Nairn (/ˈnɛərn/; Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Narann) is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland Council area of Scotland.

It is an ancient fishing port and market town around 17 miles (27 km) east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nairn enters the Moray Firth.

At the 2022 census, Nairn had a population of 9,394, making it the third-largest settlement in the Highland Council area, behind Inverness and Fort William.

Nairn is best known as a seaside resort, with two golf courses, beaches, a community centre and arts venue,[2] a small theatre (called The Little Theatre[3]) and one small museum, providing information on the local area and incorporating the collection of the former Fishertown museum.

Its possible founding under the name Ekkailsbakki by Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, its royal burgh status under David I, its strong links to monarchs and regents of Scotland and its strategic position in multiple wars and famine.

The soil by the coast is largely a thin and loose organic layer developing directly on the sand and this has been strengthened in areas such as Culbin for forestry.

As the land rises south we see Conifer forests and on the higher slopes we see heather moorland and montane vegetation.

[4] "The Bar at Culbin appears to be migrating westwards at about 1.5km per century, leaving a broad salt marsh in its lee.

"Nairn is predominantly surrounded gently rolling mounds and hills of mixed-used agricultural and forestry usage upon a glacial landscape.

[5] The Hydrology of the surrounding area directs water to drain northwards into the River Nairn leaving it prone to flooding.

[4] [6][7] On 27 May 1960 Nairn's The Regal Ballroom on Leopold Street played host to an act that would go on to become a huge cultural influence on the world of music.

The cover act's set list included Raining in My Heart by Buddy Holly and I Need Your Love Tonight by Elvis Presley.

[8][9] The prominent Ballerina Ballroom of Nairn played host to many famous acts over the years including Pink Floyd and The Who in 1967, Status Quo in 1970, Fleetwood Mac and Slade in 1971.

The show features livestock competitions of cattle, sheep and horses with trade stands as well as craft and food fairs.

Each year the club produces a number of shows, of varying genres, with the annual Christmas panto being the largest production of all.

[17] Prior to Nairn academy other facilities had existed including the preparatory boarding school for boys known under the names Seaforth in 1901 and Alton Burn in 1911.

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005 represented by Labour's David Stewart.

Nairn has been represented by SNP MP Graham Leadbitter in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 4 July 2024.

Boundaries were redrawn before the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, dividing the area between Inverness and Nairn and Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

[21] Nairn was included traditionally within the diocese of Moray believed to be formed in the reign of Alexander I of Scotland around 1122 which extended from Spey to the River Beauly.

Nairn St Ninians was opened in 1881 as a Free Church of Scotland and is of an Early French Gothic design, costing £7000 and containing 1200 sittings.

Islamic practice within the area can be traced back to before World War Two with nine Muslim graves for the fallen veterans in nearby Kingussie.

Born in 1867 she is the first known British woman to complete the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1932 and continued to practice her faith until her death in Inverness in 1963.

[26] The number of Muslims noted in the 2011 Census of Scotland is reflective of the lack of Mosque in the town of Nairn.

In nearby Elgin, east of the cathedral exists the Order Pot, a deep pool of water used to test the witches of Nairn up to 1560.

[28] Over fifty people were tried and killed within two miles of Nairn including Issobel Nicoll, Margaret Wilsone and Allexander Ledy in the 16th and 17th century as witches and warlocks.

Starting in Nairn High Street and ending back there below the clock tower the course leaves the boundaries of the town and takes runners out into the rural landscape of Nairnshire via its roads.