain Bridge, UK473 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
Visited with our daughter and 4 year old grandson; had a lovely time though it is very cold outside in March.
Saw seals and lots of sea birds including scoters and long tailed duck. My grandson enjoyed badge making, listening to the sea mammals over headphones and looking at the tadpoles in the courtyard garden. Perfect for our picnic on a cold day.
Thank you to the staff for their information and patience.
The live webcam was interesting.
We will come again in the warmer weather - may be see dolphions next time (we have seen them along this coast before) and try the welcoming cafe too.
Written 11 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the lovely review and I'm glad you had a great day. Cath SDC Team
Written 14 March 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sightseer438991
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Friends
Went to visit on Sunday 17th September. This is the second time we have been over the years. Nice gift shop and informative information. We had booked an ice house tour and lucky for us, we were the only people on it. It was taken by a young girl volunteer who I think was called Christina. It was her first ever tour and she was understandably a bit nervous, but she done a remarkable tour and was so nice and gave us lots of information. We all throughly enjoyed this tour and the price was very reasonable.
Written 22 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the lovely review, we are glad you enjoyed your visit and we will it on to Christiana. Cath SDC Team
Written 25 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ron W
Shrewsbury, UK61 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
This centre is well publised locally, and we were looking forward to the visit, but they don't allow dogs!!!! This is a place of teaching about wildlife etc yet no dogs. So we voted with our feet and left. We had anticipated buying souvenirs and donating to a worthy cause, but we were not welcome so no cash.
Written 21 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are sorry you felt the need to leave but you would have been welcome to leave your dog in the enclosed courtyard garden while you grabbed a takeaway from the café or browsed the shop. Many people with dogs enjoy visiting the Dolphin Centre in this way.
Written 26 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Aileen G
Inverness, UK31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
Didn’t see the dolphins but hey ho had lunch here it was superb and the ladies in the cafe were so nice couldn’t do enough for you
Written 17 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review. I will pass on your lovely comments to the café staff. Best wishes Cath
Written 17 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sarah D
Brighouse, UK41 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Solo
Stopped here on route to our overnight stay near Banff. Unfortunately, I didn't see any dolphins, but some had been spotted earlier that day. It is a beautiful area and there's lots of information at the centre. There's also a shop and cafe - the shortbread was delicious! Take your binoculars and just chill out. You may be lucky and see osprey, dolphins, and even orca.
Written 14 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice review! I'm sorry to hear you didn't see any dolphins but at least you had a lovely time looking out for them. I hope you visit us again soon. Best wishes, Alison.
Written 15 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

FD M
Divonne-les-Bains, France31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Amazing experience watching dolphins in the Spey Bay. The staff was super friendly, explaining and showing us where to look. We rented binoculars to see for ourselves from the beach. And when it was too windy, we just stepped inside to read the information provided by the center and watch out for dolphins on the cameras.
Neat little gift shop as well, where we purchased souvenirs for family and friends.
If you’re a dolphin, whale, or seal-lover, I highly recommend visiting the center for a unique experience of seeing them swim freely in the sea.
Written 29 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for such a lovely review! We're so pleased that you had a great day. Best wishes, Alison.
Written 30 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

PatriciaNare
Lisbon, Portugal51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
It was a great surprise. We manage to spot a few dolphins and few birds that it seemed like penguins…but not sure what it was. Great experience and definitely recommend. My son loved to touch the bones and read about it ☺️Would like to suggest the availability to rent binoculars, like £1 for 1h. This would give better funding and is a very small amount ☺️ I would pay for sure ☺️
Written 29 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for leaving such a lovely review, and it is great to see your wonderful photos! We do actually rent binoculars from the shop and I'm sorry you weren't made aware of this during your visit - maybe next time you come you could take advantage of this. The birds you saw may have been oystercatchers or razorbills? I'm so glad you spotted the dolphins! Best wishes, Alison
Written 30 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sarah D
Stafford, UK15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
Lovely food at the cafe. We has soup and a sandwich followed by cake. Soup was lovely, sweet potato, coconut curry and sandwiches were freshly prepared with plentiful fillings. Cake was great too.
The attached visitor centre and shop were good too. All staff were friendly. We didn’t see any dolphins but had a lovely few hours looking.
Written 16 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the lovely review. I will pass on your comments to the staff. We hope you can visit again soon. Cath SDC Team
Written 17 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mary E
Aldridge138 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Solo
Pleasant Visitor Centre with helpful staff, a cafe and well-stocked shop. Plenty of information about wildlife to be found in the area. I enjoy watching birds, dolphins and other sea creatures and this is a very interesting place to come with binoculars as it is where the River Spey meets the sea. Greenshank, gannet, goosander all seen on this visit. Good car park, great views from the raised area near the carpark.
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the lovely review, glad you enjoyed your visit. Cath SDC Team
Written 2 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

redcar222
37 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
Really enjoyed coffee and a scone. There was a very good choice of baking on offer. Staff very helpful and our visit was well worth it. The gift shop is also worth a visit with much to learn about dolphins and whales. Hope to return soon.
Written 25 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the lovely review, We hope to see you again soon. Cath SDC Team
Written 27 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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WDC SCOTTISH DOLPHIN CENTRE (Fochabers) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go