Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Low dunes and a still pool on the Forvie reserve under a wide sky.
Aberdeenshire

Forvie National Nature Reserve

Some of the biggest sand dunes in Britain, with seals, terns and a buried medieval church.

Visit website
Welcome

Forvie has some of the largest sand dunes in Britain, a wild, shifting stretch of coast between Newburgh and Collieston where the wind and the tide are plainly in charge.

As the dunes move, they bury and uncover the past; the ruins of a twelfth-century church still stand among them.

The mud flats of the Ythan estuary on its southern edge feed great numbers of passing birds, eider ducks rest on the shore, and in summer the terns put on a show of diving. At the mouth of the estuary is a haul-out where seals lie all year. They are best watched from the Newburgh side by the Beach Road car park, from a distance, without drones and without going closer for a picture.

Waymarked paths run from 1.5 to 6km (1 to 3.5 miles). A short trail with accessible picnic tables leads from the Forvie Centre, there is a bird hide at Waulkmill, and there is parking along the estuary and at Waterside.

A short drive awayEllon Castle GardensThe castle's private walled garden in the middle of Ellon, given to the town and restored.14 min by roadSee itA great old yew spreading its branches over the lawn of Ellon Castle Gardens.
Before you go

Paths of 1.5 to 6km.

Watch the seals from Newburgh, keep your distance and fly no drones. Parking at the Forvie Centre, Waterside and along the estuary.

Paths
1.5 to 6km, waymarked.
Seals
View from Newburgh.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
9am–4.30pm
Tuesday
9am–4.30pm
Wednesday
9am–4.30pm
Thursday
9am–4.30pm
Friday
9am–4.30pm
Saturday
9am–4.30pm
Sunday
9am–4.30pm
Where it is

Newburgh and Collieston.

Close byAround Newburgh and Collieston.
  1. Halved croissant on a plate beside a wicker bread basketTrellis4 miles7 min by road
  2. Newburgh Seal BeachNewburgh Seal Beach5 miles9 min by road
  3. The Coffee Apothecary's long timber counter in Ellon, a barista at work under pendant lamps.The Coffee Apothecary Ellon6 miles14 min by road
  4. Cruden Bay Golf ClubCruden Bay Golf ClubLinks golf through towering dunes above the bay at Cruden Bay, on the Aberdeenshire coast, with Slains Castle on the cliffs beyond.7 miles11 min by road
  5. A wood-burning stove set into an old stone wall at the Kilmarnock Arms.The Kilmarnock Arms8 miles11 min by road
Directions
A great old yew spreading its branches over the lawn of Ellon Castle Gardens.AttractionsEllon Castle Gardens5.8 miles
Tables on the terrace at Harbour Dunes looking over Port Erroll and the bay.CafeHarbour Dunes Café8.1 miles
Ruined castle on a cliff edge above the North Sea coastlineAttractionsNew Slains Castle8.2 miles
Jagged sea cliffs and stacks along a rugged coastline with farmland aboveAttractionsBullers of Buchan9.7 miles
The tasting bar at Still Spirit, stools along the counter by tall windows onto the fields.ShoppingStill Spirit11 miles
The Coffee Apothecary's granite café in Udny at dusk, its windows lit.CafeThe Coffee Apothecary Udny11 miles
Marram-covered dunes falling to a long sandy beach at Balmedie, a burn winding to the sea.WalksBalmedie Beach and Country Park11 miles
The broken gable of Boddam Castle, a window open to the sky, on its rocky point above the sea.WalksBoddam Castle and Stirling Hill13 miles
The parterres of Pitmedden Garden below the wall, clipped yews at the corners.AttractionsPitmedden Garden13 miles
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.