Difficulty Easy
Distance 8.2 miles/13km
Typical duration 3 hours
Start and finish William Street, Tayport, Fife
Map OS Explorer 371
Step-by-step details and maps ramblers.org.uk/tayport

In a nutshell

A walk made for wildlife lovers. From Tayport you’ll follow the Tay Estuary into the Tentsmuir nature reserve, with views over the river to Sidlaw Hills, and head on to the beach at Abertay Sands. Treading through woodland, over sand dunes and through marram grass, the varied flora and fauna is a highlight. Look out for roe deer, red squirrels, seals, stonechats, common terns, grey heron and osprey. But don’t get too distracted by the wildlife; the views are stunning too.

Why it’s special

Stand still for long enough at Tentsmuir nature reserve and the landscape will change before your eyes. In the past 10,000 years the currents and tides have worked to shift the dunes and sand more than two miles east and the woodland in the area has only existed for the past 100 years or so. Before this, the area was mostly moorland with an abundance of game and wildfowl, with lochs full of fish. There is so much wildlife to be spotted on this walk that you may want to allow extra time to take it all in. It’s one of the few places in Scotland where both grey and common seals can be seen in the same place. Note that the moving tides and shifting sand makes swimming in these waters dangerous.

Reward yourself

The Bell Rock Tavern on Dalgleish Street in Tayport is a lovely traditional pub dating back 150 years. It’s a friendly place where locals and walkers chat over great grub and local ale .

Get there

The regular Stagecoach bus service 96, from Dundee and St Andrews, stops at Tayport. By car, Tayport is just off the A92.