Tentsmuir Nature Reserve – Tayport Ice House loop from Leuchars

Running trails & routes

Tentsmuir Nature Reserve – Tayport Ice House loop from Leuchars

Hard

105

runners

Tentsmuir Nature Reserve – Tayport Ice House loop from Leuchars

03:10

28.4km

70m

Running

Hard run. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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10.4 km

Tayport Heath, Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

Highlight • Viewpoint

If you go down to the woods today. ... Take a chainsaw.

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12.8 km

View of the River Tay Estuary in Tentsmuir Nature Reserve

Highlight • Beach

View of the estuary of the River Tye in Tentsmuir Nature Reserve

Translated by Google •

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13.9 km

Tentsmuir Nature Reserve

Highlight • Viewpoint

Tentsmuir is a very special place. Within a relatively small area, there is a beautiful golden beach with clean sea, a majestic forest with lots of trails to explore, and a nature reserve that is home to lots of wildlife including seals and many species of birds, as well as spectacular wildflower displays during spring and summer.

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14.5 km

Tayport Ice House

Highlight • Historical Site

The ice house was built in 1852 to store ice used to chill Salmon that was exported from here to further south. The ice would be collected from the frozen tops of local ponds in the winter and stored here to prevent it melting.

The March Stone and the Ice House first appear on a plan of the salmon fishings, drawn in 1852. At that time the high water mark was very close to the structures. Over the years as the foreshore built eastward, the Ice House and March Stone have become further from the sea.

The March Stone was erected as a boundary marker for fishing rights in 1794. The term ‘march stone’ comes from the 16th-century meaning of ‘march’ as a boundary.

The inscriptions on the stone read: ‘This stone was set up in the year 1794. The march between the Shanwell and Old Muirs salmon fishing is a straight line from the top of Norman’s Law to the low water. This march stone stands in the said straight line’.

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14.8 km

WW2 Observation Tower and Target Wagon, Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

Highlight • Beach

Tentsmuir Sands is a beautiful beach in itself, but there is also history here. During World War 2, Polish soldiers built a system of defences, a part of a larger plan to defend Britain from enemy invasion. Here, you will find a WW2 observation tower as well as a target wagon. This would carry moving targets along a track and was used for target practice.

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15.3 km

Tentsmuir Sands

Highlight (Segment) • Beach

This is a beautiful stretch on Tentsmuir Sands, whether for leisurely family and dog-walking or a part of something longer. On the northern end of this section is Tentsmuir Point with useful information board about the area, and to the south there is a glorious view across Eden Mouth to St Andrews. This is one huge beach!

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17.4 km