Kellie Castle, Dovecot

Explorer Tom Gillingshill Nature Reserve gathers woodland and water around a reservoir near Arncroach in Fife, giving local walkers a quiet place to trade road noise for birdsong. The Friends of Gillingshill care enough about it to plant for pollinators and press for its public future. If the ducks seem to be chairing the meeting, let them have the floor. Fife Council discussed selling the reserve and reservoir in 2025, but proposed a management agreement to keep its nature-reserve status and involve community representatives after any sale. That is a real change in ownership plans, so treating it as a council-run visitor centre would be daft. The community council and Friends group describe ongoing work with the council and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to keep the place open and improve it. Come for a short local wander around the water and watch the edges for birds. The Friends group has worked on wildlife monitoring, path care and planting; a supporting wind-farm operator describes new flowers and plans for better benches. This is a modest, lived-in green space rather than a formal botanical collection. The best entertainment may be seeing what arrives on the reservoir while you stand still and stop announcing yourself like a brass band. Access and management may change as the council’s proposed sale proceeds, so check the community group’s latest information before travelling and follow any signs on site. Keep to existing paths, give wildlife space and be especially careful by open water. There is no dependable published promise of staffed facilities or a marked visitor circuit. Treat it as a small nature walk and enjoy the quiet.