Bennachie – The Colonists' Trail through the Woods
About 3.1 miles on foot.
Bennachie's Colony Trail winds through open woodland on the lower slopes of the hill, past the ruined houses and fields of the colonists who lived and worked here in the 1800s.
It starts and ends at the Bennachie Centre, with the short, smooth Discovery Trail and its wildlife rubbing posts beside it for small children.
- Time
- About an hour and a quarter: Forestry and Land Scotland's Colony Trail, 4 km in all, a walk; the 1 km Discovery Trail adds half an hour.
- The path
- Waymarked. The Colony Trail is firm and mostly smooth, with some uneven ground, a few short, fairly steep parts, steps, roots and rocky patches. The Discovery Trail is smooth and firm, with short gentle slopes and no obstacles.
- Where to start
- Forestry and Land Scotland's Bennachie Centre car park (nearest postcode AB51 5HY, which covers a wide area: follow the brown signs from Chapel of Garioch; grid reference NJ 698 216): £2 up to an hour, £3 up to three hours, £4 all day; coins, card or RingGo; Blue Badge holders free.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The visitor centre is open until the end of October.
- Dogs
- Welcome under close control: on a short lead or close at heel near livestock and from April to August, when birds nest on the ground, and never into a field with young animals, as the Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks.
- Children
- The Discovery Trail suits small children, with wildlife rubbing posts and paper and crayons from the visitor centre while it's open; the Colony Trail suits children who can walk a couple of miles.
- Toilets
- At the Bennachie Centre, with accessible toilets.
- Before you set out
- Windblown trees lie across parts of Bennachie's paths: go round them with care, never over or under.
The walk
The walk starts at Forestry and Land Scotland's Bennachie Centre, signed from Chapel of Garioch off the A96 north of Inverurie. The nearest postcode is AB51 5HY, but it covers a wide area, so follow the brown signs. Parking is £2 for an hour, £3 for up to three hours or £4 for the day, by coins, card or RingGo, and free with a Blue Badge.
There are toilets and picnic tables, and the visitor centre is open until the end of October. The Colony Trail is waymarked, 4 km in all, and Forestry and Land Scotland says to allow an hour and a quarter. It winds through open woodland past the tumbled houses and fields of the colonists, people who lived and worked on the hill in the 1800s.
The path is firm and mostly smooth, with a few short, fairly steep parts, steps, roots and rocky patches, so it suits children who can walk a couple of miles but not a pushchair. With little ones, the 1 km Discovery Trail is smooth and firm with gentle slopes, and has wildlife rubbing posts along the way: collect paper and crayons at the visitor centre while it's open. Windblown trees still lie across parts of Bennachie's paths, so go round them with care, never over or under.
If it rains
A woodland walk that is fine in light rain, under the trees most of the way; the roots, steps and rocky parts are slippery when wet, so keep to the smooth Discovery Trail with small children.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Aberdeenshire.
For further reading, before you go.