Culbin Sands, Forest and Findhorn Bay

Culbin Sands, Forest and Findhorn Bay is a huge area of coast and countryside and an SSSI (site of special scientific interest) in Moray, Scotland, stretching from just east of the town of Nairn eastwards to the village of Findhorn and its bay.

Most walks are taken beginning at the south of the forest at Wellhill Car Park and ending at the beach.

Although mostly made up of tall pines and coarse ground cover, Culbin also has many more open, sandy patches in the forest, where small younger trees have recently been planted.

Hill 99, a towering wooden structure which blends in subtly with the canopy, provides an excellent viewpoint.

In 1888 and 1889, the dunes hosted breeding pairs of Pallas's sandgrouse, the only time this has ever been recorded in Scotland.

Opposite Findhorn Village, the beach is home to a mixed colony of grey and common seals.

On the southern side of the bay, there is a brackish pool frequented by waders such as the greenshank in migrant season.

Due this safety, and lack of strong swell, the bay is popular with amateur sailors and windsurfers.

However, recordings of this time (still stored by the Local Heritage Centre in Elgin, Moray) mention the town and its deforestation of the Culbin Forest, which resulted in destabilizing the land between the village and the mainland.