Dell Woods (Abernethy NNR) - Visiting the reserve leaflet

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Welcome to Dell Woods, Abernethy National Nature Reserve

Welcome to Dell Woods, managed by NatureScot. Just a few minutes from the centre of the friendly village of Nethy Bridge, Dell Woods is a haven of green where red squirrels and crested tits chatter in the trees. Easy-going trails will take you to the heart of an ancient woodland and offer links to a great network of longer routes.

Crested tit ©David Whitaker, Highland WIldlife Photography

Dell Woods is part of Abernethy National Nature Reserve – a vast swathe of land that sweeps from Nethy Bridge to the summits of Ben Macdui and Cairngorm, all of it within the Cairngorms National Park. The woods are an easy-to-explore forest that’s alive with birds, and with a fresh tang of Scots pine resin in the air.

Dell Woods, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Cairngorms National Park.

On the forest floor, plants like chickweed wintergreen are evidence that this ground has been covered by forest for centuries – but that doesn’t mean it’s never changed. Almost every part of it has been felled for timber at least once. For hundreds of years men from surrounding villages worked here, cutting trees to make ships’ masts, railway sleepers and even drain pipes. Now only faint traces of their work are left, like the lades or water channels that helped float timber downstream to the River Spey.

Spotting crested tits, red squirrels or even (if you tread softly enough) roe deer through the trees is a great thrill. But this forest has other, hidden charms. Look out for stumps of dead wood covered in moss and lichen: up close they’re a miniature Japanese garden of extraordinary shapes and colours. You may see some trees that look as if they’ve been snapped by a grumpy giant: they’ve actually been broken by the weight of heavy winter snow. Broken timber like this is a habitat for fungi and insects, which in turn provide food for birds and animals.

Getting there

Start at the Explore Abernethy Visitor Centre in Nethy Bridge, just off the A95 between Grantown-on Spey and Boat of Garten.

Dell Woods (Abernethy National Nature Reserve) Map — Enlarge this map

If you’d like to find out more about the woods and their history, or the network of trails around Nethy Bridge, call in to the Explore Abernethy Centre in the village.

Beyond the woods, the higher ground of the Abernethy National Nature Reserve is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: visit their centre at Loch Garten to find out more.

More information

Need to know

Dell Woods is particularly important for ground nesting birds. If they are disturbed they may abandon their chicks and eggs, which are eaten by predators. Please avoid this by keeping dogs on a short lead or under close control from 1 April to 31 August. Please do not light fires – uncontrolled burning could destroy this special place.

Way to go

Waymarked trails start from the Visitor Centre in Nethy Bridge where there is information about the area and toilets. If arriving by car, please park in Nethy Bridge and follow the waymarked routes to the NNR.

Reserve map

Trails

A lovely path along the River Nethy returning by quiet back roads in Nethy Bridge to join the King's Road Trail through the ancient Scots pine forest. Watch out for squirrels and crested tits

The forest has many pools where dragonflies and damselflies breed. Along this trail, which follows the line of a light railway that used to transport timber, we’ve dug them out to make sure they stay wet enough for these shimmering insects. You might see them flying anywhere in the woods between June and September.

Follow the River Nethy before entering the Scots pine forest through an old tree nursery. Look and listen for the sound of falling pine cones, which is a sign there are feeding crossbills or red squirrels in the trees above.