Countesswells – Scots Pines and Wide Views on Aberdeen's Edge
About 2.7 miles on foot.
Countesswells is the forest on Aberdeen's western edge, between Kingswells and Cults, with wide paths and open views over the farmland around the city.
The Gairn Hill Trail is the longest of its waymarked walks, a loop of 4.4 km among old Scots pines and young oak and aspen. It takes about an hour and a half, which makes it a good one to fit into a morning.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: a waymarked loop of 4.4 km (2.7 miles), graded moderate, on firm gravel with long moderate slopes.
- The path
- Firm gravel throughout, with some rocky, rooty and muddy parts, long moderate slopes and some short steeper ramps.
- Where to start
- Countesswells car park, on the west side of the minor road a mile south of Kingswells; AB15 8QD is the nearest postcode. £2 for up to an hour, £2.50 for up to three hours, £3 all day, by coins, card or RingGo; free with a Blue Badge.
- When to go
- All year in daylight.
- Dogs
- Under close control.
- Children
- Wide forest paths. The shorter trails, of 2.5 km and 2.1 km, suit smaller legs.
- Toilets
- None at the forest: the nearest public toilets are in Cults or Kingswells.
- Before you set out
- Horse riders and mountain bikers share the forest tracks. Check for ticks afterwards.
The walk
The Countesswells car park is on the west side of the minor road between Kingswells and Cults, a mile south of Kingswells. From the Kingswells roundabout on the A944, take the turning for Cults. AB15 8QD is the nearest postcode. Parking is £2 for up to an hour, £2.50 for up to three hours or £3 for the day, by coins, card or RingGo, and free with a Blue Badge. Forestry and Land Scotland gives the Gairn Hill Trail as 4.4 km, or two and three quarter miles, grades it moderate and allows an hour and a half.
It's a waymarked loop round Gairn Hill Wood, among mature Scots pines and newly planted oak and aspen, and where the trees are young the view opens right across Aberdeenshire. The surface is firm gravel, with some rocky, rooty and muddy bits, long moderate slopes and a few short steeper ramps. These woods were once part of the Countesswells estate. Storms hit parts of the forest hard, and the shorter trails run through the ground that's being replanted. The Lime Avenue Trail, 2.5 km and about an hour, passes newly planted limes and has wide views.
The Oak Tree Trail, 2.1 km and about three quarters of an hour, is lined with young oaks, rowans and hawthorns. Horse riders and mountain bikers use the forest too, so keep an ear out on the wide tracks. The nearest public toilets are in Cults or Kingswells. Keep dogs under close control.
If it rains
Firm gravel and tall pines make this a fair choice for a showery day, though the views across Aberdeenshire need clear air. Expect mud on the rooty stretches after rain.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Harry Grisdale via Google