Culbokie Wood: A family walk on the Black Isle

There’s lots to see and do in Culbokie Wood, including a loch, an ancient fort, and Esker ridge, and a permanent orienteering course. If you come at the right time of year, there are also a vast amount of blaeberries!

Distance: There are a number of different routes through Culbokie Wood. We followed one of the shorter orienteering trails and walked about 1.5 miles / 2.5km but it would be possible to walk much further if you wanted.

Parking: There are two car parks for Culbokie Wood. Travelling north up the A9 from Tore roundabout, take the right turn onto the B9169 signed for Culbokie and Cromarty. Follow this road for about 2 miles into Culbokie village, and the main car park is the second right turn after the primary school, opposite Mount Eagle Drive. (This is the point shown as ‘You are Here’ on the map below).

There is also a car park for Carn Mor Dun, the access details are on the Forestry Commission Scotland website.

Amenities: There are no toilets at the car park. There is a small shop in Culbokie village.

Buggy/bike-friendly? The main wide forestry track is suitable for buggies and children on bikes, although the surface is quite rough in places. There are many tracks to explore off to the sides in the woods, and these are not suitable for wheels.

Culbokie Wood: choosing a route

The main track through Culbokie Wood is the slightly heavier red dashed line on the map above, running from ‘You are Here’ to the south-east and then the south-west. Many of the thinner dashed lines are narrow deer tracks through the forest undergrowth, and it is fun to explore these.

Culbokie Wood is home to a permanent orienteering course, and you can obtain a map and instructions for free on the Go Orienteering website. If you would like to find out more about orienteering, we have an article about orienteering with children with some top tips for beginners.

This is probably the most challenging permanent orienteering course we have done in the local area, and we really enjoyed it. We were sort-of-lost at various points, but it isn’t a huge space, and it added to the fun. We did wish we had thought to bring a compass! We did one of the recommended short/introduction courses, and it was a good stretch challenge for our child navigator. The children enjoyed the puzzle of collecting letters to unscramble when you had completed the course. We’d definitely like to try some of the other courses another day.

Culbokie Wood: Accessibility

The main track from the car park through the wood is suitable for off-road buggies and bikes, if not the most exciting of routes. We attempted taking the first left turn with a pushchair and found it impassable some way further down, so I would recommend sticking to the main track if you have a buggy.

Culbokie Wood paths: the main paths are wide enough for wheels, if a little bumpy. The smaller tracks off to the sides are not.

Things to look for

Look out for all sorts of berries: raspberries, blackberries, but especially carpets of blaeberries! We also saw wild flowers, lots of rowan, and some butterflies enjoying Devil’s Bit Scabious.