Abernethy Forest is the largest and oldest remaining remnant of the Caledonian Forest in the Cairngorms National Park, Strathspey, in the Highlands of Scotland.  It is renowned for its soaring Scots Pines, its stunning Ospreys, and its wildlife.  It is an RSPB reserve, close to Loch Garten Osprey Centre, which is also owned by the RSPB. There is approximately 4,000 hectares of forest within the reserve, and just under half of this is native Caledonian pine forest. There is an abundance of wildlife under the tree canopy including Scottish crossbill, red squirrel, wild cat, Pine Martens, red deer, black grouse, crested tit, osprey and there is also a capercaillie lek. 

The woods support an array of specialist insects and plants including; 700 types of fungi, 300 species of moths, 280 types of fly, 128 varieties of spider and 900 different types of beetle.

The RSPB visitor’s centre makes an ideal base to tour the woodlands, the highlight of our visit though was as well as watching the Red Squirrels was watching the pair of Ospreys rearing their chicks.