The Forest Guide: Scotland: Copses, Woods and Forests of Scotland

By Gabriel Hemery

A guide to exploring 365 of Scotland's most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

From the precious fragments of Caledonian pine forest to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, Scottish woodlands offer places of sanctuary, both for wildlife and for people.

In this practical guide, Gabriel Hemery brings together the beauty, purpose, history, wildlife and ownership of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in the country, from the largest (the Forest of Ae, which covers more than 10,000 hectares) to the smallest (Halligarth in the Shetland Islands, measuring less than a third of a hectare), and everything in-between. Some woods are notable for having the tallest or rarest trees, others are the best places in the country for spotting ospreys or red squirrels, or even marine mammals; some are known as the best places to explore preserved archaeological features, discovering hidden histories or simply enjoying spectacular scenery.

Divided into 14 regions, each beginning with a summary of the region's woodland heritage, this guide features 365 sites, including details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, how to access it (including grid reference, post code and 'what3words' reference), alongside a description of the site's key features. Featuring more than 200 stunning photographs of Scotland's plants, animals and spectacular landscapes and expert region maps to help guide you to your nearest forest site, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in Scotland, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Apr 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781472994639

Gabriel Hemery

Gabriel Hemery is a forest scientist and passionate advocate for trees. He co-founded and is currently Chief Executive of Sylva Foundation, a charity caring for forests across Britain. Gabriel has written more than 90 technical articles, cited in 900 articles by other scientists. In 2011–12 he played a lead role in campaigning to save England's public forests. Gabriel regularly contributes to television and radio programmes, and has presented at several literary festivals. His first non-fiction book, The New Sylva, was published to wide acclaim by Bloomsbury in 2014. www.gabrielhemery.com / @gabrielhemery

Book preview

Title Page: A stand of Japanese red cedar at Kilmun Arboretum [47].

Above: Loch Clair and Caledonian pinewoods [171].

CONTENTS

Scotland’s Forests

How to Use this Guide

Access to Forests

Keeping Safe

ANGUS & DUNDEE (SITES 1-12)

ARGYLL & BUTE (SITES 13-52)

AYRSHIRE (SITES 53-67)

BORDERS (SITES 68-90)

CLYDE (SITES 91-102)

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY (SITES 103-119)

FIFE (SITES 120-132)

HIGHLANDS (SITES 133-248)

LOTHIAN (SITES 249-273)

MORAY & NAIRN (SITES 274-289)

NORTH-EAST (SITES 290-313)

OUTER HEBRIDES, ORKNEY & SHETLAND (SITES 314-325)

PERTH & KINROSS (SITES 326-347)

UPPER FORTH (SITES 348-365)

Site Designations

Glossary

Useful Information

Further Reading

Regional Maps

Acknowledgements

The view from Craigendarroch [302].

River and old bridge at The Hermitage [337].

SCOTLAND’S FORESTS

Scotland is rich with trees; its rugged coastline, fertile glens and high hillsides shelter ancient woods, hide tiny copses and nurture productive forests. Wildlife abounds in the country, much of it rare, especially in the unique temperate rainforests of Scotland’s western shores and among the fragments of ancient Caledonian pinewoods. The forestscapes everywhere are beautiful, whether in a remote glen or greening a town or city. Scotland’s forests have evolved from a special relationship that has existed between people and trees, spanning millennia.

With so many potential forests to choose from, and given their incredible diversity, selecting the sites to include in this guide was never going to be an easy task. Ultimately, 365 sites were chosen, providing a site to visit every day for a whole year. The forest sites are spread right across Scotland, offering something of interest to everyone, whether you are touring by car or using public transport, hiking or cycling. Most of the sites can easily be visited in a single day. Some are urban forests or located next to car parks offering full facilities; others will require careful planning and experience in exploring Scotland’s famous rugged wilderness. With this unique selection, you will never find yourself far away from a forest site, every one of them offering an unforgettable experience. This guide will help you find Scotland’s most beautiful, intriguing and wildlife-rich forest sites.

Forest facts and figures

Britain is one of the least-forested places in Europe, with just 13 per cent of its land area covered by forests (only Ireland and the Netherlands have less). Scotland contributes more than its fair share of forest cover to Britain, with 19 per cent of its land area under forests, compared to 15 per cent in Wales and just 10 per cent in England.

What is a hectare (ha)?

A hectare is 10,000m² or 100×100m, and equivalent to 2.47 acres.

Proportions of coniferous and broadleaved forests are closely balanced in Britain, with just over half (51 per cent) of its forest area coniferous, but in Scotland, conifers make up almost 75 per cent of its forest area. Within publicly owned land in Scotland, 91 per cent of the forest area is coniferous, but this proportion is much less in private forests, at 65 per cent.

Argyll & Bute is Scotland’s most forested region, with 28 per cent cover, closely followed by Moray & Nairn (27 per cent), and Dumfries & Galloway (26 per cent). In contrast, the Outer Hebrides, Orkney & Shetland region has less than one per cent forest cover.

Geography

The varied geography of Scotland is a major influence on the country’s rich and diverse forests. Its southern boundary meets the English Lake District, while the far north of the country is at the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska. It is surrounded by sea, except along its border with England, with its convoluted coastline extending for 16,500km and including 790 isles. The country has two national parks: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, and Cairngorms National Park.

Topographically, Scotland can be broadly divided into three zones, closely matched to its geology. The southern uplands cover about one-fifth of the country, characterised by rounded lines of hills divided by broad fertile valleys, ideal for arable farming, while the higher ground is farmed with livestock and is home to many large forestry plantations. The regions described in this guide that fall into this zone include Dumfries & Galloway and Borders.

The central lowland zone runs north-east from Kilmarnock, taking in the Forth–Clyde Valley and Scotland’s ‘Central Belt’, including the capital city, Edinburgh, and Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, plus the smaller cities of Dundee, Perth and Stirling. The terrain suited urban development from the eighteenth century onwards, fuelled by rich reserves of coal and iron. The regions in this zone include Clyde, Fife, Lothian and Upper Forth.

A major geological feature, the Highland Boundary Fault Line, transverses the country, forming the Great Glen, from Arran on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east, most obvious in the large-scale features of the Firth of Clyde and Loch Lomond. This fault line marks the southern boundary of the third zone: the highland zone. Scotland’s third-largest city, Aberdeen, lies just to the north of the fault line, surrounded by fertile plains. The remainder of the highland zone is mostly upland, with mountains rising to 1,300m in altitude. To the east of the Great Glen are the upland plateaus of the Grampians, while to the west, the zone is characterised by craggy peaks and a deeply indented coastline with numerous sea lochs. Along its western fringes, where the coastal influence is greatest, lie precious temperate rainforests. Regions in the highland zone are Angus & Dundee, Highlands, Moray & Nairn, North-East, the Outer Hebrides and Perth & Kinross.

Trees and natural history

Such is the biological diversity of Scotland that superlatives are insufficient. Its rich assemblage of native plants includes some 1,600 vascular plant species, 1,000 species of moss, liverwort and hornwort (collectively known as bryophytes, many of which are global rarities), and 1,500 lichens. Britain has a relatively small diversity of about 60 native tree species (limited to 32 in Scotland); ‘native’ meaning those species, subspecies or hybrids that have established themselves without the hand of humans. Of these, only 35 are widespread, and only three are conifers: juniper, Scots pine and yew. The remainder are present in tiny populations, and botanists are frequently refining the list, which includes 17 species of Sorbus, including the Arran whitebeam, endemic to Scotland (here). Some species native elsewhere in Britain are considered non-native or ‘naturalised’ in Scotland, including beech. Introduced tree species are sometimes referred to by conservationists, rather derogatively, as ‘aliens’ or ‘exotics’, but they can play an important role in helping forests establish in difficult places and support biodiversity that otherwise may be threatened by environmental change.

Notable forest ecosystems in Scotland are found in the Caledonian pinewoods, Atlantic hazelwoods and temperate rainforests. Scotland has many special individual champion trees, including Britain’s tallest trees at Laird’s Grove [43] measuring 65m, and possibly Europe’s oldest tree in the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, thought to be at least 2,000 years old, perhaps as many as 3,000 years old.

Waterfall and oak trees, Wood of Cree [112].

Scotland’s fauna is celebrated, not only for iconic mammals such as red deer, Scottish wildcat and red squirrel, together with birds including capercaillie, golden eagle, crossbill and crested tit, but also for six native amphibians, four reptiles and more than 50,000 invertebrates.

NatureScot is the statutory body responsible for natural heritage management in Scotland, overseeing the country’s 55 National Nature Reserves (NNRs), and protecting designated sites, including more than 1,400 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and 243 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

Some of Britain’s most exciting, bold and innovative conservation initiatives are underway in Scotland. The concept of rewilding has taken hold, not only in the work of organisations like Trees for Life, recreating native woodlands using natural processes, but also by private landowners keen to restore natural ecosystems, such as at Glen Feshie [223].

History of Scotland’s forests

Forests were the cradle of human civilisation. With the retreat of the ice sheet some 11,000 years ago, Scotland was colonised first by boreal species like dwarf birch and willow, before pioneering species could establish, including birch (downy and silver), hazel, Scots pine and oak. Over the following millennia, hand in hand with the growing human population, forest cover declined as trees were used to build and heat homes, and land was cleared to grow food. The country’s climate also became wetter, which naturally led to the decline of some forest types. By the time that Roman general Agricola invaded Scotland in AD 79, about half of Scotland’s natural woodland had disappeared.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and with Britain’s insatiable demand for timber to feed its war machine as a global superpower in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the country’s remaining woodlands were critically important for fuel, gunpowder manufacturing and construction. Scots pine was the species of choice for ship masts, to such an extent that many forests were cleared of all quality trees with branch-free and straight stems, leaving behind those with gnarly and twisted forms. Ironically, it is these rejected trees that we celebrate today as ‘granny pines’ (so called because of their great age and perhaps also their knobbly appearance!) and venerate as the iconic tree of Scotland, valuing them as home for capercaillie, wildcat and red squirrel.

Granny Scots pine trees at Glen Quoich [309].

Victorian Scottish landowners were among the most ardent in the ‘green gold rush’, funding plant-hunting expeditions around the world to find attractive and productive exotic tree species. The ‘planting dukes’ of Atholl planted millions of conifers across Perthshire, even using cannon loaded with larch seed to establish trees across remote hillsides. The botanic gardens at Edinburgh and Glasgow supported many expeditions, dispatching plant hunters across the globe. Nonetheless, by the end of the nineteenth century, just 5 per cent of Scotland remained as forest land. Some ancient woodlands survived though, defined in Scotland as areas that have had continuous woodland cover since 1750.

The First World War was a turning point for Scotland’s forests. The shortage of timber became a national matter of strategic importance, caused by unprecedented demand and blockades of global imports from Britain’s overseas territories. This led ultimately to the creation of the Forestry Commission in 1919 and a huge effort to create more productive forests, especially in Scotland. Innovations in silviculture and tree breeding resulted in extensive plantations of exotic tree species, such as Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine in the uplands, and larch and Douglas fir in the lowlands. At the time, there was little appreciation for the historic environment or for wildlife. Ancient woodland was replaced with productive plantations, landscapes were covered with ugly and impenetrable monocultures, water courses ruined by acidification, and historic sites buried under dense forest.

Today, forestry in Scotland is cutting-edge in every sense. Modern forestry practice is incomparable to that of the past, balancing the need to produce fibre and structural timber while improving our own health and well-being, beautifying our landscapes, cleaning our air and water, and repairing and maintaining habitats for wildlife.

Forestry and silviculture

A guide to forests would be incomplete without the mention of silviculture or, more broadly, forest management, practised by foresters. Forestry is often described as both a science and an art. Deep knowledge of tree biology, soils and geology, and of the wildlife that depends on the ecosystems in a forest, are all required by the modern forester, plus an appreciation of social health and well-being, and an ability to calculate embodied carbon while projecting the future impacts of climate change. Add this to an awareness of landscape design and the art of anticipating the needs of future human society, and it is easy to see that being a forestry professional is a deeply satisfying and life-changing career in every sense.

The days of planting and managing forests purely for profit are of a bygone age, though reputations can be hard to turn around from the era of wall-to-wall afforestation with exotic conifers, especially while some of the legacies from those twentieth-century practices linger on in Scottish landscapes. What has changed fundamentally is the role of the forester and the business of forestry. Britain has led the way globally in forest certification, especially in the development of the independently audited UK Woodland Assurance Standard, through schemes like those run by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). According to official statistics provided by the government, 59 per cent of forest area is now certified in Scotland (the greatest proportion in Britain). When a forest is certified, this means that it has been managed to meet strict guidelines for sustainable management, while the timber and other forest products that come from the trees are traceable.

Timber harvesting at Craik Forest [88].

Professional standards are vigorously upheld by the Institute of Chartered Foresters, and becoming a chartered professional means as much as it does in any career. While the ghosts of the past may haunt foresters still (or the mention of lumberjacks and lumberjills in plaid shirts may draw the odd nudge and wink!), it is our foresters we must turn to if we are to revive Britain’s forests, and not only find space for nature during the unprecedented challenge of the climate crisis, but also help save us from ourselves. We have only recently begun to appreciate the roles that forestry can play in alleviating flooding, cleaning our air and purifying our water. Forests lock up carbon in their soil and trees, and in the timber we grow and use as a substitute for harmful humanmade materials.

Forestry is worth almost £1 billion to Scotland’s economy annually, the majority of which is from timber and pulp, while forestry-related tourism and recreation in Scotland provides 18 per cent of that total. Around 25,000 people are employed in all branches of forestry, as forest managers, wildlife rangers, in tourism and recreation roles, and of course in the wood chain (from tree fellers or mechanical harvester operators, to timber lorry drivers and those operating sawmills and pulp or paper mills).

Gaelic language and place names

Trees are deeply rooted in the Gaelic language. Children and others learning to read Gaelic were helped by the ancient Ogham Alphabet, which is said to have been created as a cryptic language to confuse Roman authorities. Each letter is assigned a tree or plant name, drawn in the form of a vertical line known as a flesc, which has the appearance of a tree stem with one or more branches protruding from it. These characters were simply carved in wood or stone. The Ogham Alphabet has 20 letters, each associated with a specific tree, while the Gaelic Alphabet has 18 letters and 18 trees.

Gaelic tree terms appear frequently in Scottish place names. For instance, Cnoc nan Craobh, meaning ‘tree hill’ (Kintyre); Eilean nan Craobh, meaning ‘tree island’ (Highlands); and Leac nan Craobh, meaning ‘tree ledge’ (Isle of Skye). With the addition of ‘hach’ the term is used to describe wooded areas, for instance wooded upland as in Braigh Craobhach on the Isle of Mull, or a woody crag as in Creag Craobhach in Sutherland. The term coille (forest) is very common across Scotland, from Coilleghille in the Highlands, to Coillhallan in Upper Forth.

Gaelic names for tree species were also frequently an inspiration for place names. Darach (oak) lends its name to Craigendarroch [302], meaning ‘crag of oaks’, while Creag Ghiubhais [303], meaning ‘crag of pines’, is an apt name for the steep rocky slopes near Balmoral dotted with Scots pine trees. Both Gaelic variants of willow appear in Achnashellach [177] and Glen Suileag in the Highlands, as do the variants of juniper in Attadale [187] in Wester Ross and Samhairidh on the Oban peninsula (Argyll & Bute). The Fearn peninsula (Highlands) takes its name from alder, while the Gaelic for birch is found in the town of Beith in Ayrshire.

Forest ownership

Britain has an unusually high degree of private forest ownership, with almost 75 per cent of its forest area owned by private individuals, companies, and non-governmental organisations. In Scotland, 68 per cent of forest area is privately owned. Two significant private owners managing large tracts of Scotland’s forests are the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (9,817ha), including Eildon [85] and Drumlanrig [107], and the Duke of Atholl (4,330ha), including Diana’s Grove [326] and Falls of Bruar [327]. The remaining proportion is in public hands, managed on behalf of British citizens by a range of public bodies, notably Forestry and Land Scotland, Crown Estate, NatureScot and others including local authorities.

Forestry and Land Scotland

Most of Scotland’s public forest estate is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, while policy, support and regulation are provided by a sister body, Scottish Forestry. It has large plantations in every corner of Scotland, while caring for multiple sites within the country’s iconic Forest Parks: Argyll, Galloway, Glenmore, Queen Elizabeth, Tay and Tweed Valley. Forestry and Land Scotland works actively in partnership with others in Scotland to conserve and enhance natural woodland habitat under its care. Its productive plantations of conifers are being sensitively managed to support biodiversity while being mindful of landscape and heritage. The public body actively encourages access and recreation at many sites, providing car parks, way-marked trails and interpretation.

National Trust for Scotland (NTS)

The NTS cares for 76,000ha from mountain to coast. In upland areas it cares for a portion of ancient pinewoods at Mar Lodge Estate NNR at Glen Quoich [309], and Coille Mhòr at Balmacara [194]. In lowland areas, it owns woodland at Culzean Wood [66] and Brodick Country Park [58] and the Old Wood of Drum [296], which is home to many ancient trees. Many sites are closely associated with important historical events, like Glen Shiel [210], or with our cultural past, as in Den of Dun [6].

Ministry of Defence (MOD)

The Defence Estate manages land on behalf of the MOD. A relatively small proportion of its land in Scotland is forested, although trees and woodlands occur across many sites. Glen Mallan is one of the largest at 1,043ha, while Dreghorn Wood [268] is surprisingly near Edinburgh city.

Woodland Trust (Scotland)

The charity owns 60 sites across Scotland, including 11,000ha of forest, and is very active in many important partnership initiatives including the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (see here), and various rewilding projects. Its largest acquisition is Shieldaig [176] (1,540ha) near Strathcarron, where it is making a huge impact at a landscape scale. The rewilding at Glen Finglas [352] is equally impressive. In contrast, some of its sites are small and peri-urban, like Keil’s Den [126] and Seton Dean [256].

John Muir Trust

Named after one of the fathers of the modern conservation movement, Scotsman John Muir, the trust cares for 24,500ha of wild land across Scotland, including many fragments of ancient woodland. The trust also has an active programme for regenerating woodland across much of its Ringill estate [205], conserving heritage and restoring peatland.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

The charity manages 68,000ha of land across its Scottish reserves, including work to conserve native pinewood at Abernethy [202] for capercaillie, or help expand its area at Corrimony [191] to benefit black grouse. Many of its reserves feature woodland as part of a diverse landscape, such as at Loch Gruinart on Islay [50] and Loch of Kinnordy [7]. Small broadleaved woodlands like Glenborrodale [244] and Wood of Cree [112] harbour huge numbers of birds and other wildlife.

Community ownership

There are more than 200 community groups who own or lease forests across Scotland, managing them for the benefit of local communities with the support of an umbrella organisation, the Community Woodlands Association. Examples include Gordon [71] in the Borders, Newtonhill [138] in the far north-west of Scotland, and Aline [322] and Langass [325] in the Western Isles.

Douglas Locke, secretary of the community group caring for Cormonachan Forest [39], Argyll & Bute.

Izzy Baker, crofter and part-time RSPB warden at Glenborrodale [244].

A roe doe among summer foliage.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

The 14 regions covered in this guide have been ordered alphabetically, with each site allocated a number, marking their geographical location on the regional maps. Within the regions, where possible sites are ordered east to west, then north to south, like reading a book. In the main text, these site references have been noted within square brackets, [x]. Each site entry begins with key information summarising useful facts and figures:

• THE NEAREST CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE is provided to help with locating the site on a map or when searching with SatNav.

• MAP REFERENCE (‘Map ref’) is the number given to each of the 365 sites to help identify them on the maps provided.

• SYMBOLS to indicate features of special or notable interest.

nature

scenic

history

• OWNERSHIP: either public (detailed) or private (detailed where possible). Note that ownership by charities and community groups is deemed private, even though they are generally owned for public good.

• Designations: formal designations for archaeology, landscape or wildlife (for further details see Site Designations ). Note that descriptive terms, particularly ‘nature reserve’, can be added by site owners, but these are not necessarily formal designations in the sense applied here. Where none are listed, the site has no formal designations.

GDL: Garden and Designed Landscape

IPA: Important Plant Area

LNR: Local Nature Reserve

NNR: National Nature Reserve

NP: National Park

NSA: National Scenic Area

SAC: Special Area of Conservation

SM: Scheduled Monument

SPA: Special Protection Area

SSSI: Site of Special Scientific Interest

• AREA: size of forest or tree cover in hectares (ha). Multiply by 2.47 for acres.

• FOREST TYPE: the broad category of woodland; mainly broadleaved, conifer or mixed (at least 30 per cent of one or the other). In addition, special categories are used for Caledonian pinewood (mixed), montane, temperate rainforest and Atlantic hazelwood sites.

• FOREST LOCATION: the central point of the forest site. Note: this is not necessarily a precise location for navigation.

Forest location Ordnance Survey six-figure grid reference.

Explorer Map OS Explorer Map (1:25,000 scale) number.

• EASE OF ACCESS: this grading is used to indicate relative difficulty of access within the woodland and from the nearest access point such as a car park.

Easy sites are typically a short distance from the access point and can be enjoyed without specialist walking gear. The site may be acceptable for wheelchairs or for families with buggies. See Access for disabled people.

Moderate means the distance to the site or the walking distance within the site will be further than those marked EASY. Stout walking shoes and waterproofs may be a wise precaution. Trails will not always be way-marked. See Keeping Safe.

Difficult sites are likely to be remote, challenging to reach and probably strenuous to explore. Proper walking equipment recommended. Map-reading skills required.

• ACCESS POINT: where to park a vehicle or gain access to a forest site. Note: this may be some distance from the forest site.

Grid ref – pinpoint location based on Ordnance Survey ten-figure grid reference.

what3words – unique three-word code referencing the Access point (3m