Dunes and Dragons: The Beaches of Tentsmuir
Tentsmuir Sands looking south toward St. Andrews
Image | Dr. Richard Murray, Wikimedia Commons
This is Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve where the landscape changes before your eyes. Unspoilt, peaceful, and beautiful, the reserve has the full spectrum of coastal habitats, from constantly moving sand at the edge of the sea to the colourful dune heathland. Along the shore from St. Andrews and across the Firth of Tay from Dundee, Tentsmuir is a magical combination of dynamic landscapes that include forest trails that open out onto sand dunes and a wide expanse of golden sandy beach.
Parts of the vast shoreline continue to grow out into the sea at a rate of five metres a year, and every time the sand shifts, there is a chance that new evidence of Tentsmuir’s past might be uncovered.
In the Second World War, Tentsmuir was part of a long line of defences along Scotland’s east coast. Polish troops based here built hundreds of concrete blocks as an anti-tank barrier. These tank traps have not moved, but the shifting sand and the encroaching dunes have! Locals often refer to these wartime remnants as “dragon’s teeth.” Once they were at the sea’s edge. Now many of them are buried in the dunes, and some are standing proud at the edge of the forest.
Whatever the weather, the beach delivers an invigorating experience: on windy days shelter can be found among the dunes and tank traps, on sunny days there is a vast area of open beach to choose from to lay out your towel.
Alternatively, just keep walking along the shore to see the seals basking on the sand bar or wander up towards the forest to find the highland cattle grazing among the dunes.
Beach life on Tentsmuir Sands
Image | Mick Garrat, Wikimedia Commons