Stonehaven

Stonehaven – A Picnic in Dunnottar Woods

A few hours.

The route

Dunnottar Woods are on the south side of Stonehaven, a community wood of beech, ash and sycamore in what were once the grounds of Dunnottar House.

The wood has a picnic area, and the Shell House, a small stone folly, is on its waymarked trail. Pick up the food in Stonehaven and eat it under the trees.

Before you go

Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
13 miles awayNorth Lodge and River CabinSleeps 6 StrachanCuttieshillockSleeps 6 StrachanGamekeeper’s CottageSleeps 6 StrachanNo 2 Steading Cottage at GlendyeSleeps 4

First

Pick up the picnic

The woods are on the south side of Stonehaven, so the picnic can be picked up in the town first.

Fish and chips: The Bay Fish & Chips on the Beach Promenade in Stonehaven
The supermarket: The Co-op on the Market Square in Stonehaven
A food shop: Scotmid on Allardice Street in Stonehaven

The day

Dunnottar Woods

Pick up the picnic in Stonehaven, then carry it into the woods on the south side of the town.

About an hour and a half

Dunnottar Woods
The forest car park is at the south end of the woods, just off the A957 as it leaves Stonehaven. It costs £1 for an hour or £2 for up to three, paid by RingGo. The wood has a picnic area, and a rug is worth bringing too. These were once the grounds of Dunnottar House, and the trees are beech, ash and sycamore. In autumn the leaves lie deep on the paths for children to kick through, and in summer there are wildflowers. After lunch, follow the waymarked History Trail to the Shell House, a small domed stone hut the Kennedy family left in a clearing. The whole trail takes about an hour, on uneven gravel with some slopes and two quiet road crossings. There are no toilets in the woods, so use the public ones in Stonehaven first. Keep dogs under close control.