Abernethy Forest

Abernethy Forest is a surviving patch of the ancient Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, Highland. It sits inside the Cairngorms National Park, near villages such as Nethy Bridge and Boat of Garten. The RSPB runs the reserve and the nearby Loch Garten Osprey Centre. Walkers follow several marked trails through the reserve. The forest belongs to the larger Abernethy National Nature Reserve. The site holds about 4,000 hectares of woodland, nearly half of it native Caledonian pine. It shelters rare birds like the Scottish crossbill and crested tit, and mammals including red squirrels and Scottish wildcats. A capercaillie lek can be found here. The wider reserve covers 12,755 hectares, stretching from the forest up into the Cairngorms mountains. It is one of the UK’s most important protected areas. Visitors walk through pine woods and open moorland with views of Loch A’an and the surrounding peaks. Over 200 plant species grow here, some scarce or endangered. More than 70 bird species have been recorded, along with deer, otters and pine martens. The reserve also supports fourteen kinds of butterfly. Conservation work continues to restore habitats and expand native woodland.