Tentsmuir Forest and SEALS!

We've been thankful to get to know Sheree, a PhD student who has the same advisor as Garrick. She introduced us to her brother Joey, who is also getting a PhD in Aberdeen, and his wife Holly. They drove down from Aberdeen this morning in their green Zest to meet us and Sheree, and we set of to Tentsmuir Forest to explore and find the rumored seals.

 

Tentsmuir Forest is located just outside of Leuchars and is about 50 square miles. As seen in photos below, there are lots of '"dragons teeth" which served to defend the coast during WWII. It is breathtakingly beautiful, full of wildlife, and a great place to wander. We walked about 2.5 miles down the beach until we finally stumbled upon a group of seals. They lazed along a sand bar and entertained us by getting in and out of the water. Our wet socks were worth every minute! The wind was a bit strong at times, but it was a refreshing day.

 

   

After about four hours of exploring, we were excited to find the car park and drove back to St Andrews in search of food. We all cooked together and made burgers, sweet potato fries, and salad. Sheree's husband Ronald was able to join in via Skype from South Africa. Holly sweetly brought a pumpkin pie and it was a delicious American treat. Next time, Aberdeen!