Bin Forest Walk Huntly

The Bin Forest, located near Huntly, contains a series of short walking trails. Named after the tallest part of the forest, The Bin Hill (not the same Bin Hill as near Cullen), the trails include impressive grand fir trees, some of which are almost 200 years old! Grown from seeds sourced by Scottish botanist and gardener David Douglas, born in 1799.

At the summit of The Bin lies the magical Gallon of Water, a small pool said to have healing powers - the power to cure whooping cough in children. The Queen Tree Trail includes a special area called The White Wood, where local people have planted native trees, wildflowers, and shrubs as a monument to peace.

Our Visit to Bin Forest near Huntly

My family and I visited the Bin Forest on an overcast day in mid-February. We had collected a picnic at the Deli Shop in Keith, our favourite place for sandwiches! The car park was easily accessed from the A96 northwest of Huntly.

Bin Forest Car Park

The car park is well maintained and marked with the usual green forestry sign. It has many alcoves to park in and an informational board showing the available routes. There is also a small pond within the car park. For some reason, there are no parking charges here, which is unusual, as most forestry car parks do nowadays. There were no toilets, but there were picnic benches.

 

 

 

Available Trails

Here are descriptions of the available trails at the Bin Forest:

Ferny Knowe Trail (1¾ miles / 2.8 km, allow 1 hour, easy)

Enjoy a short loop around Ferny Knowe and Boddom Hill, with lovely views through impressive larch trees. Be aware of some uneven gravel sections, exposed tree roots, and a fairly steep slope along the way.

Queen Tree Trail (3½ miles / 5.5 km, allow 2 hours, moderate)

Experience generations of forest on this route, from douglas firs planted in the 1840s to young seedlings emerging today. The trail includes uneven gravel and grassy surfaces with occasional rough patches and moderate slopes.

Gallon of Water Trail (3¾ miles / 6 km, allow 2½ hours, strenuous)

Climb through the forest to reach the summit of The Bin, where you’ll find expansive views and a pool once thought to have healing properties. Expect narrow, steep sections and possible muddy spots. Trekking poles are recommended, and it can be windy and exposed at the top.

The Path to The Bin

We chose the Gallon of Water Trail for our walk on this visit because we like longer walks. This route takes in some interesting rock formations, and the views from the top of Bin Hill looked spectacular. We walked this route anti-clockwise on the map.

The yellow way-marked posts were quite poor for the Gallon of Water Trail. We found it challenging to find the start of the walk. The map at the car park is missing the parts with the most critical information points.

No yellow markers show the start of the route, but the photo below shows where to go - left of the info sign and across the road. We followed the forest path for some distance before we found the first yellow post. The theme of this walk was definitely "spot the yellow marker", they were in odd places making you question which was the way to go, huge sections would go without markers and then suddenly we would find two in the same place. It was possible to find the correct route, but we had to stop a few times, scratch our heads and refer to a photo we took of the car park map.

Most of the paths on this route are wide forestry tracks. Piles of lumber lie alongside the paths, and many sections have deforested areas. Some sections are very muddy, and makeshift logs have been placed across the most boggy sections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three boulders

Along the Gallon route, we arrive at some amazing rock formations. The first is on the left of the track, ideal for a wee photo opportunity. The second stone is within a woodland section. The path actually goes directly through a large split in the stone. Have a look at the video below.

 

   

 

Continuing on, the forest gives way to an open moor section. We spotted another huge split-stone boulder. From the hill, we had impressive views, including of the A96.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaching the summit

A short distance further up the hill, we reached the rocky summit of the Bin Hill. Trees hide part of the view, but the open areas reveal spectacular views across the countryside. I wished I had done a little more research before visiting so I could find the "Gallon of Water", but I don't remember seeing a pool of water at the top. Next time!

Heading home

We made our way down via the obvious path, but again, there were no yellow posts anywhere. The forest gave way to an area of mass deforestation, and we felt very lost in this section. We muddled onwards until, luckily, we found an elusive yellow post.

 

The well-formed path leads back down the hill and eventually back to the car park. Although the information board said this route was strenuous, it was fairly easy for us.

FAQs on Bin Forest

Are there toilets at Bin Forest?

There are no toilet facilities, but there are toilets at the ASDA and Tesco supermarkets in Huntly. Tesco is the closest.

Is the Bin Forest Walk safe for kids?

Yes, it was very safe. I did not notice any sheer drops. The only thing to be aware of is the many fallen trees in precarious positions.

Are there other attractions nearby?

Here are the top attractions near this walk:

• Huntly Castle

• Auchindoun Castle

• Leith Hall

Key Information

• The Bin Forest Walk is a series of walking trails near the town of Huntly.

• The highest point is named The Bin, or the Bin Hill.

• The area is famous for its Douglas Fir trees, planted in the 1840s.

• The walk has a lot of deforestation compared to other local walks.

• There are many interesting rocks to be found, including huge split stones.

• The view from the summit of The Bin is fantastic.

Conclusion

Although the Bin Forest Walk has extensive deforestation, muddy sections, and missing trail markers, it's still a lovely walk with many interesting features along the way. The split stones alone are worth the visit, and the views from the Bin summit are the icing on the cake.