Forvie National Nature Reserve stretches along the Aberdeenshire coast between the mouth of the River Ythan and the small harbour village of Collieston, about 15 miles north of Aberdeen. The reserve is dominated by vast sand dune systems — some of the most extensive in Britain — that earned it the nickname the "Northern Sahara." The dunes were shaped by wind and sea after the last ice age some 15,000 years ago, and the present landform is thought to be around 2,000 years old: ancient, unstable-looking terrain that somehow feels permanent.
The Ythan Estuary at the reserve's southern edge is one of Scotland's most important wildlife sites. The mud flats support large numbers of waders and wildfowl throughout the year, and Forvie holds one of Britain's biggest breeding colonies of eider ducks, with several thousand pairs nesting among the dunes in spring. Seals haul out on the sandbanks near the river mouth. The heathland behind the dunes adds nesting terns in summer, making the reserve rewarding for birdwatchers across most of the year.
Local folklore gives Forvie a darker history. Three sisters, it is said, were cast adrift in a leaky boat by a relative who wanted to keep the estate for himself. Before they drowned, the sisters cursed the land, declaring it would hold only thistle and sand for ever. In the fifteenth century a catastrophic sandstorm buried the medieval village of Forvie; the gaunt ruin of a small chapel still pokes out of the dunes, partly uncovered by shifting sand, a compelling sight in an already dramatic landscape.
If you visit, park near Collieston or at the Waterside car park by the Ythan and walk into the dunes from there. The beach running north from the estuary is long, quiet, and usually empty. There are marked trails, but the reserve rewards wandering — just keep off the sensitive nesting areas during the April–August breeding season, when sections are cordoned off. The reserve is managed by NatureScot and entry is always free.