Mugdrum Island lies in the

Firth of Tay The Firth of Tay (; ) is a firth on the east coast of Scotland, into which empties the River Tay (Scotland's largest river in terms of flow). The firth is surrounded by four council areas: Fife, Perth and Kinross, Dundee City, and Angus. ...

on the east coast of Scotland, opposite the town of Newburgh in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

. It is low-lying and reedy, and covers an area of . It is the only significant island in the firth. The Tay splits into two channels here, known as the North Deep and the South Deep.

History

The island was once a possession of

Lindores Abbey Lindores Abbey was a Tironensian abbey on the outskirts of Newburgh in Fife, Scotland. Now a reduced ruin, it lies on the southern banks of the River Tay, about north of the village of Lindores and is a scheduled monument. The abbey was ...

, and is referred to under the name ''Redinche'' (meaning either "red island" or "reed island") in the abbey's foundation charter. In the 17th century, it became attached to the Mugdrum estate near Newburgh. The island was formerly run as a farm, growing cereals, potatoes, and turnips (as well as reeds, which were harvested for thatch). The last tenant left in 1926. It is now a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

under the stewardship of the Tay Valley Wildfowlers' Association.

References

External links

Nature reserves in Scotland Islands of the Tay Protected areas of Fife Uninhabited islands of Fife {{Fife-geo-stub