20 Attractions to Explore Near Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

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.

The Barnhill Rock Garden is an award winning public park extending to more than two hectares. This beautiful garden boasts a wonderful array of alpines, shrubs, woodland and waterside planting with spectacular views across the River Tay. Over the years it was extended eastwards over areas which had been sand dunes, and rock from a local quarry was used to form a large part of the Garden. It is a gently undulating south sloping informal garden, with an outlook over the Firth of Tay.

A beautiful park which has feature plantings, a sunken garden, and a formal cherry avenue along the north axis, which is particularly stunning in spring. It is still a focus for sport in the East end of the city, with numerous pitches of both natural grass and artificial, tennis and basketball courts, a bowling club and various changing facilities.

The Tay Road Bridge carries the A92 road across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland, just downstream of the Tay Rail Bridge. At around 2,250 metres, it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and was opened in 1966, replacing the old Tay ferry. The bridge consists of 42 spans with a navigation channel located closer to the Fife side. During the construction of the bridge, 140,000 tons of concrete, 4,600 tons of mild steel and 8,150 tons of structural steel wa

Claypotts Castle is a well-preserved Z-plan tower house. It consists of a rectangular main block of three storeys and a garret, and two large round towers, crowned with square gabled chambers, at opposite corners. Now surrounded by modern housing, the castle is maintained as an Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland.

The Dundee Museum of Transport, located in Dundee, Scotland is a self-sustaining Scottish Charitable Organisation. The museum has a collection of historical items covering transport in Dundee and across Scotland. The museum offers four halls of artefacts from buses and trams used on local routes, motorbikes, pushbikes and cars from throughout the centuries and models of different ships and trains. There is also a gift shop and a café.

Originally constructed as a 46-gun frigate at Chatham Royal Dockyard, Unicorn arrived in Dundee in 1873 as a training ship for the Royal Naval Reserves – a role she carried out until the 1960s. She is the oldest ship in Scotland, one of the six oldest ships in the world, and one of the last intact warships from the age of sail.

Monifieth's Blue Seaway is an outdoor recreation on the seafront. It has lots on offer for children including putting, tennis courts, bowling green, and a wheeled sports area with half pipe and skatepark. The scenic surroundings offer many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at any time of year.

Monifieth is a beautiful long, sandy beach looking out over the Firth of Tay, with views across towards the southern side. It has a number of sea defences, with wooden groynes becoming exposed at low tide. A number of rocks are also exposed, providing an opportunity to explore the pools around them them for signs of wildlife.

Baxter Park is one of Dundee's many parks and it is fair to say that it is perhaps one of the best tended to as its always a beautiful and clean space. The 38 acre park donated to the citizens of Dundee by Sir David Baxter and his two sisters Mary Ann and Eleanor and was constructed over two areas of ground, the lower Park being a field and the upper, a disused quarry, which was filled in for use as a part of the construction.

This is a multi-functional space comprising two central lawns surrounded by smaller, more intimate ‘pocket gardens’. As well as being a space to relax in, the park is also a popular venue for events ranging from pop concerts to Christmas markets and peaceful yoga sessions.

Olympia is Dundee's state-of-the-art swimming and leisure centre. You can try out the flumes with their special effect lighting, the Cannonball with its 3.8m drop into the water and then ride the Rapid River. Plus, with the 50m pool for those looking for a relaxing swim, the toddler pool with its fun interactive features, fully equipped fitness studio and cafe.

St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It is the cathedral and administrative centre of the Diocese of Brechin in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Like most city centre churches, the Cathedral is a gathered congregation and incredibly diverse. Made up of all ages, it is truly international due to its proximity to the city’s two universities.

The Desperate Dan statue sits at 8 feet tall and is made from bronze. It can be found in the city centre shopping area. It was unveiled by the children of the Dundee High Street school. The statue is the work of Angus-based artists Tony and Susie Morrow, and was funded from public and private sources.

Dundee’s science centre offers an impressive engaging tourist attraction for young and old. Its aims include the understanding of science and how it affects our everyday lives, bringing together science and the public through both standing and temporary exhibitions. Dundee Science Centre is also a corporate venue and a HMIE-inspected resource for science learning and public engagement. The centre hosts school groups, uniformed groups and also birthday parties.