Tomintoul

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Tomintoul from the Gaelic Tom an t-Sabhail (Hillock of the Barn) is a village in Moray, Scotland, formerly in the county of Banffshire.

It claims to be the highest village in Highland Scotland, but at 345 metres is still significantly lower than the highest in Scotland (Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway).

The three hotels, restaurant, cafe, museum and handful of shops are scattered around the picturesque central square. Its current appearance is an improvement on that in 1860, when Queen Victoria recorded that it was the most tumbledown, poor-looking place I ever saw. The Gordon Arms Hotel saw significant improvement in the 1990s when it was lavished with funds from the self styled Lord Tony Williams. 'Lord' Williams spent at least £1 million on improving the hotel, and invested yet more money in other projects within the village. The money proved illusory: rather than a wealthy peer of the realm Mr Williams was a financial assistant director to the Metropolitan Police Fraud Squad and had used his talents to defraud them of £4 million. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. After his arrest a 10 metre fibreglass zulu was discovered in the hotel beer cellar - its purpose was never determined.

The village was laid out on a grid pattern by the 4th Duke of Gordon in 1775. It followed the construction, twenty years previously, of a military road by William Caulfield – now the A939. By 1841 the parish reached a population of 1,722. In 1951 this had fallen to just 531. The 2001 census reveals a village population of 322 with the total parish population now unavailable.

The artist and writer Mary Barnes died there in 2001 after living there for some time.

Despite its small size, it on the famed Whisky Trail, which also includes Dufftown, Keith, Tomnavoulin, and Marypark.