Tentsmuir Nature Reserve and Tentsmuir Sands

The plantations and their surroundings provide a habitat for a wide diversity of plant and animal life. Next to the car park where the walk starts are Tentsmuir Sands — a coastline with high dunes including a national nature reserve. The start of the walk is a great time to look for birds active amongst the pines, particularly the coal tit (which favors coniferous woodland and is easily identified), along with squirrels, rabbits, and if you are lucky, roe deer.

The first of two ponds encountered on the walk is Heron Pond, developed by the Forestry Commission (though it can dry out in dry spells). At the most northerly point of the walk are the ice house and the second pond: at the end of the 19th century attempts were made to introduce commercial salmon fishing here, but success was not guaranteed and the project was later abandoned, leaving the ice house built to keep salmon fresh disused as well.

After leaving the forest and embarking on the return journey, the scene changes completely — first walking among sand dunes fringing the Tentsmuir Point National Nature Reserve, and later along the sands by the water's edge to watch waders sift through the sand for food to the cries of gulls and curlews. Further out on the sandbars, both common seals and grey seals can frequently be seen, making this a refreshing walk by the seashore back to the start.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.