Explore | Discover | EnjoyFor

information

on what’s

available

around the

Moray Firth,

please

contact

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Forestry Commission ScotlandMoray & Aberdeenshire Forest District, Portsoy Road, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, AB54 4SJTel: 0300 067 6200E-mail: morayaberdeenshire@forestry.gsi.gov.ukWeb: www.culbin.org.ukwww.forestry.gov.uk/scotland

Public enquiry line: 0300 067 6156

Roseisle - Easy beach access, picnic facilities, toilets and forestwalks. For location for the map, see Forests of Moray leaflet.

Torrieston - All abilities trail, picnic facilities and forest walks.For location for the map, see Forests of Moray leaflet.

Nigg Bay RSPB Nature ReserveRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsNorth Scotland Region Office Tel: 01463 715 000 Email: nsro@rspb.org.ukWeb: www.rspb.org.uk

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Designed by: Design & Interpretative Services, Forestry Com

mission

Scotland

- D&IS.5k/JTCP.03

/17.Edition

7.

Photog

raphs: Forestry Com

mission

Scotland

and

And

rew Dow

sett.

© Crown Copyright 2014

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

Culbin

New lifetakes root inthe desertAs the sand continued tothreaten land and homes, the Forestry Commission took overCulbin between 1922 and 1931 and began stilling thesand by tree planting. Many early attempts failed sobranch wood was brought in from other forests to holdthe sand enough for the young plants to gain a footing.Somehow both trees and foresters struggled on, and by 1960 the massive task was largely complete.

Today this huge forest of Scots and Corsican pine, birches,alder and more is a complete and interdependent world.It’s home to birds, mammals, insects and over 500 types of plants, fungi and lichens.

Trees are felled only in small areas at a time and newseedlings replace them naturally. What started as aplanted forest is becoming even more varied and natural.

The sands may appear still but as with all life on Earth,Culbin is ever-changing.

SandlifeAt Junction 9, as well asbirds high in the treetops,you’ll also spot manysurprises at ground level.

How has life clung to theseshifting sands? The trees havegradually helped build a thin layer ofhumus but there are still few nutrients. Many beautiful or unusual flowers, mosses, insects, fungi, birds and smallmammals have adapted to make this harsh environmenttheir home. Other than the trees - and you - every singleliving or growing thing you’ll find in Culbin has arrivedby chance, on the wind or washed in by water.

Rare lichens spread along theshingle ridges and paths likedrifts of grey, green andpink snow. People onceused this strange plant tomake dyes and folkremedies. Lichens canwithstand both droughtand downpour, but they growslowly, and it’s all too easy todestroy them just by accidentally trampling them.

www.culbin.org.uk

This route is ideal for first-timevisitors. It’ll lead you along windingpaths, through forest and mossy

clearings. The route up to Hill 99

and its ‘squirrel’s-eye’ viewpoint is

well worth it. It’s a friendly,waymarked trail on good paths

and suitable for almost everyone.

Take your time - allow two hoursor more. Relax and enjoy.

Hill 99 Viewpoint Trail

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

You can spend all day here going as far as

you can, but Culbin is also somewhere

to enjoy losing track of time.

Try watching the ordered world of

a giant wood-ant mound - with its

team-working and weight-lifting -

or oystercatchers’ beaks turn from

bright red to brown as they feed.

First-time visitors can enjoy a great

circular walk: The fully-accessible Hill 99viewpoint trail meanders through the quiet pine forest

to a ‘squirrel’s-eye’ viewpoint in the tree tops. Or, for just

a short, gentle stroll, well surfaced paths lead you to the

easy reach Gravel Pit ponds.

Trails start from the main Culbin car park at Wellhill

where you’ll find toilets too.

Your Culbin visit

One of the best ways to explore Culbin is by bicycle.

It’s never been easier to find your way around: key

junctions have clearly numbered posts, with the

numbers marked on the map in this leaflet.

There are some great places to stop, including

Hidden History and Sandlife where you can sit,

rest and decide which of Culbin’s wonders –

dunes, pools, shoreline – to head for next.

Horse riders are better catered for at the

Cloddymoss car park. Coastal birdwatchers might try

the Nairn East Beach access. Keep your eyes open for

the other beautifully-shaped seats dotted around

Culbin’s fascinating landscape.

Want to know more? Got a question? For visitor

information and much more, find the answers at:

Welcome to Culbin. This is no ordinary forest andCulbin’s fragile shoreline is no ordinary coast.

Eventually, farming people settled here and

eked out a living here under constant threat

from blowing sand. Uprooting marram

grass for thatch, and cutting turf for

fuel, helped to destabilise the dunes.

In 1694, a cataclysmic storm becamethe final straw for the Kinnaird family

(Culbin’s then owners) and their last

tenants. All were forced to abandon

their homes and livelihoods; nowburied beneath your feet.

Tales of lost lands, buried lives… In Culbin you

can allow your mind to wander, along with your feet.

Salmon fishing has always flourished in the shallow,

warm waters off Culbin. The shoreline has traces of old

netting equipment. And look out for

an old tin fish sign nailed to a

tree at Junction 12.

What next? Culbin’slandscape is always shifting.

Find out about this andmuch more at:

www.culbin.org.uk

Hidden HistoryWonder about the people of Culbin and their hidden

history at Junction 38, a sheltered corner to sit and

think about Culbin’s dramatic story. Something here for

younger visitors too. Where? See

the map inside.

What was it like to leaveyour home and run froma sandstorm? Culbin wasa wild and unpredictableplace where peoplehad to learn to

adapt to change.

Ancient peoples once wandered or

lived among these ceaselessly shiftingsands, adapting to the changes theyexperienced in tides and weather. Piles

of sea shells left over from a feast

enjoyed thousands of years ago can

still be found deep in the forest. Culbin’s a big place, with so

much to discover.

To make the most of

your first visit, start with

the Hill 99 Viewpoint trail

and you’re bound to

come back for more!

There is a detailed map of thisroute on the inside of this guide.

Here’s where to start...

www.culbin.org.ukwww.culbin.org.uk

First visit to Culbin?

Taking care whenout and aboutPlease remember that the weather canchange quickly. Please also be careful of the tide –it’s very easy to get cut off on Culbin’s shoreline.

EasySensiblefootwear

ModerateWaterprooffootwear

StrenuousHillwalkingboots

EasyMuscleLoosener

ModerateMuscleStretcher

StrenuousMuscleBuilder

Trail GradesForestry Commission Scotland trails and walks aregraded according to the degree of difficulty, gradientsand type of conditions visitors can expect.

Your part inCulbin’sfutureCulbin’s ecosystems arefragile, internationallydesignated and protected bylaw. Walkers and riders can helpmaintain the delicate natural balance.

• Avoid any route which is likelyto crush any living or growingthing – choose to stick to thepaths and trails

• This is a working forest too soplease look out for safety signs

• Motor biking is illegal here.Please report incidents tothe Police. Give as muchinformation as you can.

Time and tide will continue tochange Culbin but we can allhelp to look after this special place.

www.culbin.org.uk

If you need this publication in analternative format, for example, inlarge print or in another language,please contact:

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

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A96 to Inverness

A96 to Elgin & Aberdeen

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This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery

Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to

prosecution or civil proceedings. Forestry Commission. Licence No. 100025498. Published 2008.

Forestry Commission Woodland

Junction Numbers

Forest Road/Track

Key to map

Car Park

Car Park(charges)

Tower

Picnic Place Forest Walk

Toilet

Hill 99 Viewpoint Trail

Destination Point

Indicates preferred approach to Culbin

Sand dunes10m 20m

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Lady Culbin’s Buried TreesLady Culbin is the largest single sand-dune system here, now covered with trees.

Near Junction 4 is an area of ‘buried trees’ – Digging down around old stumps has shown that sand continued to shift around the trees as they grew.Some stems actually taper downwards towards the root – rather like the tip of a pencil! Find out about this and much more at: www.culbin.org.uk

Otter PoolWithout man-made sources of water, Culbin would not have as many birds, mammals and insects. This secluded pool was created in the late 1980s toencourage wildlife. Dawn is the best time to catch a glimpse – or hear the splash - of a vanishingotter. And it’s also a good place to watch roe deer drinking at dusk. Be still… listen… Even if you don’t

see any wildlife, you can be sure that some creature will be keeping its eyes on you...

This route is ideal for first-time visitors. It’ll lead you along winding sandy paths,through forest and mossy clearings. The route up to Hill 99 and its ‘squirrel’s-eye’ viewpoint is well worth it. It’s suitablefor nearly all abilities and takes a gentlegradient. Why Hill 99? Probably namedby early foresters, this is Culbin’s tallestdune at 99 feet high.

The circular route onwards from thesummit has a few steeper sections thatless able visitors might avoid by goingback down the way they came. For others, the firm, waymarked pathcompletes a circuit back to the car park.Take your time - allow two hours ormore. Relax and enjoy.

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To Junction 11 & ‘Sand Life’

To Junction 38 & ‘Hidden History’

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved Forestry Commission. Licence No. 100025498 2007.

Ponds

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Maviston DunesThe highest of these sculptured dunes is more than15 m tall – and all created by sand grains no biggerthan the head of a pin. The ‘avalanche face’ of theseancient dunes has eroded away to create waves of

U-shaped dunes facing west.The birds migrating overCulbin must get a fineview of Maviston’s

beautiful curves.

SandlifeSee section on the other sideof this leaflet.

The Minister’s PoolAt the western end of the RSPB nature reserve, this is a goodplace to sit, reflect and watch water birds enjoy a bath. They oftenfly in and land with a splash to clean their feathers here. The rare sedge bed habitat nearby isworth looking at, too. As for the name, legend has it that a Minister once used to skate here!

Hill 99 Viewpoint Trail

Findhorn BayFrom here, Findhorn can look as though it is floating

out to sea. The river has changed its course many times,most recently in the early 18th century. Unlike theirneighbours at Culbin, Findhorn villagers had earlieradapted to survive, moving their settlement to itscurrent river mouth home, from an earlier site now

under the sea.

2 The GutMost of the narrow Culbin shoreline is an RSPB nature reserve, which stretchesfrom the edge of the forest to the low tide mark. It’s made up of saltmarsh,sheltered mudflats, sand and shingle: this is ideal for long-legged, long-beakedwading birds all year round and a perfect ‘winter resort’ for thousands of water-birds who migrate here from their relatively cooler breeding grounds further north.

People have lived in this constantly changing landscape for thousandsof years. Piles of seashells left from a feast enjoyed thousands of yearsago can still be found deep in the forest.

Poles in the water? – Put here in World War II to prevent enemy gliders from landing!

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Along your way…Look up to life in the rolling tree canopy. Listen… Look down: lush carpets of moss and lichen speckled with fungiin autumn; wood-ant hills and flowering plants. Culbin is constantly changing. Look round: raised ridges ofpebbles - driven inshore over 5000 years ago by storm and tide.

Gravel-pit PondsA great place for theForestry Commissionranger to lead schoolpond-dipping visits,these ponds were dug toprovide a source of freshwater for birds, mammals andinsects. Although man-made, all Culbin ponds andchannels now play a critical part in the natural balance oflife here. Take a seat on the benches and relax. Look outfor yellow flag iris, chickweed wintergreenand some unusual mosses nearby, too.

Dragonfly PoolOn a warm summer’s day the air here is alive withbirdsong and even thesound of brilliantly-coloured dragonflies,rattling as theyshimmer through theair. Look carefully andyou may see discardedlarvae cases, fixed half-way up plant stems. The dragonflies emerge fromthese, in the same way as butterflies,which also thrive at Culbin.

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Hidden HistorySee over the page for Culbin’s amazing story!

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7 Buckie LochAt high tide and with storm-force winds behind it, the seacan crash over the first lowdunes of Buckie Loch and intoits marshy grassland beyond.

Only the toughest of plantsand animals can survive here,so look for wiry heather andshiny black ants. Once this wasan inlet, but then the sand cut itoff from the sea. Look at it fromthe shore and you’ll see thatbite by bite, the sea is winningback the sand. Its salt spraykills the trees before the wavesclaim them. Floating tree-trunksare a hazard for shipping, sotrees along the edge are oftenremoved before they fall.Nature may soon come fullcircle here, making BuckieLoch a bay once more.

www.culbin.org.uk

Grade: ModerateAllow 2 hours