Contact details: Moray & Aberdeenshire Forest District Tel: 0300 067 6200Email: morayaberdeenshire@forestry.gsi.gov.ukPublic enquiry line: 0300 067 6156

© Crown Copyright 2018

For information on public transport services contact: Traveline Scotland, 0871 2002233 or www.travelinescotland.com

For more ideas of great days out in the forest, visit our website:

www.forestry.gov.uk/scotlandFollo

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If you need this publication in an alternative format, please contact:

The Diversity Team Tel: 0300 067 5000E-mail: diversity@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

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CulbinA family friendly forest with space to explore

North East

Look out for more of our leaflets covering some of the forests in the area

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In the forestCulbin is a really good place for unusual plant, lichen and fungi species. An impressive 500 species of flowering plant and 130 species of lichen have been found here. In summer and autumn, colourful fungi appear like magic amongst the trees.

In summer, dragonflies, butterflies and moths are the most obvious of the many insects here. Look more closely and you’ll spot busy woodants, bringing back food and building material to their large communal homes.

You can often hear the birds in a forest before you see them. Listen out for noisy ‘chip-chip’ calls of noisy crossbills and the cheerful trilling of crested tits.

Larger animals live here too, but they can be quite elusive.

Name

roe deerbadgerotterpine martenred squirrel

Gaelic name

earb broc dobhrantaghan feòrag

(sounds like)

err-eppbroCHkdoe-rantuGH-anfyor-ack

Lost LandsRichard de Moravia is the first recorded owner of Culbin, around 1235. The Kinnaird family inherited Culbin from the Moray family in the 15th century. The Kinnairds owned the area for the next 200 years, until a sandstorm finally overwhelmed the estate.

Culbin had suffered from sandstorms for centuries. Unknowingly, local people made the situation worse by uprooting marram grass for thatching their roofs. This destabilised the dunes further, and in 1694 a great sandstorm engulfed the main house and surrounding farms. Some say the sandstorms were the result of the laird, Alexander Kinnaird, playing cards with the devil on a Sunday. Others said it was a curse, or divine retribution for allowing smugglers to hide on the estate.

The remains of the houses and farms are still out there, buried deep beneath the sands. In a changing climate, what does the future hold for Culbin?

‘immense torrents of sand with a force and violence almost overpowering’

John Martin of Elgin 17th century

‘Unspeakable loneliness… utter desolation’19th century visitor to the ‘desert waste’ of Culbin

Along the shoreMost of Culbin’s shoreline, from the trees to the low tide mark, is an RSPB reserve. This mix of saltmarsh, mudflats, sand and shingle is a vital feeding ground for wading birds throughout the year.

The shelter of the firth provides ideal conditions for wintering seaducks and geese. Look out for scoters, eider ducks, long-tailed ducks and pink-footed geese.

If you get down to the open sea, look out for bottlenose dolphins, grey seals and common seals. Listen carefully and you might even hear the seals calling.

- Allow birds to feed and rest in peace. If they have to fly away, they are wasting valuable energy.

- If you spot seals on the beach, admire them from a distance. If they start to move, you’re too close.

- The saltmarsh is a fragile habitat: help it survive by walking around the edge rather than through it.

Discover more about Culbin’s amazing wildlife at www.culbin.org.uk and www.rspb.org.uk

Timber!We usually thin or fell small areas of trees in Culbin. We do plant new trees here, though we often encourage young trees to grow naturally from seed. Our native Scots pine grows best in most areas of Culbin, though you’ll also see Corsican and lodgepole pine here.

Ship ahoyAlong the shore, salt spray often kills the trees. With ongoing coastal erosion, the waves claim any fallen trees. Floating tree trunks are a serious hazard to boats, so we try to remove trees before they fall and get swept away.

Dead good Safely away from the seashore, we often leave dead trees as home and food for insects and woodpeckers.

Feeling adventurous?

Culbin is a big forest: you can spend all day exploring. Key junctions have numbered posts, as shown on the map overleaf. Off you go!

Sand & sea? The East Beach car park at Nairn is closest to the beach. Access it through the Nairn Lochloy caravan park. The beach at Buckie Loch is also lovely, but it’s around 3 miles / 5 km from Wellhill car park.

On your bike?

The relatively flat gravel track network is perfect for cycling. In low-lying areas, some of the tracks can be wet and muddy.

Hoofing it?

Start your visit at Cloddymoss. This quieter car park has room for larger vehicles and horse boxes.

Managing the Forest

We carefully plan all our forestry work in Culbin. All the timber from the forest is independently certified as sustainable.

The Forestry Commission bought Culbin in the 1920s, and started to plant pine trees to stabilise the shifting sands. These days, we cut around 400 lorry loads of timber each year in Culbin. A lot of the wood goes to local sawmills to make building products - you might have some Culbin timber in your own home.

Working togetherIf we are working in Culbin, we’ll let you know with information on our webpages, and clear signage in the forest. Please keep yourself, other visitors and the workers safe by following any signs you see.

Time & TidePeople have lived in and around Culbin’s changing landscape for thousands of years, farming the land and using the rich coastal resources.

First visitorsArchaeologists have found flint arrowheads, shell middens and Bronze Age cremation burials in Culbin: evidence of the people who were here before us.

Fish supper Salmon fishing was once an important local industry. Look out for the remains of old netting equipment along the shoreline. Salmon netting has stopped now, but the salmon still swim by on their way to the local rivers.

Memories of warWondering about the tall wooden poles in The Gut? They were put there during World War II, to prevent the possibility of enemy gliders landing on the sheltered tidal mudflats. We’ve been told the poles sit in old herring barrels filled with stones.

Culbin is a tough place to live, but lots of wildlife has adapted to survive and thrive here.

The Wild Side of CulbinFirst visit?Head to our car park at Wellhill.

The way-marked Gravel Pit Ponds and Hill 99 trails are a perfect introduction to this fantastic forest.

Climb to the top of the Hill 99 viewpoint for a birds-eye view over the forest, the shore and the Moray Firth.

Culbin is a wonderful place to walk, cycle, ride and relax.

Visiting Culbin

For more information about visiting, visit www.culbin.org.uk

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Looking After

Culbin is the perfect place for making your own adventure.

The network of gravel tracks and sandy paths offer dozens of different routes to explore on foot, bike or horse-back.

If you’re exploring away from the car parks and way marked trails, take this map with you. It shows the position of the numbered posts you'll find at key junctions in the forest.

If you get down to the seashore, keep a

careful eye on the tide so you don’t get cut off.

Exploring Further

Culbin’s ecosystems are fragile, internationally designated and protected by law.

• Avoid any route which is likely to crush or disturb any living thing – stick to the paths and tracks

• Motor biking and quad biking is illegal here. Please report incidents to Police Scotland as soon as possible, and give as much information as you can.

• Keep your dog in sight at all times. Respect other visitors and wildlife.

Time and tide will continue to change Culbin but we can all help to look after this special place.

Discover more about Culbin’s rare habitats and wildlife at www.culbin.org.uk

There’s more of Culbin’s fascinating story at www.culbin.org.uk

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Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242].

0 0.5 1 kmScale bar

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Largely wide, firm and smooth gravel and sandy surface. Generally flat with some long moderate slopes and short steep sections. Includes some steps up to the viewing platform.

3 ½ miles / 5.7 kmAllow 2 hrs

A gentle wander through pretty pine and birch woodland, and around the Gravel Pit Ponds.

Wind through the pine-covered sand dunes to the viewing tower on Hill 99 for a ‘squirrel’s eye’ view over the forest and across the Moray Firth.Gravel Pit Ponds Trail

Hill 99 Trail

Firm and smooth gravel surface. Generally flat with gentle slopes and some short moderate sections. No obstacles.

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© Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242].

Explore CulbinWelhill car park is the perfect starting point for your visit, with two great way-marked trails plus a large car park, toilets and picnic benches.

If you’re ready to explore a bit further, we’ve highlighted some other great destinations on the map. There is always something new to discover here. Culbin is a big forest so take the map with you!

The Minister’s Pool

At the start of the RSPB nature reserve, this shallow wetland was named after a local minister who skated here.

The Otter Pool

We created this small pool to give wildlife an extra source of fresh water. Go quietly and you might just spot an otter!

The Gut

Part of the RSPB reserve, the mud flats are a good place to look for wading birds like oystercatchers, redshank and curlew.

Buckie Loch

Once open to the sea, Buckie Loch is a sheltered grassland area next to a big sandy beach. A great destination for a bike ride or a longer walk.

Findhorn Bay

A peaceful spot, looking across to Findhorn village. Watch out for ospreys fishing here during the summer months.

Hidden History

What lies beneath Culbin’s ever shifting sands? History echoes in the evocative sculpture here.

Dragonfly Pool

On warmer summer days, spot damselflies and dragonflies at this small and peaceful wetland.

Lady Culbin's Trees

Lady Culbin is the largest sand dune in Culbin, now covered with trees. Very unusually, the tree trunks get thinner towards the roots, because of the shifting sands.

Discover more at www.culbin.org.uk

Gravel Pit Ponds

Easy to get to and a great place to play, picnic or just relax. Look out for tadpoles in the spring and colourful fungi in the autumn.

Hill 99 Viewpoint

At 99 feet high, this is Culbin’s tallest sand dune. Climb up the impressive viewing tower for fantastic views.