Beginnings

Explore the first three billion years of Scotland’s history, discovering the origins and evolution of Scotland’s landscape, flora and fauna.

To set the scene, a short film tells the dramatic story of the last 650 million years of Scotland’s voyage over the earth. You can then track Scotland’s journey north, from its earliest position close to the South Pole, covered by a freezing, shallow sea. Watch the landscape change as Scotland moves across the face of the globe, above and below sea level, through volcanoes, desert and Arctic tundra.

Fossil flora and fauna

See fossil evidence of the evolution of Scotland’s flora and fauna, including fish, simple plants, shellfish and coral, and meet Lizzie the Lizard. This famous fossil is renowned for being the oldest known reptile, and could be the ancestor of all other reptiles, birds and mammals – including humans.

You'll also come across a Scots plesiosaur, which could be the ancestor of the Loch Ness monster – although as Loch Ness was frozen for two million years during the Ice Ages, this seems unlikely!

History of the forests

As our epic journey draws to a close, the history of the forest displays immerse you in the sights and sounds of Scotland’s changing woodlands, bringing you face to face with extinct native creatures such as wolves, beaver, lynx, brown bear and wild boar.