Cothiemuir Hill

Cothiemuir Hill is located in the outstanding landscape of Donside, the small ancient wooded hill sits within the historic Designed Landscape of the Forbes Estate

One of the oldest estate in Scotland, the land in which Cothiemuir Hill sits has been the seat of the clan Forbes for more than 600 years.  Piper Gordon Forbes, who has won many awards, lives nearby and can be hired for ceremonies (Tel: 01975 562087).

Click on this link to look at buying a plot at Cothiemuir Hill and here for a local services directory of funeral directors, coffin suppliers, memorial masons, halls and venues etc.

The hill rises from verdant arable land, through a belt of deciduous ancient woodland and mature Scots Pine, to a Neolithic stone circle crowning the wooded crest of the hill. The four and a half thousand year-old stone-circle, thought to mark an ancient burial ground, is dominated by two huge flankers and what is reputed to be the largest recumbent stone in Europe.

The site lies within an area renown for its high diversity of bird species. In particular, the nearby Lords Throat Paradise Wood, south east of the site, is a protected area. In addition, the Forbes Estate conservation inventory indicates the presence of a raptor nesting site and badger setts at the eastern and northern extents of Cothiemuir Hill.

At Cothiemuir, we offer rights of burial, for contained ashes only, at locations between the trees. To the east, in the lee of dramatic Bennachie, there is a dedicated area for full plot interments.

In this area, the planting of trees over the years will gradually extend and enhance the deciduous belt.

No headstones are allowed in the wood or grassland area, full plot graves in the area to the east of the woods may be marked by a small engraved stone laid flat to the ground.

Click on the plan below for a larger plan of the site, showing the choice of different areas for interment.

The site is accessed off a minor road running north east from Mill of Keig, toward Pond Croft, north of Keig on the B992. The surfaced access road leads to a small car park for 10 vehicles. Access to the wood and the area for full plot interments is nearby.

In keeping with the ethos of natural burial, the site is managed primarily for the benefit of the plants and wildlife indigenous to the habitat. The same level of care should be exercised when walking through the site as one would normally use when passing through undisturbed woodland.

Directions

To locate the wood on a map please click on this link to GoogleMaps or, if you wish to find directions to the site, enter the following postcode AB33 8BL into your Sat-Nav or use The AA's route planner.

Revised 05/01/2008

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