Broughty Ferry – a Boat on the Tay and Lunch at Gracie's
A few hours.
The route
From the harbour beside Broughty Castle, SaltDog Marine takes visitors out on the Tay in a rib boat, looking for grey seals and the estuary's bottlenose dolphins and seeing the V&A from the river.
Back on dry land, Gracie's on Brook Street is a favourite for a hearty lunch and home baking. It's a fun, breezy morning for families with children of seven and over.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Airdit, 7 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Sun 25 Oct to Tue 27 Oct.
Then Guardswell Farm in Inchture, 13 miles away. Sleeps 10.
Book SaltDog Marine's Tay Estuary Tour, Broughty Ferry
Book SaltDog Marine's Tay Estuary Tour online for a morning trip from Castle Approach, on a date its booking page shows: from £37.45 adults and £21.40 children at the time of writing, ages seven and up, and it can be cancelled up to 24 hours before.
The day
Broughty Ferry
Forty-five minutes on the river from the old fishing village with the wind in your face, then a long, easy lunch on its main street.
About three hoursAbout 1 mile on foot
Broughty Ferry
An attraction
Park in the free car park in front of Broughty Castle at Castle Approach, where SaltDog Marine's boats leave. The Tay Estuary Tour takes about an hour, with a safety talk and the lifejacket fitting, and about 45 minutes on the water. Depending on the conditions you'll see the estuary's lighthouses, grey seals and the V&A from the river, and bottlenose dolphins when they're about, though that's never promised. Trips are for ages seven and up, and under-16s must come with an adult. It's from £37.45 for adults and £21.40 for children at the time of writing. Wear warm clothes and waterproofs, as it can be splashy when it's windy.
11 min on foot
Gracie’s
Lunch
From the castle it's an 11-minute walk up to Gracie's at 175 Brook Street, a café bistro on Broughty Ferry's main street with hearty breakfasts, brunch, lunches and home baking, and tables on the pavement. It opens every day from 9am to 5pm, and its toilets are for customers. Then it's an 11-minute walk back to the car.
If it rains
Light rain won't stop the boat, but wind or a rough river can: if the trip is called off, have a long lunch at Gracie's and walk along the shore to Broughty Castle's museum, open Wednesday to Sunday from April to late October.
Gracie’s, café bistro, Broughty Ferry.
Bruach Bar, bar and restaurant, Broughty Ferry.