The Angus Coastal Route and Places of Interest

Stretching all the way from Dundee to Aberdeen the Angus Coastal Route is a beautifully scenic route which follows Scotland’s east coast through glittering beaches and by many historic sites. Covering a distance of 68 miles (103km) there are very many places of interest, too many to cover adequately here. Nevertheless, I have selected an assortment of better known, and lesser-known sites to give the reader a taste of what this part of Scotland has to offer.

Starting Point: RRS Discovery & Discovery Point

Beginning the journey in Dundee it is impossible to miss the stunning three-masted ship docked just outside the train station. This vessel, RRS Discovery, has a fascinating history and the visitor centre truly brings the story to life.

The last of her kind to be constructed in the United Kingdom, this barque-rigged auxiliary steamship was launched in 1901. Her first mission … the famous British National Antarctic Expedition. Discovery, captained by Robert Falcon Scott later dubbed Scott of the Antarctic, and carrying Ernest Shackleton took the two men on their maiden voyage to the Antarctic.

The Discovery set off on the journey just five months after she was launched having not fully undergone sea-worthiness tests. Shackleton wrote in his diary that the Discovery was a poor sailer, rolling heavily at the outset. However, the climate and winds of the southern hemisphere proved favourable to the ships design, and she reached an average top speed of 9 knots, better than the 8 knots predicted by the shipbuilders.

Upon reaching the Antarctic the expedition achieved much success making significant scientific observations in biology, zoology, meteorology, geology and the study of the magnetic pole. Scott and his crew also discovered a penguin colony in Cape Crozier, an ice-covered peninsula which Scott named King Edward VII Land, and the Polar Plateau on which the geographic South Pole is located. Although the expedition ultimately failed to reach the South Pole, they were able to reach a new Farthest South mark at, according to crewmate Edward Wilson’s measurements, 82° 17’ S.

RRS Discovery returned from the Antarctic after a long and arduous 1131 days but had set the tone for what would be a great age of exploration.¹

Stop Number Two: V&A Dundee

Exiting Discovery Point, Dundee’s Victoria and Albert Museum sits just next door. Opened in 2018 and designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma the V&A Dundee is the first of its kind in Scotland and the first Victoria and Albert outside of London. Currently the V&A houses a permanent Scottish Design Galleries space and three temporary exhibitions.

The most popular this year by far has been the Dundee Tapestry. This exhibition allows visitors to explore the city’s industrial past, art, flora and fauna, and of course its people through beautifully handcrafted tapestries. The Dundee Tapestry was created by over 140 volunteer stitchers from the local area who were able to create a wonderful story of Dundee’s past, present and future on 35 hand-stitched panels.

A Fragile Correspondence is an exhibit which approaches the differing landscapes of Scotland, the Highlands, Islands and Lowlands, bringing together the artistic interpretations of various creative disciplines. According to the curator, “Exploring the relationships between land, architecture and language, the exhibition seeks new ways of working in connection with the land rather than simply upon it.”²

Shylight is the newest of the exhibits and consists of a wonderful visual and sensory experience. Focusing on the relationship between plants, technology and humans this installation brings large moving sculptures to the ceiling of the main hall which mimic the movement of flowers as they interact with light.

Finally, the Scottish Design Galleries tells many stories of Scottish designers and even houses a fully restored Charles Rennie Mackintosh Oak Room which was originally part of Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street tearooms in Glasgow.

Stop Number Three: Broughty Castle

Broughty Castle is an imposing structure ‘on the strong point of the Tay’ in the Dundee suburb of Brought Ferry. Construction of the castle was begun in 1490 by 2^nd Lord Gray after he was granted a charter by James IV in response to increased English naval aggression.

Over its lifetime Broughty Castle has been fortified and refortified several times, seeing action during the Rough Wooing, the War of the Three Kingdoms and reacting to the threat of French invasion in the 19^th century and of course the two world wars.

After the Scottish defeat at the battle of Pinkie in September 1547, English forces approached the castle, but it was given over without a fight. The castles owner 4^th Lord Gray surrendered the castle by purchase to the Duke of Somerset. The Scots tried several times to reclaim the castle, finally succeeding in 1550 with the aid of the French.

The castle was also attacked by General Monck during the war of the Three Kingdoms, the Royalist defenders fearing that their efforts would be futile fled the castle without engagement.

By this time ruinous the castle was purchased by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway in 1846 to build a harbour, but it was later acquired by the War Office in response to threat of invasion by the Russians and later the French. This brought more modern fortifications to the castle including a caponier.

The World wars also brought more military attention to the castle including 4.7-inch Quick-Firing guns and a defence post in the central tower. All of this and more was opened to the public in 1969 when Broughty Castle officially became a museum.³

Stop Number Four: Arbroath Abbey

Heading along the coastal route stop in at the town of Arbroath. It is here that an abbey was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion. King William had the abbey constructed for a group of Tironensian monks from Kelso Abbey in the Scottish Borders. This magnificent piece of architecture would have been splendorous in its day but even now in its ruinous state stirs the emotions of visitors.

The abbey was consecrated in 1197 and dedicated to the martyred Saint Thomas Becket, whom William had become acquainted with at the English royal court. The murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 had become infamous and his sainthood created a great interest in pilgrimage to places associated with his person.

The abbey, which had become the wealthiest in Scotland, received even greater attention after the creation of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 which attested Scotland’s independence from England and the public approval of Robert Bruce’s usurpation of the throne. Today, visitors can learn more about the Wars of Scottish Independence in the visitors centre and explore the grounds of the Abbey where Scotland’s leading men pledged,

“… for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”⁴

Stop Number Five: The Deil’s Heid, The Needle’s E’e & The Three Sisters

Following the coast out of Arbroath you will approach the Seaton Cliffs and beyond some very interesting geographical features that have been aptly named by the Scots inhabitants. This stretch of cliffs is made up of river-lain sandstones and petrified gravel conglomerates of two distinct geological periods. Firstly, a layer of roughly 410 million years old dating to the Lower Devonian period and the other of 370 million years old, or Upper Devonian era. During this time the land mass that is now Scotland was located below the equator in a desert environment.⁵

One of the unique features along this route is the Deil’s Heid. This stack of Lower Devonian sandstone was formed by years of wind driven waves and the abrasive sediments washed against the rock. Although the heid or head shaped rock seems precarious it still stands looking out to the sea.

The Needle’s E’e or needle’s eye can also be found on this stretch of coastline. This rock-form arch is the remnant of a collapsed sea cave which according to the first locals to come across it resembles the eye of a needle.

Finally, the most northerly of the formations are the Three Sisters. These roughly conical rocks, also of Lower Devonian sandstone sit together in an almost perfectly straight line. They were formed by the swirling seas eroding the rock around the highest points creating gaps between each of the peaks.

Stop Number Six: Red Castle and Lunan Bay

Four miles south of Montrose lies the haven that is Lunan Bay and the ruins of Red Castle which overlooks the beach below. This beautiful spot is popular with surfers, horse riders and traditional fishermen and is nicely tucked away by the sand dunes which enclose it.

The castle takes its name from charters of 1286 which refer to it as rubeum castrum for its burnished red sandstone, quarried locally, but dates as far back as the reign of William the Lion in the late 12^th century who ordered its construction to defend against Viking invaders but also used the location as a royal hunting spot.

All that remains today is the 15^th century fortified tower house and a section of the defensive curtain wall which measures over 6ft thick. Due to recent storms and erosion Red Castle has been deemed at risk of future collapse and as such is better seen from a safe distance.⁶

Stop Number Seven: Kinneff Old Church

This relatively unknown location played a hugely significant part in Scottish history … for nine long years it was the secret hiding place of the Honours of Scotland. On New Year’s Day 1651 Charles II was crowned King at Scone, the last monarch to be crowned in Scotland. Oliver Cromwell was enraged at this attempt to restore monarchy to the British Isles and sent his army into Scotland to not only punish the Scots but to capture the Honours of Scotland – the Crown, Sceptre and Sword of State – in order to destroy them as he had done with the English Regalia.

For their protection the Honours were sent north to Dunnottar Castle, the seat of the keeper of the Honours, Earl Marischal. But with Cromwell’s army soon advancing on the castle a plan was hatched to smuggle the Honours out of the castle and have them stashed for safe keeping.

The local minister’s wife Christian Fletcher was friends with the Garrison Commander’s wife, and it fell upon her to be the smuggler. As the story goes, Christian fled the castle with the Honours concealed in bundles of flax to her husband at Kinneff Old Church.

There, Christian buried the Honours beneath the pulpit and there they remained in secret until the Restoration in 1660 when they were unearthed and returned to Edinburgh Castle.⁷

Stop Number Eight: Dunnottar Castle

A few miles south of Stonehaven, the medieval fortress of Dunnottar occupies the rocky headland. This excellent site is maintained a cared for by a dedicated team who bring 7,000 years of history to the public.

Pictish activity was discovered by archaeologist from the University of Aberdeen dating the first settlement at Dunnottar to around 5000 BC. Then around 400AD St Ninian arrived and established a place of worship on the castle site. Dunnottar played host to Scottish royal history in 900AD when Donald II was killed here by Viking invaders who destroyed much of the settlement.

We know that a timber castle structure was erected by the time of the Wars of Independence as William Wallace captured the English garrison in 1297 during his uprising. It changed hands several times during these wars including in 1336 during Edward Baliol’s campaign for the throne when the English were once again in control of the site.

In 1392 Sir William Keith, Great Marischal of Scotland, built the first stone keep at Dunnottar, not without some debate with the church about the consecrated status of the land on which it was built.

Yet, the most well-known episode of the castle’s history was the removal of the Honours of Scotland to Dunnottar in the face of the invading Cromwellian army. Hence why a trip to both Dunnottar and Kinneff is the perfect way to relive the drama.⁸

Stop Number Nine: St Mary & St Nathalan Chapel

St Mary and St Nathalan Chapel is a ruin which sits looking out to the North Sea immediately north of the village of Stonehaven. This wonderfully peaceful and scenic spot is the perfect place to rest before entering the hustle and bustle of Aberdeen and where you can connect with the regions monastic past.

The first foundation in this place is credited to St Nathalan who lived in the mid-seventh century. Nathalan was born in nearby Tullich, where he was eventually appointed bishop. He is said to have been a wealthy nobleman who instead cultivated his lands for the people and devoted himself to God as a hermit.

As the story of St. Nathalan goes, one very wet summers day the saint cursed the rains which were impeding his harvest. As penitence for his sin in cursing one of God’s creations, Nathalan chained his right arm to his right leg, threw the key into the River Dee and set off on a pilgrimage to Rome to seek forgiveness. When he reached Rome, he sat down to a meal. However, when he cut into the fish that had been prepared for him, he found the very same key he had tossed into the Dee many months before.⁹

Stop Number Ten: Marischal College & Provost Skene’s House

Finally entering the Granite City of Aberdeen there is much to see, but some deserve a little more love and attention. Firstly, there is the beautifully designed Marischal College. The college was founded in 1593 as Aberdeen’s second university. King’s College had been founded first in 1495. In 1860 the Colleges merged to become what we know as the University of Aberdeen. Marischal became home to students of Medicine and Law who took their lessons in the new building which had been begun on the site in the 1830s. When the building was enlarged in 1906 it became the second largest granite building in the world at that time. Nowadays the building is home to Aberdeen City Council but it’s historical collections relating to its time as a college building can still be accessed via an online virtual museum.

Secondly, Provost Skene’s House is a fantastic museum that chronicles the achievements of Aberdeen’s pioneers. Dating from 1545, the building itself is the oldest surviving town house in Aberdeen. Named for one of its many owners, Sir George Skene (1619-1708) who was a wealthy businessman and Provost of the city from 1675 to 1685, the house has seen many important events. During the Jacobite rebellion the house was used as a billet for Hanoverian troops and the Duke of Cumberland even stayed here on his way to Culloden. During the grim years of the Industrial Revolution when this area of the city became run down and overcrowded the house was then used as a shelter for the homeless. Much later it was threatened with demolition in the Forties, but a public campaign ensured its survival as a museum first opening in 1953.¹⁰

The Angus Coastal Route is full of interesting places that tell the story of Scotland’s East Coast, and these are just some examples of what it has to offer. Nevertheless, I hope this will inspire your own unique discovery of this beautiful region.

Written by C. McPherson MA MSc.