Until I had done an online search for walks in and around Aberdeen, I had never heard of Tollohill Wood, just outside the city.
Actually sitting in Aberdeeshire – despite being just off Leggart Terrace and across the river from RGU at Garthdee – this beautiful wood is a real escape from the urban sprawl.
There is a car park with space for 10 or so vehicles and once you leave it and enter the wood you are transported to a natural haven that feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
There are numerous tracks to follow, but we opted to stick to the main path going clockwise. However, we quickly deviated from that as soon as the children spotted some trees and rocks to climb.
In fact, not long after entering the woods, a friendly dog walker informed us there were plenty of great trees to climb and even a rope swing to seek out.
After that there was no keeping the kids on any designated track as they were off on the hunt for adventure. And they certainly found plenty of it, with caves, fallen trees and that all-important rope swing located fairly swiftly, not far from the car park entrance.
The route we took started with a moderate incline on a bumpy track, which was a bit slippery underfoot thanks to some earlier rain.
When we visited last month, the autumn shades were delightful and created quite the picture at every turn. Browns, reds, greens and yellows really made for a colourful backdrop.
Tollohill is clearly very popular with dog walkers, and with good reason. But those without dogs can enjoy it just as much, taking in the autumnal sights as well as the view back over the city. You get a pretty good vantage point looking northwards from parallel to the A92 that constantly hums a field or two away from the woods.
We continued on our route in search of a picnic spot but instead found more fallen trees to climb and ponds to investigate, in between visits from excitable dogs – the children loved that.
They also enjoyed finding a den that someone had made from fallen branches, which they decided would make a suitable shelter should we fail to find our way back to the car park and have to bed down in the woods for the night.
We carried on in our clockwise direction through an array of tree species from thick and gnarly to thin and wiry.
Throughout the walk, there were numerous paths in all directions, but none had signposts, so we had to trust our instincts and hope that we were heading in a circular direction and would end up back at the car park.
Unfortunately, a combination of a poor sense of direction and our son’s eenie-meenie-minie-mo theory saw us take a path that did not deliver us to our car but instead left us on the road we had earlier driven along. However, we simply had to head back up the hill (away from the visible David Lloyd building) and made it back to the car park and the welcome warmth and comfort of our car. But that was after having found a perfect, sheltered spot under some trees where we enjoyed some tasty hot chocolate and cookies to give us the energy to fuel our final march to the car.
All in all, despite a slight wrong turn, we loved our visit to Tollohill Woods. It is perfect for so many people: dog owners, runners, cyclists, children, adults and walkers. It is suitable for all age ranges and physical abilities – just be careful as some areas of path are uneven – and offers a range of surfaces on its undulating grounds.
As we ended our walk in the November rain, we vowed to come back in nicer weather to further explore the woods, as 90 minutes simply wasn’t enough to see all Tollohill has to offer.
I look forward to our return visit to this tranquil hidden gem just outside the city – you might find it’s the perfect place to walk off your Christmas dinner next week.
The walk
- Location: Tollohill Wood
- Closest satnav: AB12 5XN (this will take you to a house; if travelling from Leggart Terrace, look out for the car park on your right just before you reach this postcode)
- Distance: 1.5 miles (but you can walk as much or as little as you want)
- Time: 90 minutes (with lots of stops)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Dog bins: No