Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry is a suburb of Dundee, four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. Formerly a prosperous fishing and whaling village, in the 19th century it attracted some of the wealthy jute barons to build luxury villas. As a result, Broughty Ferry was referred to at the time as the “richest square mile in Europe”. It was a separate burgh from 1864 until 1913, when it was incorporated into the city.
Having a couple of hours of daylight left on our last afternoon in Dundee we decided to explore the area, which we’d never visited before. The main attraction was the castle. Built in 1496 on a rocky promontory at the mouth of the Tay, it has faced many sieges and battles. In the 18th century it fell into ruins, but was rebuilt in the 1860s as part of the coastal defence system. Today, it functions as a museum with exhibits on various aspects of Broughty life.
The guns in the gallery above have an interesting history, having spent part of their lives as bollards on the pier! They were rescued and restored in the 1990s (click on image to enlarge for full explanation).
The castle’s top floors provided good views over the harbour and the beach. Not many people out there – it was cold!
After leaving the castle we wandered round the harbour. The sculpture is Wind Dial by Adrienne McStay, donated by Broughty Ferry Arts Society in 2006.
The town itself is rather charming and we enjoyed a stroll here too.
By the time we got back to the castle where our car was parked the light was fading and it was time to head back to our hotel in the city centre.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Another fascinating tour – the story about the guns ending up as bollards is very interesting. I’ve heard of Broughty Ferry but knew very little about it – those old castles always intrigue me and the museum would be right up my street!
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It’s somewhere we didn’t know either, and we really liked it.
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ooh that all looks very Scottish to me! How marvelous. I have no recollection of visiting here. Something to rectify when we make it up to Scotland again
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I know, we had never been either and yet it’s really lovely. Would be worth a revisit in summer some time (but maybe not this one).
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That’s an impressive castle!
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It certainly is!
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Hi Anabel – looks cold … but interesting to learn about it – I’m sure the name has popped up somewhere when I’ve looked at Scottish, English and French history … so thanks for giving us a tour of the area. Take care – Hilary
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It was certainly cold! Glad you enjoyed the tour, Hilary.
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Just come in from the sunshine and it’s hard to get my head around your grey skies. Soon enough, I fear, we’ll have them back. (My optimism has taken a hit lately)! You don’t explain why the town had ‘ferry’ in its name. When I read the title I thought we were off on a little boat trip.
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I hope our sunshine will return soon! We got wet on our walk today. Sorry if you were expecting a boat trip. This was a ferry port at one time, before there were bridges across the Tay.
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We are still in the grip of a significant heat wave so there is something rather refreshing about visiting photos from a gray and cold November day 🙂
It struck me as rather amusing that you would find a wind dial rather than a sun dial. I suspect that speaks volumes about the weather 😀
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I hadn’t thought of it that way, but a wind dial is probably more appropriate! Our good weather has deserted us at the moment, so the sky looks more like November today – but thank goodness it’s not nearly so cold.
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cunning if rather careless use of cannons; glad they were rescued. And didn’t they build castles to last? Just as well the 1950s and 60s crap building was both ugly and flimsy – be a bugger to demolish if it was built with a 15th century castle!
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The cannon story amused me! Yes, they certainly built to last
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I continue to learn lots from your travel posts, Anabel. Thank you for sharing.
(I’m not sure why I often need to grab a blanket or extra sweater after reading your posts.) 😀
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Thanks Donna! I can see why the pictures might make you shiver.
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Been to B.F. a few times over the years but always in warm sunshine when it does feel beautiful. Nice beaches and cycle runs from there along the coast. Big skies out in the estuary and stunning sea cliff walks at Arbroath.
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Yes, it looked like an area that would repay further exploration in summer weather. Not this year though!
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It looks so bleak, but very inviting with all the lights on. How lovely to have the place to yourself.
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I liked being there at that time of day when the lights were all coming on (which wasn’t that late, it gets dark so early in winter).
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You do find some fascinating places, Anabel!
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Thanks – i do my best!
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Anabel – All the lights in the windows make it pretty inviting, despite the cold. You do get to many unusual places and find something interesting when you get there! – Susan
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Yes, I liked the way the town was glowing as dusk fell. It was VERY cold though!
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Amazing that whaling made a town so rich!
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Whaling to start with, but it was jute that brought the real wealth.
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Thanks for the info!
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I like the new housing that you photographed. It’s got a lot of swagger, but is sort of traditional-looking too.
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Swagger is a good way to describe it! I really liked the design.
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That new housing building looks a bit Art Deco, shame about the roof though, it sticks out like a sore thumb and really spoils it 😦 A very interesting story of the guns though, how observant of someone to realise what they were so they could be rescued and restored 🙂
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The gun story is amazing! I like the new house and didn’t think the roof was out of place, I found it striking.
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You find such interesting little spots to visit! I enjoy these jaunts. What a tale about the gun/bollards.
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That was quite unexpected, wasn’t it! I’ve never heard the like. I’m glad you enjoy jaunting with us.
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