Rothiemurchus Estate Cairngorms
The Rothiemurchus Estate in the Cairngorms National Park is one of the finest and most accessible areas of ancient Caledonian pine forest in Scotland, a privately owned estate of approximately 10,000 hectares that encompasses ancient woodland of Scots pine, birch and juniper, the beautiful Loch an Eilein with its island castle, the River Spey and some of the finest accessible Cairngorm mountain terrain between Aviemore and the high plateau. The estate has been owned by the Grant family for over four centuries and their continuing management combines traditional land uses with conservation of the ancient woodland and a comprehensive programme of visitor activities. The ancient Caledonian pinewood of Rothiemurchus is one of the largest and most ecologically intact fragments of the forest that once covered much of the Highland landscape before millennia of human clearance. The old Scots pines, some of considerable age, grow with the space and character of genuinely ancient woodland, the open understorey of heather, blaeberry and juniper creating the conditions for the specialist pinewood wildlife including red squirrel, Scottish crossbill, crested tit and capercaillie that depend on this habitat type. Loch an Eilein, accessible by an excellent circular walk of approximately five kilometres through the forest, is one of the most beautiful lochs in Scotland, its island castle ruin reflected in the clear water and the surrounding ancient pines providing a landscape of perfect composition. The castle, a fifteenth-century tower house, was a stronghold of the Wolf of Badenoch, the notorious younger son of Robert II who terrorised this area in the fourteenth century. The estate visitor centre at Inverdruie provides interpretation and the access point for a comprehensive programme of ranger-led activities, fishing, cycling and walking.