Abernethy National Nature Reserve is a stunning and awe-inspiring place. Covering 4,000 hectares, it’s the largest remaining stretch of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, which spread across Scotland as the ice sheets melted at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Dominated by Scots pines, it also has birch and rowan, with an understorey of heather, ferns, juniper, blaeberry, and specialist plants like cowberry, twinflower, creeping lady’s tresses, and wintergreen. Fungi are plentiful, from chanterelles, ceps, and birch boletes to the striking cauliflower fungus. The forest is home to rare birds such as the endangered capercaillie, Scottish crossbill, osprey, golden eagle, and crested tit, along with mammals like roe and red deer, pine martens, red squirrels, and the elusive Scottish wildcat. It’s a vital sanctuary for some of Scotland’s most remarkable wildlife.