diff --git a/_pytest/__init__.py b/_pytest/__init__.py
index b8d360007..d2dc3e496 100644
--- a/_pytest/__init__.py
+++ b/_pytest/__init__.py
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 #
-__version__ = '2.1.4.dev1'
+__version__ = '2.1.4.dev2'
diff --git a/_pytest/tmpdir.py b/_pytest/tmpdir.py
index e46c713eb..c67f4389e 100644
--- a/_pytest/tmpdir.py
+++ b/_pytest/tmpdir.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class TempdirHandler:
 
     def finish(self):
         self.trace("finish")
-        
+
 def pytest_configure(config):
     mp = monkeypatch()
     t = TempdirHandler(config)
@@ -64,5 +64,5 @@ def pytest_funcarg__tmpdir(request):
     name = request._pyfuncitem.name
     name = py.std.re.sub("[\W]", "_", name)
     x = request.config._tmpdirhandler.mktemp(name, numbered=True)
-    return x.realpath()
+    return x
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index e2eaad50b..22e0a07e1 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def main():
         name='pytest',
         description='py.test: simple powerful testing with Python',
         long_description = long_description,
-        version='2.1.4.dev1',
+        version='2.1.4.dev2',
         url='http://pytest.org',
         license='MIT license',
         platforms=['unix', 'linux', 'osx', 'cygwin', 'win32'],
diff --git a/testing/test_tmpdir.py b/testing/test_tmpdir.py
index 0f5ec1521..79eb9e836 100644
--- a/testing/test_tmpdir.py
+++ b/testing/test_tmpdir.py
@@ -75,3 +75,16 @@ def test_basetemp(testdir):
     result = testdir.runpytest(p, '--basetemp=%s' % mytemp)
     assert result.ret == 0
     assert mytemp.join('hello').check()
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif("not hasattr(os, 'symlink')")
+def test_tmpdir_keeps_symlinks(testdir):
+    realtemp = testdir.tmpdir.mkdir("myrealtemp")
+    linktemp = testdir.tmpdir.join("symlinktemp")
+    linktemp.mksymlinkto(realtemp)
+    p = testdir.makepyfile("""
+        def test_1(tmpdir):
+            import os
+            assert os.path.realpath(str(tmpdir)) != str(tmpdir)
+    """)
+    result = testdir.runpytest("-s", p, '--basetemp=%s/bt' % linktemp)
+    assert not result.ret