Towering in the wood, the Scots pine is a truly stunning tree. It is one of only three native conifers, and our only native pine. Further into the wood the pines give way to planted spruce and a scattering of native broadleafs including birch, willow and the occasional oak.

Along the minor highway, an ancient beech hedge has been left to grow out and forms a perfect backdrop to the wood.

The larger Bolton Muir, of which Bothwell is a part, is a wooded island in a sea of agriculture and as such is vital habitat and resource for local wildlife. Roe deer and badger are nocturnal foragers, with squirrel and hare evident diurnally. Small holes neatly piercing the moss and heather indicate the homes of stoats and weasels, whilst a rustling in grassy clumps is a sure sign of vole activity.

Without fail a large variety of tits and finches can be seen foraging through the canopy. A distant hammering sound is a sure sign of a woodpecker boring for invertebrates. A wheeling buzzard is often glimpsed high above the canopy, whereas a startled burst of flapping and a streak of brown is often the only sight of a woodcock exiting in haste.

The main feature of this wood are the previously mentioned beautiful Scots pine. A woodland bench has been installed to invite repose, together with a good hardstanding which would be an excellent stacking and drying area for timber while managing the wood.

There are two access routes into this wood. The first being via a single gated entrance at the Gifford/Haddington crossroad; this opens onto a well-made stone track leading to the ridestop entrance to the wood. The second is via the main woodland, double gated entrance, located around 700m eastwards towards Gifford. From there the track runs back, parallel to the B6355, arriving at the same ridestop entrance marked Bothwell Wood.

The sporting rights are owned and included in the sale.

Ideally suited for conservation and increasing biodiversity through gentle management, the wood is also a foragers paradise. Brambles and raspberry abound and in autumn a large variety of fungi sprout from the moss-covered leaf litter.

Small scale thinning would easily provide a sustainable domestic fuel source whilst an overnight stopover would give an opportunity to view the nocturnal habits of the local wildlife.

Bothwell Castle, from which the wood takes its name, was a late 16 or 17-century townhouse in Haddington, which featured a fortified tower and doo'cote. It was demolished in 1955 to make way for a small public park. It was very common in this area for estates to be in possession of a doo'cot. This was a special building particularly designed to house doves or pigeons. These birds were an important food source in the Middle Ages and were kept for their eggs, meat, and also dung for the vegetable garden. Several historic examples can be found locally.

To the south lie the Lammamuir hills which contain several excellent walking and cycling trails. The Pencaitland Railway Walk which starts in Gifford offers wonderful views of parts of East Lothian that are inaccessible by car. The trees and hedgerows along the route offer shelter to a great diversity of wildlife and many rare wild flowers are established along the embankments.