Wild herbs / Scotland, Highlands
Wild herbs: Cairngorms
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Recent days and forecast
Next days
The 7-day forecast, hourly plan and an alert for this place are in pre-sale.
See the pre-saleWhere to look
Look for bilberries and wood sorrel in the pine forests around Loch an Eilein and Glenmore, and for juniper on open forest edges. Yarrow, sorrel and meadowsweet grow in meadows in the Spey valley. Elder and nettle keep to buildings and old farms.
What grows here
bilberry, common juniper, stinging nettle, elder (elderflower, elderberry), wild thyme (breckland thyme), yarrow, common sorrel, wood sorrel, wild strawberry, common chickweed, meadowsweet, dog rose (rosehip)
Habitats: old Scots pine forest with juniper and bilberry, heather moorland, meadows by the River Spey and birch woods
Rules
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code lets you pick berries and plants for your own use, but picking for sale is not covered by access rights and needs the landowner's permission. Uprooting any wild plant without permission is an offence (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, s. 13, Scottish version), and Schedule 8 species may not even be picked. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and reserves such as RSPB Abernethy may have extra restrictions.
About the place
Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the UK, with remnants of the native Caledonian forest. The area around Aviemore and Rothiemurchus is Scots pine, juniper and carpets of bilberry. The season is short and late, peaking in July.
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