Binning Wood

Before the weather breaks we decided on a last walk, this time in Binning Wood. There are three designated routes interspersed with paths, where hikers, walkers, runners and dog-walkers can find space to enjoy beneath the trees.

The 300 acre wood was originally planted in 1707 by the 6th Earl of Haddington  and the majority was felled to help the war effort between 1942-1945, much of the timber being used to make the airframes for Mosquito fighter-bombers. It was replanted after the war and is thus relatively young. The wood is now a mix of soft and hardwood grown for commercial purposes. I understand that oak from the wood was used to create panels and carving for the Robin Chapel in Edinburgh.


The trees are planted in loose stands, pine and silver birch, sycamore and oak, underplanted with rhododendron and brambles, some of the latter still showing blossom. A 10-acre Memorial Wood has been created in a stand of beeches (see extra photo) for natural burials; we walked through to see it as next week a friend will join his wife there.