📌 Kintessack, Moray
★★
Culbin Forest sprawls for several miles along the southern shore of the Moray Firth between Findhorn and Nairn. A maze of tracks and paths criss-cross this vast forest overlying sand dunes, intersections marked by junction numbers which often serve only to make you feel even more lost. Luckily the Forestry Commission have devised a number of circular walks (print off a map: link below), with the Hill 99 Viewpoint Trail probably the best introduction to the area. Hill 99 (named after its height in feet) is topped with a “squirrel’s-eye” wooden tower: steps access this excellent viewpoint above the tree tops. Manmade ponds elsewhere on the walk are a good place to spot dragonflies in summer, attracted by the fresh water that’s otherwise scarce amongst these coastal dunes.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road end 1 mi north of Kintessack
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NH 998615
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.631407,-3.680813
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park (charge)
📝 Key info
▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 40 m | ⌛ 1.5-2 hr
Features: 💧 Gravel-pit Ponds; △ Hill 99 (29 m); Dragonfly Pool
⬤ Easy | Straightforward track and paths, mostly flat.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – Gravel-pit Ponds – Hill 99 – Dragonfly Pool – start. Route waymarked in black & on map 🔗 here (Hill 99 Trail)
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: A red squirrel near the Viewpoint Tower. Mallards with ducklings on the Gravel-pit Ponds. Lots of small birds, many annoying biting mosquito-like flies.
Weather: 15°C at start, big clouds & plenty of sunshine, light breeze.
May 2024
