Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve is located southeast of Tayport in Fife, Scotland. The reserve is made up of three parts, encompassing Morton Lochs, Tentsmuir Point and Tayport Heath, and is managed by NatureScot. The different sections of Tentsmuir NNR were originally designated as separate national nature reserves at different times: the Morton Lochs section was designated in 1952; Tentsmuir Point in 1954; and Tayport Heath in 1988.

Tentsmuir Forest is in north east Fife, Scotland. Covering some 5 square miles, the forest was originally sand dunes and moorland before acquisition by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s. The forest consists mainly of Scots pine and Corsican pine, and is now owned by Forestry and Land Scotland, successor body to the Forestry Commission.

Broughty Castle Museum houses fascinating displays on the life and times of Broughty Ferry, its people, the environment and the wildlife that live close by. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454 when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus received permission to build on the site. His son Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus was coerced into ceding the castle to the crown. The main tower house forming the centre of the castle with four floors was built by Andrew

Kinshaldy beach is a popular day out for families from Fife and further afield, accessible via the long winding road through Leuchers, and the dense pine forest of Tentsmuir before reaching the high sand dunes before the beach. The forest and nature reserve cover 50 square miles in all and the beach is large, but it can get extremely busy when the sun shines with queues for parking forming early.

This broad sandy beach at the mouth of the Tay estuary lies just to the east of the impressive Broughty Castle. As its name suggests Broughty Ferry was once a ferry port. Before the completion of the first Tay Rail. Easy access from a promenade, a nature conservation site and great views across the Tay estuary to the North Fife coast.

This superb beach stretches north for 5 miles from the mouth of the River Eden to the Tay estuary. Signposted off the A92, the beach is reached by a road through Tentsmuir Forest ending at a large informal car park with a good information centre, picnic area and a small play park.