Road through Durris Forest, alt=A road running through Durris Forest with an old field wall alongside Durris Forest is a chiefly

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

ous

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

south of the River Dee approximately three kilometres west of Netherley in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The

A957 road The Slug Road (A957) is a 13-mile road in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It runs from Stonehaven in the the Mearns, Mearns to Banchory in Royal Deeside, Deeside, crossing a spur of the Grampians. The pass through which it runs is known as the Slug (f ...

forms the southwest boundary of Durris Forest, separating it from Fetteresso Forest. The Durris Forest includes several smaller named woodlands. The ancient route of

Elsick Mounth The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass o ...

crosses the

Grampian Grampian () was one of nine local government regions of Scotland. It was created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and took its name from the Grampian Mountains. The regional council was based in Aberdeen. The region was abol ...

Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ...

within the Durris Forest. Notable natural features in the vicinity include

Red Moss ''Caloglossa beccarii'', known as red moss, is a species of algae that may live in freshwater or brackish environments. It is found in the aquarium trade. Description and distribution ''Caloglossa beccarii'' is most closely related to ''Caloglos ...

and

Meikle Carewe Hill Meikle Carewe Hill is a landform in Aberdeenshire, Scotland within the Mounth Range of the Grampian Mountains. (Grid Reference NO 921 828) The peak elevation of this mountain is 266 metres above mean sea level. Meikle Carewe is a prominent landfo ...

. Notable historic features in this area include

Raedykes Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over northwest of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902. It is designated as a scheduled monument. A marching camp was a temporary camp used mainly fo ...

Roman Camp ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

Muchalls Castle Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers o ...

and

Maryculter House Maryculter House is a historic house in the village of Maryculter, or Kirkton of Maryculter, in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History Lying along both banks of the River Dee, the Lands of Culter originally included the ...

History

Roman legion The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...

s marched from

Normandykes Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a ...

through the Durris Forest as they sought higher ground evading the

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

s of

and other low-lying mosses associated with the

Burn of Muchalls The Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks. Flowing principally over agricultural lands, the Burn of Much ...

. That march used the

, one of the ancient

trackway Historic roads (or historic trails in the US and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient track ...

s crossing the

of the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

,C. Michael Hogan, ''Elsick Mounth'', Megalithic Portal, editor: Andy Burnham
/ref> lying west of Netherley.

References

Forests and woodlands of Scotland {{Aberdeenshire-stub

History

See also

References