Quarry Wood Elgin

Written by Chris Thornton | 5th of November 2024
Quarry Wood Elgin

Quarry Wood is a three-mile forest walk located a short distance west of Elgin in Moray. This spectacular route is known for its beautiful forests, disused sandstone quarries, dinosaur fossils and an impressive neolithic henge.

Our Visit to Quarry Wood

This was our first visit to Quarry Wood, and we arrived on an unusually warm November morning. Autumn is a fantastic time for a walk anywhere in Scotland. The trees look beautiful with their auburn leaves, and the low sun casts a magical light through the forest.

Quarry Wood Car Park

Also known as the Leggat Car Park, it was marked with the usual green Forestry Commission signs. The well-maintained car park had ample parking space. It's also possible to park at Brumley Brae Car Park and join the Elginia Trail from there.

Quarry Wood Car Park / Leggat Car Park
Quarry Wood Car Park.

Parking charges
There are parking charges. You can use 53393 on the RingGo App to pay.

Picture Stones

Directly next to the car park are a series of picture stones arranged in a row. Each "standing stone" carries a mural designed by the Primary 7 children of West End Primary School in Elgin. These were erected in 1997, so these kids will be a fair bit older now!

Quarry Wood Picture Stones
The Picture Stones.

Picture Stone
This mural shows many Pictish symbols seen all over the north east.

Picture stones and information board.
Picture stones and info plaque.

The Elginia Trail

The walk is accessed by passing a metal gate on the southeast side of the car park. There is a small information panel with a map of the route and some leaflets you can take with you for reference.

Quarry Wood Route Plan and leaflets.
Route information and leaflets.

Start of Quarry Wood Walk.
The start of the walk.

The Elginia Trail is three miles long, and it can be completed in two hours. It's marked on the map here as a red trail, which matches the posts with red tags found throughout the route.

We followed the route clockwise and did take a few detours to explore along the way!

Forestry track
The route starts with forestry tracks.

The trail from the car park starts with wide forestry tracks. It was nice, but we were a little disappointed, as we liked more dense forest trails. We were relieved to see that the wide tracks soon gave way to a smaller dedicated walking trail through the tall pine trees.

Smaller forest paths
The wide paths give way to a more traditional forest walk.

Autumn ferns and trees.
The forest looked beautiful in Autumn.

Forest walk
The ladies lead the way.

Forest shadows
The low sunlight cast long shadows.

There were small marker stones throughout the trail with a flame symbol engraved on them. I'm not sure what the relevance of these stones was, but there were many along the route.

Marker stone
One of the many stones we found with this symbol.

Oak leaf
This area is famous for it's oak trees.

Alternate path. Exposed tree roots.
Another path that led from the red trail.

Many small quarries could be seen from the trail, fenced off for safety but made for interesting stops along the way.

Quarry wall
The side of one of the quarries.

Quarry Wood Henge

Eventually, we arrived at the site of the Neolithic Henge, which was marked by a large standing stone with a plaque embedded in it. This henge was built between 2500 and 2000 BC and is the only henge found in Moray, making it a place of great importance.

Markers
Red route marker post and the neolithic site marker stone.

Quarrywood Henge
Not much can be seen of the henge with the dense fern coverage.

Quarry Wood Henge as seen from a drone.
More of the henge can be seen from the air.

When we visited, the area was very overgrown with ferns, so it was hard to make out much of it. The ditches around the perimeter are possible to make out, and a path leads to the centre, but there isn't a great deal to see. There were no standing stones. We were also very aware of the significant number of ticks here, so be mindful if you visit.

I sent my drone up to get a view from above; it's a much better way to see the scale and shape of the Quarrywood Henge. This section would be much more interesting if it was cut back and the ditches and raised areas exposed.

The Large Quarry

Rejoining the trail, we spotted a large, deep quarry. The main path doesn't lead down to the entrance of this deep gully; it's worth taking a detour to the left of this quarry and down the slope to the opening.

This large quarry was a very interesting area. There are large walls of angled rock on the sides of the quarry, and even pieces of industrial machinery left behind, like cogs and pulleys. We spent a good bit of time in this area, exploring all the wee nooks and crannies. It would be a great camping spot with perfect shelter from the wind.

Large quarry
Looking down into the largest quarry we found.

Large quarry entrance
Entrance to the large quarry.

Old quarry equipment
Some of the left over quarry equipment.

Quarry wall
An impressive quarry wall.

Quarry near Elgin
Quarry.

Quarry centre
The middle of the quarry.

Old pulley
Some kind of pulley.

Quarry machinery remnants
Machinery bits.

More quarry walls
The other side of the quarry.

Thornton family photo
Photo op in the quarry.

Heading home

We retraced our steps back up to the red route, following the posts back to the forestry track near the start of our walk and then back to the car park.

Tall pine trees
The tall trees line the route.

Returning to Quarry Wood Car Park.
Arriving back at the car park.

FAQs on Quarry Wood Elgin

Is the Quarry Wood Trail suitable for children?

Yes, this is a very safe route. The only area you must be careful is when looking at the various quarries along the route. There are fences, but be aware that there are some sheer drops into the quarries.

Ticks were prevalent on this route, particularly in the henge area, even in November. Our clothes were covered in them; take care to shake them off your clothes and remove them if you get bitten.

Are there any other walks nearby?

If you're looking for another walk relatively nearby via car, I highly recommend visiting Torrieston Woods WalkPluscarden Abbey is nearby, and it is still inhabited by Benedictine monks. Further away, I also recommend Millbuies Country ParkRoseisleLoch Na Bo, and The Winding Walks.

Looking towards Elgin from the Quarry Wood Henge. The Bin of Cullen can be seen on the horizon left of centre.

What wildlife can be seen at Quarry Wood?

The area is famous for roe deer and red squirrels, but we weren't lucky enough to see either on our visit.

Where are the nearest toilets?

Elgin is the nearest town; toilets are available at the Tesco and ASDA superstores. There are public toilets at Cooper Park near Elgin Cathedral.

Key Information

  • Quarry Wood is a beautiful forest walk found west of Elgin in Moray, Scotland.

  • Also known as Quarrelwood.

  • The Elginia Trail is 3 miles long and should take about two hours to complete.

  • The trail starts on forestry tracks but then changes into an enchanting forest section.

  • The henge is interesting but very overgrown. If you have a drone, you can see its shape better from the sky.

  • Exploring the large quarry is well worth your time because of its exposed rock walls and machinery remains.

Conclusion

Given its proximity to Elgin, Quarry Wood should be high on your list of walking routes. The winding forest paths are lovely, and the quarries add an extra level of interest to this walk. The henge is very interesting, but it looks like an overgrown mound, so don't expect too much.

Dinosaur fossils have been found in this area; they can be viewed at the Elgin Museum, a short drive away.

All information was correct at the time of writing, please check things like entry costs and opening times before you arrive.

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