Day 81: Brechin to Carnoustie, Tayside

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

26th March 2021: 65.24km walked today taking the total to 8254.35/8868km. 11% of 76 entries submitting 593.08km.

We are now heading into Scotland’s denser areas of history, industry and population so we’ll reduce the % where necessary so you have a more enjoyable experience and don’t get overloaded with text daily!

Today, we wind our way south along the east coast, through Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath and Carnoustie en route to Dundee.

Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews

As we walk into Brechin we pass the Mechanics Institute founded in 1838, designed by John Henderson, the son of a Brechin Castle gardener, before we head down Church Street and then Church Lane to reach Brechin Cathedral. Christianity is thought to have arrived in Brechin with St Dubhoc sometime around 600 AD. By the late 800s a religious order, known as the Culdees, had set up a monastery here before being replaced by the cathedral built close by. Brechin Cathedral is part of the Church of Scotland which is Presbyterian, meaning that there are no bishops and which, technically, means there are no cathedrals. However, depending on the history and pre-Reformation status, some churches have retained the title ‘cathedral’, as this one has in Brechin.

The Cathedral is unusual in that it has a round tower, which is 1 of only 2 Irish-style round towers still standing in Scotland. It is 25 metres tall and nearly 5 metres wide with the decoration around the first-floor doorway (reached by ladder) indicating that it was built about 1100. Originally the tower was free-standing but was attached to Brechin Cathedral in 1806. Brechin Cathedral itself was built in the 13th and 14th centuries but was neglected and then more damage was done during a reconstruction in 1806. It was then restored again in 1900-1902. There are a number of grave slabs in the church, including the Aldbar Stone, a Pictish cross slab from about the 9th or 10th century, the ‘Brechin hogback’ gravestone, possibly carved around 1000, and St Mary’s Stone, which is the earliest Scottish sculpture with a Latin inscription.

Near the River South Esk is Brechin Castle which was built in the 13th century. It is the traditional seat of the Earls of Dalhousie and was converted into a mansion between 1696 and 1709. It was put up for sale in 2019 for a price of £3 million, as James Ramsay, the 17th Earl of Dalhousie and chief of Clan Ramsay, was finding it prohibitively expensive to maintain.

Following Church Street to the High Street, we find the Brechin Town House Museum which explores the history and culture of Brechin. From here, we go to St Ninian’s Square, where there are some attractive Victorian buildings including the library. There is also a granite fountain in memory of Fox Maule Ramsay (Dalhousie Memorial Fountain) as well as a statue to Sir Robert Watson-Watt, the inventor of effective radar. Nearby is the station for the Caledonia Railway, where steam and diesel trains run between here and Bridge of Dun.

At the bottom of Southesk Street, we pass one of the old mills, Denburn Works, which was built as a linen mill in 1864. It ceased production in 1982 and has since been turned into flats. The textile industry in the 19th century was a major industry in Brechin with 4 major mills in the town. Around that time, brewing and distilling also became important to the local economy. The brewing has since gone and there is only one distillery left in the town, Glencadam.

Leaving Brechin on the A935 we walk for about 6 kilometres until we see a sign pointing left to the House of Dun which is a National Trust for Scotland property. We walk up the drive to arrive at the House of Dun, a William Adam’s designed Georgian house. In 1375 Sir Robert Erskine purchased the Dun Estate and built a tower house about 0.5 kilometres from the current house. This was the Erskine family home until David Erskine, the 13th Laird, decided he wanted something different. Work began on the house in 1730 and it took 13 years to build based on William Adam’s design. The Erskines lived at the house until 1947, when Millicent Lovett, the 21st Laird of Dun, leased it to be run as a country house hotel. When she died in 1980, the house and the estate were bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland and it was restored back to its life as a family home. The saloon in the house which was the principal place for entertainment has incredibly ornate plasterwork, originally completed by Joseph Enzer, which has been restored to how it would have been in 1742. There are some fascinating objects on display, such as a clockwork spit and a shower bath, built by Sibbald and Sons in the 1800s where the upper tank had to be manually filled and, as the water showered down and drained into a bottom tank, a servant had to hand pump the water back up to the upper tank.

The gardens are worth us wandering around. To the east is a rectangular walled garden and there are also gardens to the south. On the longer woodland walks, we might see red squirrels and roe deer.

Returning to the A935, we walk east before we get to Langley Park Gardens, which surround Langley Park House and overlook Montrose Basin, and include 4 walled gardens and woodland walks.

Continuing along the A935, we can see the Montrose Basin, a 750-hectare enclosed estuary of the River South Esk, which is home to migratory birds such as pink-footed geese, Arctic terns and sedge warblers. The visitor centre is on the south side of the estuary which we will visit later.

After crossing the railway line at the edge of Montrose we turn right down Medicine Well Drive. The Royal Burgh of Montrose and its port was founded by King David I between 1130 and 1140 to serve Angus and the Mearns. The centre of the planned settlement was laid out on a shingle ridge forming the highest part of the peninsula between the North Sea and the tidal Montrose Basin. To the east of this shingle ridge is sand and, to the west, is clay.

Just after we pass the entrance to Lochside School, we can see part of the old sea wall which enclosed the Medicine or St Mary’s Well of the 1730s. The water in the well was said to be a cure for scurvy and was therefore popular with seamen. We turn left here and reach another junction where there is a tall octagonal tower, originally built as a water tower in 1841, but is now a house.

We walk down North Esk Road which eventually becomes High Street. This road, along with the road running parallel, the Mall, is built on the ridge mentioned earlier, which divides the town into the clayhalf, leading down to the basin, and the sandhalf, leading down to the North Sea.

Where the High Street starts the road narrows, as this is where the North Port used to be. This was where there was a medieval gate that allowed the town to control the entry of people and goods. Walking down High Street we can see some old houses which have their gable ends facing the street, which is why the people of Montrose had the nickname ‘gable-endies’. We then pass 2 statues, one of Joseph Hume who was born in Montrose, became a doctor and later an MP, and the other of Bill the Smith by William Lamb. William Lamb was born and lived in Montrose. He particularly liked to sculpt the inhabitants of Montrose and the neighbourhood, concentrating mainly on working-class models, such as Bill the Smith that we see here.

Just past these statues, we reach the Town House, or ‘Ba Hoose’ as it is known locally, which was built in 1763 and has a piazza where merchants could meet. Behind this, we reach the Old and St Andrews Church. The church itself was built in 1791 against an existing tower which was removed in 1831. The new tower and steeple, which reaches a height of 67 metres, was built in 1834 and was designed by Gillespie Graham.

At the end of the High Street is a statue of Sir Robert Peel, situated on the site of the old tolbooth where the last execution happened in 1852. The Public Library, built in 1905, is also situated here which was funded by Andrew Carnegie and is built on the site of a house where botanist Dr Robert Brown, who discovered Brownian motion, was born.

Across from the library is Castlestead, an old castellated house. This is built on the site of the old stone castle of Montrose, where Edward 1 of England stayed in 1296 and which was then razed to the ground by William Wallace in 1297 to stop the English from using it. A tower house was then built on this site which was reputed to be the birthplace of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, in October 1612. This was then replaced by the house, now actually a job centre, and a statue of the Marquis stands at its front.

From here we go up Swapps Close, one of 164 closes in Montrose, then turn left onto Baltic Street before turning right to reach the museum on Panmure Street. This museum was built in 1942, designed by John Henderson, and was one of the first purpose-built museums in Scotland. It tells the story of Montrose and its people.

Across from the museum is a series of green spaces running north to south, called the Mid Links, which was developed by Provost George Scott between 1887 and 1890. This previously was part of a golf course. Apparently, the first written evidence of golf being played in Montrose dates to 1562.

Passing through Dean’s Park, part of the Mid Links, we pass a statue of Robert Burns, who had family connections in Montrose, the statue was paid for by Andrew Carnegie. As we leave the park, we see in front of us, slightly to the left, the surviving frontage of the Chapel Works, a spinning mill, which dates from about 1840. We then continue east along Marine Avenue and then Traill Drive, passing large grassy areas, a camp and caravan site then a golf course before reaching the sand dunes which lie behind the blue flag beach. At this point, we also find the Traill Pavilion which has recently been sold and is supposed to be restored. This Pavilion was built in 1913 and was presented to the town by natives of Montrose, John and David Traill. From the Traill Pavilion, we retrace our steps for a short way before following a path around the top of the beach and along the banks of the River South Esk. Leaving the path, we follow the roads which eventually lead us to the Montrose Bridge.

Before we reach the bridge, we reach the Bamse Statue which is a statue of a St Bernard Dog. Bamse’s owner, Captain Hafto, took the dog with him as a registered crew member on the minesweeper, ‘Thorodd’, during World War 2. The ship was stationed in Dundee and Montrose during the war and Bamse became a great favourite with everyone. He had his own personalised metal helmet and would stand guard at the foremost gun tower during hostilities. It’s said that he would make his way around the pubs of Montrose dragging his crew back to the ship before curfew ended, and even had a bus pass to allow him to use the bus to do this. In Montrose, he faces northeast towards Honningsvåg, Norway, where he came from, and in Honningsvåg there is a more recent statue of Bamse, which faces south-west pointing towards Montrose.

After crossing the Montrose Bridge, we arrive at Rossie Island which is where Montrose’s busy harbour is situated. This has grown a lot since it began in the 12th century and, over the years, has been an important centre for different types of fishing, from salmon to whaling and herring; it has also seen a pearl fishery in the river itself. The harbour was once Scotland’s largest port for wool exports and, today, it benefits from the North Sea oil industry.

Heading west for a short way along the south side of the Montrose Basin, we reach the Montrose Basin Visitor Centre run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. As we found out earlier, Montrose Basin is an almost circular enclosed estuary of the River South Esk covering 750 hectares. The enclosed tidal basin has a variety of habitats from exposed tidal mudflats to saltmarshes, reed banks and fen, and is surrounded by farmland. Almost 50% of the salt marsh habitat in Angus can be found here. The basin is a superb place to go birdwatching and over 200 species of bird have been recorded at the basin.

At low tide, the remains of Dronner’s Dyke can be seen in the basin. This was built in 1677 by Dronner, a Dutch engineer, with the aim of draining part of the basin and reclaiming some of the land. Shortly after being built though it was largely destroyed in a storm.

Retracing our steps, we head east along the south bank of the River South Esk. Interesting to see the washing lines along the shoreline here. At the end of the road follow the sign to the lighthouse, along a path that soon meets up with another road. Follow this road all the way out to the lighthouse at Scurdie Ness. Before we reach it, we pass a much older warning beacon before reaching the lighthouse, which was constructed by David A Stevenson in 1870. There is also a cairn marking the finish of the Great Outdoors Challenge which happens annually.

At the Mains of Usan, we pass ruined mill buildings and then follow the path around the shore until we reach Fishtown of Usan. Here we find the remains of 28 cottages created in 1822 by a local landowner, George Keith. A square tower was built as a landmark for shipping and also in this area are an ice house and a saltworks.

We keep following the coast until the route climbs to pass the back of an inlet with views of Elephant Rock on the far side. There is a tiny cemetery above this inlet and here we find the grave of George James Ramsay, whose inscription appears to say that he died 19 years before he was born, ‘Born 24th November 1859 Died 17th December 1840’.

Soon the route passes above the salmon bothies of the salmon fishing station at Boddin Head and we can see the lime kiln dating to the 1700s, which sits on the point itself.

We now turn inland and head up the road, crossing over the railway before we reach the grounds of Dunninald Castle. Dunninald, which is derived from the Gaelic, ‘dun’, a castle, and ‘ard’, a high place, has a 1000-year history. The first Dunninald Castle was built on a cliff high above the North Sea. The castle was also named Black Jack but the reasons for this are not known. A second castle was built about 1590 and then, in 1811, the owner, Peter Arkley, commissioned James Gillespie Graham to build a new castle. This was designed in the gothic revival style and was started in 1819 and finished in 1824. The house and its gardens are worth visiting, as the house has not changed much since it was built.

Keeping on the minor road which skirts Lunan Bay, we pass Braehead of Lunan before reaching Lunan itself. Just past Lunan, we see Red Castle which stands on high ground overlooking Lunan Bay, so-called because it is built from sandstone. It was built by William the Lion in the late 12th century, possibly as a hunting lodge. It passed to the Balliol family, but they were dispossessed by Robert the Bruce, and in 1328 the estate was divided, at which point the castle was given to Donald Campbell. He sold it to the Stewarts of Innermeath, who extended it before it was passed to Cardinal David Beaton in the early 16th century. It was eventually abandoned, after the castle’s roof failed in the 18th century, and has been ruinous ever since.

From Red Castle, we walk on minor roads through Raesmill and Rosehill before reaching Auchmithie. This is a former fishing port older than Arbroath, which sits on top of a cliff of red sandstone conglomerate above a shingle beach. The old harbour, which was built between 1889 and 1891, is a bit dilapidated but is still home to some small fishing boats. It is the original home of the Smokie.

From Auchmithie we walk on the Auchmithie to Arbroath coastal path, heading first towards the coastguard station cottages before following the path past Tanglehall Cottages. Just after the cottages, we reach Gaylet Pot, a huge collapsed cave that can be seen in a field on our right. If there are crops in the field then it is best avoided, otherwise, it is best seen from the highest part of the rim which is just east of a marker pole. We then continue along the clifftop path until we reach a path that takes us down to the shore. We walk along the rocky shore before climbing steps on the other side of the bay (this avoids a landslide). After we pass the southern end of Carlingheugh Bay, we can see the Deil’s Head, a bulbous sea stack that appears to be situated in a very precarious position.

The cliffs that we pass are part of the Seaton Cliffs Nature Reserve which has a lot of different types of rock formations. We pass around the back of a deep inlet called Dickmont’s Den, where the roof of a cave has collapsed leaving an elongated inlet or geo. As we go around the back of the Den, we can see a cave on the north side and also a detached stack. After Dickmont’s Den, we soon reach a blowhole before passing Crusie, where the sea has made 2 caves which have subsequently collapsed to form a blowhole on the right and a geo on the left. The next rock formation we see is the Needle E’e. This is a rock arch that is situated well above the high tide mark. It is part of a collapsed sea cave and is here because the sea level was higher in the past, now standing 7 metres above the present beach.

Keeping to the footpath we soon reach the outskirts of Arbroath at Whiting Ness. Arbroath, the largest town in Angus, was originally called Aberbrothock, after the Brothock Burn which enters the sea at the end of the High Street. The shortened version of the name, Arbroath, came to dominate in the early to mid-19th century. The origin of Arbroath dates to 1178 when the Abbey was founded by King William I, also known as William the Lion, who granted the monks the right to establish a burgh with a port and weekly market. Arbroath greatly expanded in the late 18th and 19th centuries, due to its expanding flax industry together with textile and general engineering, during which mills, and factories sprang up along the Brothock Burn to use its water for power.

We pass the ancient St Ninian’s Well which was long believed to have curative powers, located in the cliffs at the east end of Victoria Park. Apparently, there was also St Ninian’s Chapel nearby, but the chapel has disappeared entirely. We continue through Victoria Park, which was opened in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. We pass Boulzie Hill, which we climb to get great views over the coast and the town before we walk along to reach Seagate. This was once the main entrance to the town from the east and is now the main centre for the Arbroath Smokie industry, a process where haddock is cured in special sheds, suspended over smoking pits, known as barrels.

Following Seagate to its end, we reach Arbroath’s harbour. In 1394 the first harbour was constructed of wood and was known as Abbot's Harbour. In 1725 this was replaced by a new harbour and this is now the site of the present Wet Dock. The present harbour, now a marina, dates from 1877.

From here we can see the Bell Rock Signal Tower, which was built in 1813 as the signalling station and shore base for the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse which lies 18 kilometres out to sea. The Bell Rock Lighthouse is the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse, and the engineer was Robert Stevenson. Nowadays, the lighthouse is automatic, and the Signal Tower houses Arbroath’s museum.

We retrace our steps and turn left up the High Street to approach Arbroath Abbey. As stated before, the Abbey was founded by William the Lion in 1178. It was founded for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey and was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to Saint Thomas Becket, a childhood friend of King William. King William was buried here in 1214 in front of the high altar. The Abbey was one of the richest and grandest monasteries for almost 400 years and is particularly famous for the Declaration of Arbroath, where Scotland’s nobles swore their independence from England in a letter to the Pope sent from Arbroath Abbey in 1320. The Abbey fell into ruin after the Scottish Reformation of 1560 and parts of the abbey were dismantled in 1580 to build a new church. From then on, its stones were removed to build other buildings in the town. Arbroath Abbey was in the news again in March 1951, when the Stone of Destiny was found beside the high altar 3 months after its removal from Westminster Abbey.

From the Abbey, we head west to Keptie Pond, which is overlooked by a water tower on Keptie Hill, which was built in 1885 using the labour of the unemployed in Arbroath. It was designed in the style of a medieval fortress and was known locally as Arbroath’s Castle. It was designed to provide the town with an adequate drinking water supply but was only in operation for 20 years. It was located here because of a natural spring, but its use was discontinued when water was supplied from Glenogil reservoir. In 1937 the land surrounding the water tower was given to the Town Council for use as a park and this is what we see today in the park around Keptie Pond.

From Keptie Pond we head towards the coast and find the coastal path which runs from here to Carnoustie. We pass through West Links with Kerr’s Miniature Railway, which has been running for 85 years but is under threat of closure as visitor numbers have declined. We follow the path as it continues between the railway line and the shore passing Arbroath Golf Course before we reach East Haven.

East Haven is a fishing village dating to 1214 and is one of Scotland's oldest recorded fishing villages. A small fishing fleet operated from its natural harbour, catching mainly cod and haddock as well as lobster and crab. The beach here is popular and the Royal family used to visit here in the 1930s when they were holidaying at Glamis Castle.

At East Haven, it is possible to keep along the shore following a grassy path. Just before Craigmill Burn, we need to cross the railway at a level crossing before continuing west on a minor road. We pass Panbride House which dates from 1856, built as a home for a flax merchant. In front of the house are scutching ponds, used as part of the process to produce flax, as the flax works were on the south side of the road; now the ponds are used for fishing. It is thought that Peter Cushing spent summer holidays in the house and that it was also once owned by the Scottish athlete, Liz McColgan.

Continuing on the road we soon reach Westhaven which is a small sandy beach on the western edge of the town of Carnoustie. Carnoustie, was initially a village which was founded in the 18th century. It grew rapidly in the 19th century because of the textile industry based here, known for linen weaving, whose production then increased along with that of jute. There were several other industries: a malting, vitriol works, shoemakers, agriculture and fishing. These days you only visit the town if you wish to, as the A92 bypasses it. Carnoustie is a top golfing destination boasting a champion course, which plays host to the Open and other major competitions. Founded in 1842 it has 4 courses - the historic Championship Course, the Burnside Course, the Buddon Links Course and a free-to-play short, five-hole course called The Nestie; Carnoustie Golf Links won the title of World's Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards for 2019.

As we walk along Carnoustie seafront we follow the cycle path around the outskirts of the Links and alongside the railway line.