Nature and culture

The landscape here is constantly changing, pushing out the coastline in places by up to 5 metres a year while plucking the dune edge away elsewhere. Because Tentsmuir is continually evolving, you can see the ongoing battle between habitats as they change from bare sand to heather covered dune heaths, grazed by sturdy Limousin cattle.

On the sands common and grey seals regularly haul out and bask in the sunshine here. In the winter there are eider duck and the mudflats provide rich pickings for birds like the elegant bar tailed godwit. There's a dazzling floral mix in the slacks with the birdsfoot trefoil, grass of parnassus and northern marsh orchid.

The nearby icehouse was built by local fishermen for storing hauls of salmon in the 19th century. Further inland the moorland is steeped in history.

Morton Lochs, is a mosaic of open water, fringing fen vegetation and woodland. Winter visitors include small teal and whooper swans, whilst in the summer look out for the distinctive burnet moth.

Setting the scene

At the very tip of Fife the three areas of the reserve are rich in wildlife and history.

Tentsmuir grows on you

An ever changing landscape Tentsmuir moves with tides and time.

The point of life

Tentsmuir supports a rich diversity of birds and plants along providing a safe haven for seals.

Loch bonuses

Created in the early 1950s Morton Lochs is a hidden gem rich in wildlife.