Bunzeach Trail

From Bellabeg’s marked car park, pass the public toilets, reach the River Don and follow it to a minor road. Cross the bridge, pass Strathdon Kirk and turn left at the road junction; shortly afterward, fork right onto the waymarked forest track. Beyond a gate, the route passes a broad grassy turning area where the return comes back in. Continue beside the forest for the open view down Strathdon, then enter the trees and turn right at the crossroads. At the later T-junction, turn right and then right again onto the narrow path through dense conifers. Follow the blue marker left down a steep stretch, then along a fence above a minor road before winding uphill through the trees. The route passes spruce and pedestrian gates before descending to the turning area; retrace the approach to the church and car park. Expect uneven ground, long moderate climbs and one steep descent.

At the final track junction, a left turn reaches Kirk Hill’s viewpoint and wooden seat above Strathdon Kirk and the upper strath. This is an optional out-and-back spur: return to the junction and take the circuit’s right-hand descent. The mapped 4-mile loop follows the main circuit and leaves this detour out, so allow extra time and distance if you visit it. The seat is the route’s clearest place to take in the church, valley and forested hills together.

Conifers have shaped this landscape since planting began in 1815, and ongoing felling continues to alter the forest and open views. The marked car park and picnic area are in Bellabeg; toilets are on the opening stretch. The route uses short minor-road sections between the village and forest. Dogs may come along; keep them close and use a lead where signs request it.