World Country Guide

The East Coast

(Tourist Board website: www.agtb.org.) Some 56km (35 miles) north of Montrose is the ‘Granite City’, Scotland’s third-largest, built largely, as its nickname suggests, of granite. It is the centre of Britain’s North Sea oil industry. The city has a 16th-century cathedral, a university and a 14th-century bridge, the Brig O’Balgownie. Visitor attractions include the Art Gallery, Marischal Museum and Maritime Museum. Inland on Royal Deesside, Braemar is the site of the most famous of the Highland gatherings. There are several National Trust properties within easy reach of Aberdeen, including Castle Fraser and Fyvie Castle.
(Tourist Board website: www.angusanddundee.co.uk.) North across the Firth of Tay in the former county of Angus is the city of Dundee. A city of printing, jam and jute, Dundee is home to the Discovery Point Visitor Centre, based around Captain Scott’s exploration ship, RRS Discovery, which lies alongside. Another popular attraction is Sensation, which offers a hands-on exhibition about the senses. Verdant Works traces Dundee’s long tradition of jute trading in the Textile Heritage Centre.
(Tourist Board website: www.perthshire.co.uk.) King James I’s own relatives murdered the unpopular monarch here in 1437, and, later, John Knox preached one of his earliest sermons in the town. Nowadays, Perth boasts Scotland’s Garden and the National Tartan Centre, together with two castles and Scone Palace, where Scottish monarchs were once crowned.
St Andrews (Tourist Board website: www.standrews.com), northeast of Edinburgh in the ‘Kingdom’ of Fife, claims to be the home of world golf. In addition, the town has a university, castle and cathedral. The Lammas Fair takes place every August. Some 25km (15 miles) to the north is Glamis, whose castle features in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
West of Dundee is the former county of Perthshire. This area was centre of the Pictish realm, and the northernmost area in Britain occupied by the Romans.
Up the coast from Dundee is Carnoustie, famous in golfing circles around the world. Next is Arbroath, which has a famous ruined Abbey and a strong fishing heritage – the famous ‘Arbroath Smokies’ (smoked haddock) come from here. Further north, the town of Montrose has fine broad streets and sandy beaches.
Continuing north past Aberdeen to Peterhead and Fraserburgh, the coastal trail leads through charming fishing villages, then west along the Moray Firth to the Georgian town of Banff and magnificent Duff House, where part of the reserve collection of the National Galleries can be seen. Further along this coastline is Elgin, which has a ruined cathedral and a well-restored abbey church. There are many highland gatherings and games in this region. Beyond Inverness, the countryside is mainly moorland, glens and forests, and home to some of Britain’s rarest fauna, including wildcats and golden eagles.
Most of the towns in this area are small. Highlights include Dingwall and Invergordon. The towns of Thurso and Wick mark the end of the railway line. John O’Groats, due north of Wick, is the northernmost village on the British mainland.