Rothiemurchus Forest is a remnant of the ancient Caledonian pinewood that once stretched across the Scottish Highlands, and one of the finest examples of this habitat in Scotland. The forest covers the slopes south of Aviemore between the Spey Valley and the foot of the Cairngorm plateau, a mosaic of old Scots pines, birch, juniper, and heather. The light beneath the old pines is distinctive — amber-filtered, resinous-smelling — and the forest floor is a dense carpet of blaeberry and heather.
Red squirrels are common here and easier to see than almost anywhere else in Britain. Crested tits, crossbills, and capercaillie also live in the forest, though the capercaillie — a large, reclusive grouse that went extinct in Scotland in the eighteenth century and was reintroduced in 1837 — are elusive and easily disturbed. Dog-walking is discouraged in some sections during the capercaillie breeding season (April to June). The estate offers guided wildlife walks, mountain biking, and fishing on the River Spey.