Visiting Culbin First visit? Time & Tide The Wild Side of Culbin Head to our car People have lived in and around Culbin’s Culbin is a tough place park at Wellhill. Culbin is a wonderful place changing landscape for thousands of years, to live, but lots of wildlife to walk, cycle, ride and relax. The way-marked farming the land and using the rich has adapted to survive Gravel Pit Ponds coastal resources. and thrive here. and Hill 99 trails are a perfect In the forest introduction to this First visitors Archaeologists have found flint fantastic forest. Culbin is a really good place for arrowheads, shell middens and Bronze unusual plant, lichen and fungi Climb to the top Age cremation burials in Culbin: evidence Lost Lands Along the shore of the Hill 99 species. An impressive 500 of the people who were here before us. Richard de Moravia is the first recorded owner of species of flowering plant and Most of Culbin’s shoreline, from the trees to the low viewpoint for a Culbin, around 1235. The Kinnaird family inherited 130 species of lichen have been tide mark, is an RSPB reserve. This mix of saltmarsh, birds-eye view over Fish supper Culbin from the family in the 15th century. The found here. In summer and mudflats, sand and shingle is a vital feeding ground the forest, the shore Kinnairds owned the area for the next 200 years, until Salmon fishing was once an autumn, colourful fungi appear for wading birds throughout the year. and the . a sandstorm finally overwhelmed the estate. important local industry. like magic amongst the trees. The shelter of the firth provides ideal Look out for the remains Culbin had suffered from sandstorms for centuries. In summer, dragonflies, butterflies and conditions for wintering seaducks of old netting equipment Unknowingly, local people made the situation worse moths are the most obvious of the many and geese. Look out for scoters, along the shoreline. Salmon by uprooting marram grass for thatching their roofs. insects here. Look more closely and you’ll spot busy eider ducks, long-tailed ducks On your bike? netting has stopped now, This destabilised the dunes further, and in 1694 a great woodants, bringing back food and building material to and pink-footed geese. but the salmon still swim by sandstorm engulfed the main house and surrounding Feeling adventurous? The relatively flat gravel their large communal homes. on their way to the local rivers. farms. Some say the sandstorms were the result of track network is perfect If you get down to the open sea, the laird, Alexander Kinnaird, playing cards with the Culbin is a big forest: you for cycling. In low-lying You can often hear the birds in look out for bottlenose dolphins, devil on a Sunday. Others said it was a curse, or divine can spend all day exploring. areas, some of the tracks Memories of war a forest before you see them. grey seals and common seals. Listen

retribution for allowing smugglers to hide on the estate. Mustard/2020VISION Alex seal: Grey Key junctions have numbered can be wet and muddy. Wondering about the tall Listen out for noisy ‘chip-chip’ carefully and you might even hear the seals calling. posts, as shown on the map wooden poles in The Gut? calls of noisy crossbills and the The remains of the houses and farms are still out there, - Allow birds to feed and rest in peace. If they have overleaf. Off you go! They were put there during cheerful trilling of crested tits. buried deep beneath the sands. In a changing climate, to fly away, they are wasting valuable energy. World War II, to prevent the what does the future hold for Culbin? Larger animals live here too, Hoofing it? possibility of enemy gliders - If you spot seals on the beach, admire them from a but they can be quite elusive. landing on the sheltered distance. If they start to move, you’re too close. Sand & sea? Start your visit at ‘immense torrents of sand with tidal mudflats. We’ve been Cloddymoss. This quieter a force and violence almost - The saltmarsh is a fragile habitat: help it survive by The East Beach car park at told the poles sit in old herring car park has room for larger overpowering’ Name Gaelic name (sounds like) walking around the edge rather than through it. Nairn is closest to the beach. barrels filled with stones. John Martin of Elgin 17th century Access it through the Nairn vehicles and horse boxes. roe deer earb err-epp badger broc broCHk Lochloy caravan park. The ‘Unspeakable loneliness… Discover more about Culbin’s amazing otter dobhran doe-ran beach at Loch is also utter desolation’ There’s more of Culbin’s fascinating pine marten taghan tuGH-an wildlife at www.culbin.org.uk For more information about visiting, 19th century visitor to the ‘desert lovely, but it’s around 3 miles / story at www.culbin.org.uk red squirrel feòrag fyor-ack and www.rspb.org.uk 5 km from Wellhill car park. visit www.culbin.org.uk waste’ of Culbin

Managing the Forest Looking After Exploring Further

Contact details: We carefully plan all our forestry work Culbin’s ecosystems are fragile, internationally Culbin is the perfect place Forestry and Land , East Region in Culbin. All the timber from the forest is designated and protected by law. for making your own adventure. Tel: 0300 067 6380 independently certified as sustainable. Culbin Email: [email protected] • Avoid any route which is likely to crush or disturb any The network of gravel tracks and sandy paths living thing – stick to the paths and tracks offer dozens of different routes to explore on A family friendly forest with space to explore • Motor biking and quad biking is illegal here. foot, bike or horse-back. For more ideas of great days out in the forest, Please report incidents to Police Scotland visit our website: If you’re exploring away from the car as soon as possible, and give as much parks and way marked trails, take this Follow us on forestryandland.gov.scot Timber! information as you can. map with you. It shows the position of We usually thin or fell small areas • Keep your dog in sight at all times. the numbered posts you'll find at of trees in Culbin. We do plant new Respect other visitors and wildlife. key junctions in the forest. trees here, though we often encourage young trees to grow Time and tide will continue to change If you get down to naturally from seed. Our native Culbin but we can all help to look after the seashore, keep a Scots pine grows best in most areas this special place. careful eye on the tide so of Culbin, though you’ll also see you don’t get cut off. Corsican and lodgepole pine here. Discover more about Culbin’s rare habitats

Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights and wildlife at www.culbin.org.uk

© reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242]. The Forestry Commission bought Culbin in the 1920s, 25K/JTCP/March 2018/Edition 1. and started to plant pine trees to stabilise the shifting Ship ahoy sands. These days, we cut around 400 lorry loads of Along the shore, salt spray Look out timber each year in Culbin. A lot of the wood goes to often kills the trees. With for more of local sawmills to make building products - you might ongoing coastal erosion, our leaflets have some Culbin timber in your own home. the waves claim any fallen covering some trees. Floating tree trunks are orestry and Land Scotland - D&VP / of the forests in the area Working together a serious hazard to boats, so we try to remove trees before If we are working in they fall and get swept away. Culbin, we’ll let you know with information on our North East webpages, and clear Dead good signage in the forest. Safely away from the Please keep yourself, seashore, we often leave other visitors and the dead trees as home and food Photography by Niall Benvie, David Whitaker and Forestry Commission Picture Library. Written and designed by Design & Visitor Planning, F For information on public transport services contact: workers safe by following for insects and woodpeckers. Traveline Scotland, 0871 2002233 or any signs you see. www.travelinescotland.com

© Crown Copyright 2020 99 0 0.25 0.5 km The Gut Buckie Loch Findhorn Bay Explore Culbin Hill 99 0 1/8 1/4 mile Viewpoint Tower Part of the RSPB reserve, Once open to the sea, A peaceful spot, looking Welhill car park is the perfect starting the mud flats are a good Buckie Loch is a sheltered across to Findhorn village. point for your visit, with two great 44 place to look for wading grassland area next to a big Watch out for ospreys way-marked trails plus a large car birds like oystercatchers, sandy beach. A great destination fishing here during the redshank and curlew. for a bike ride or a longer walk. summer months. park, toilets and picnic benches. Gravel Pit 62 45 Ponds 03 If you’re ready to explore a bit further, we’ve 02 highlighted some other great destinations on 40 41 04 the map. There is always something new to 01 Tidal Sand 65 65 discover here. Culbin is a big forest so take 43 Wellhill 00 car park the map with you! Hill 99 Viewpoint 39 99 Buckie Loch Dragonfly Findhorn Pool 42 Findhorn Bay At 99 feet high, this is 98 Gravel Pit Ponds Culbin’s tallest sand 5 dune. Climb up the © Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights 97 7 Easy to get to and a impressive viewing reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242]. A96 61 tower for fantastic views. great place to play, 64 8 64 picnic or just relax. 6 3 Look out for tadpoles in Lady Culbin 96 Tidal Sand Tidal Mud Flat the spring and colourful fungi in the autumn. Findhorn Hill 99 Trail The Gut Lady 4 Bay Culbin’s The Gut Buried Wind through the pine-covered sand dunes to the Trees viewing tower on Hill 99 for a ‘squirrel’s eye’ view 13 63 12 63 Gravel Pit Ponds Trail over the forest and across the Moray Firth. Binsness Tidal Sand Tidal Sand Tidal Mud Flat 9 A gentle wander through pretty pine and birch Largely wide, firm 3 ½ miles / Take care Hill 99 woodland, and around the Gravel Pit Ponds. and smooth gravel 5.7 km Viewpoint 11 and sandy surface. Allow  Tower Firm and smooth gravel 1 mile / 10 Generally flat with 2 hrs surface. Generally flat 1.8 km 95 some long moderate 14 with gentle slopes and Allow  44 Gravel-pit slopes and short steep sections. Includes some short moderate ½ hr 15 Ponds some steps up to the viewing platform. 62 45 Key to map 62 sections. No obstacles. 2 Moray Firth 40 Forestry Commission Dragonfly Woodland RSPB Nature Reserve 16 41 43 Pool 10m 20m Sand dunes 18 39 94 Hidden History 42 Wellhill car park Forest Road/Track 20 17 Seafield 38 20 Junction Numbers 93 19 The Minister’s Pool 61 Car Park Viewpoint 61 Culbin Forest Tidal Sand 36 Car Park Picnic At the start of the 31 37 (charges) table 92 Invererne RSPB nature reserve, 35 Forest Toilets Trails this shallow wetland Maviston Dunes 29 Low Wood 32 Waymarked was named after a local 34 Snab of Moy Kintessack Trails 30 Mains of minister who skated here. Moy The Gut Destination Point 33 28 Indicates preferred 60 21 Cloddymoss 60 27 High Wood approach to Culbin 91 Salt Marsh Muirton The Otter Pool Otter Pool Wood 26 We created this small 25 Broom of pool to give wildlife an Moy Tidal Sand Take care extra source of fresh A96 to water. Go quietly and you Elgin & 22 24 Aberdeen might just spot an otter! 59 59

Loch Loy Bankhead 90 Dyke 23 Tidal Sand River Findhorn Scale bar RSPB Nature Reserve 0 0.5 1 km 58 58 89 Minister's Brodie 0 ½ mile Tidal Sand Pool Castle East Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of Beach Railway HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right [2018]. All rights Minister’s Pool reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number [100021242]. Kingsteps A96 00 01 02 03 04 88 Brodie Tidal Sand Nairn Dunbar Golf Course 99 57 57 Nairn Hardmuir Discover more at A96 to Inverness 98 www.culbin.org.uk Lady Culbin's Trees

Lady Culbin is the largest A96 97 sand dune in Culbin, 96 Dragonfly Pool now covered with Hidden History trees. Very unusually, 56 56 A96 95 On warmer summer days, the tree trunks get What lies beneath Culbin’s ever spot damselflies and thinner towards the B9111 shifting sands? History echoes dragonflies at this small roots, because of Auldearn 94 in the evocative sculpture here. and peaceful wetland. the shifting sands.

88 89 90 91 92 93