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

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

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

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The

A957 road The A957 road, commonly called the Slug Road,( /slɒxk/; Scottish Gaelic: An Sloc), is a two lane paved public roadway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland connecting Stonehaven to the A93 road near Crathes after crossing the River Dee, Aberdeenshire o ...

forms the southwest boundary of Durris Forest, separating it from

Fetteresso Forest The Fetteresso Forest is a woodland that is principally coniferous situated in the Mounth range of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The forest has a number of prominent mountain peaks including the Hill of Blacklodge and Craig ...

. 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 ...

crosses the

Grampian Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region t ...

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 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 landfor ...

. 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 for ...

Roman Camp In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

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 of ...

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 (Aberdeenshire), River Dee, the Lands of Culter ...

History

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period o ...

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 hil ...

through the Durris Forest as they sought higher ground evading the bogs of Red Moss 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 Mu ...

. That march used the

, one of the ancient

trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA 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 trackways ...

s crossing the

of the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) 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 rang ...

,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