Broughty Ferry Tourist Information

Long before trains started steaming into Broughty Ferry station in the mid 1800's, returning the jute barons of Dundee to their mansions on the hill, or delivering the young ones and their nannies to the beach, the town was but a cluster of fisherfolks' cottages, around the harbour of Partan Craig, or Crab Rock.

It would not have been unusual to see fishermen mending their nets in the shadow of Broughty Castle, which was completed in 1496 and fought over until it was offered for sale in 1821, with the suggestion that it would make a good situation for an inn. Today the castle is a museum, following the fortune of "The Ferry", as it is known to local residents, from its association with fisherfolk and day trippers. It also tells the story of the importance of whaling to the region - oil from whales harpooned in the distant waters off Greenland and Canada having been used in the jute industry.

Although the industries with which Broughty Ferry was once associated are now gone, the town remains a lovely holiday destination and a pleasant waterfront suburb of Dundee. Broughty Ferry was once known as "the Brighton of Scotland", with trains dispensing visitors throughout the summer and a line of bathing boxes along the sands revealing bathing belles in knee-length costumes. These days are now gone, but are remembered every summer, as the Broughty Ferry gala week makes the most of the town's situation and celebrates its history. In the spacious streets set out in a grid fashion, the discerning shopper will find individual boutiques and antique shops, fine eateries and coffee shops and all the essential stores you could wish for.

Take a break in Dundee or Broughty Ferry and be ideally placed for touring, with the best of all worlds right at your feet. Scotland's other main cities - Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen - are all within 90 minutes by rail or road. The Angus Glens are a stone's throw away, offering stunning hills and lochs. Championship golf courses are within easy reach, with Carnoustie and St. Andrews both less than 30 minutes away, and several other top quality courses even closer.