Kincardine Castle Wood

Also within

Perth and Kinross County

Condition (NatureScot)

Habitats

Bracken scrub, Coppiced woodland

Geology & landscape

Rock Type: Conglomerate, Sandstone

Description

KINCARDINE CASTLE WOOD Kincardine Castle Woods SSSI lies on the north facing slopes of the Ochils, to the south of Auchterarder and encompasses a 2.5 km stretch of the Ruthven Water valley. It consists of 3 sections separated by the railway from Perth to Dunblane. It is one of the most extensive areas of ancient lowland mixed broadleaved woodland remaining in Perth and Kinross. The woodland was formerly managed largely for coppice wood production and now comprises a large area of oak woodland with mixed valley wood (predominantly ash and alder) adjacent. Broad Wood and the sides of Kincardine Glen are dominated by oak. In the foot of the Glen and along narrow burn sides are areas of ash and alder dominated woodland. On the relatively well drained flatter areas and slope tops creeping soft grass Holcus mollis and male fern Dryopteris filix-mas are common, with greater woodrush Luzula sylvatica locally dominant. In Broad Wood the flora is dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum and creeping soft grass. In steeper places male fern and dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis are frequent, with bracken in some open areas. Calcareous outcrops of Old Red Sandstone and Conglomerate adjacent to the Ruthven Water are more species rich and support brittle bladder fern Cystopteris fragilis, hard shield fern Polystichum lonchitis, alternate leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium alternifolium, sweet woodruff Galium odoratum and sanicle Sanicula europaea. The riverside haugh of the Glen is herb rich, with wood speedwell Veronica montana, wood sedge Carex sylvatica, wood stitchwort Stellaria nemorum and melick grass Melica uniflora on the steep slopes below the castle. The alder wood by the curling pond contains remote sedge Carex remota and smooth stalked sedge Crataegus laevigata. There is a rich list of bryophytes associated with the woods, but no national or regional rarities. There are a number of lichens species which are nationally scarce.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities