Welcome!
The Culduthel Woods in Inverness are owned and managed by the Culduthel Woods Group on behalf of the local community.
CULDUTHEL WOODS PATH PROJECT 2024: We are working hard to improve the paths in the woods and to promote active travel and we have developed some new proposals that are set out below.
Community Consultation: We organised an online survey over the summer and special exercise with the schools to get as many views as possible - we had 157 individual responses which was excellent. In summary, the vast majority of people who responded were in favour of the proposals. There was a strong emphasis on the need to improve access to the woods while protecting the natural and wild character of the area and also taking into account the privacy of the nearby homes. You can access the summary report at the link below.
Planning application: We have now submitted a planning application to the Highland Council - you can see details at the link below. Please send in your views to Highland Council relating to any material planning considerations if you wish (Ref: 24/04228/FUL).
Aims of the project: Back in 2021, when we asked people about the management of the woods, we had around 135 responses and over 210 individual comments - and over 85% of people said they wanted to improve the paths while keeping their woodland character. You can see that work summarised on our Management Plan page. The aim of this new Path Project is to promote active travel and to improve access to and through the woods, between the surrounding residential areas and key local facilities, such as the Inverness Royal Academy and Culduthel Christian Centre. Through the construction of new and improved paths, important connections will be made to the wider active travel networks, helping people to walk, cycle and enjoy the local area. In summary, we plan to build a new path around the pond; to improve the surface of the paths near the main gates; and to improve entrances to the woods near the school and close to Culduthel House and the path between these two points.
The Planning Application (Ref: 24/04228/FUL) and all the supporting documents are HERE.
The summary of the Community Consultation exercise is HERE.
The Path Proposals that we consulted on are HERE
With thanks to Paths for All for supporting this work.
Proposed new path around the pond (click to enlarge) The Culduthel Woods Group is a local charity, run entirely by volunteers and first established in 2018. We aim to protect and improve the woods, to promote education and to encourage community involvement. If you use the woods, or care about what happens there, please join up as a member and support us in other ways.
The Culduthel Woods Group is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (No. SC049665), registered with The Scottish Charity Regulator. Our Constitution is HERE.