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Dundee

RRS Discovery – Captain Scott's Ship on a Rainy Day

A few hours.

The route

Discovery Point is where Dundee keeps the RRS Discovery, the ship Captain Scott sailed to Antarctica in 1901, and it's a brilliant place for children on a wet day.

There's a museum of films and polar scenes first, then the ship itself to explore from the deck down to the galley and the cabins, and lunch in the café beside her.

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    Airdit6 miles awayAirditSleeps 2Guardswell FarmInchtureGuardswell FarmSleeps 10Fairygreen Cottage12 miles awayFairygreen CottageSleeps 4The Cabin at Fairygreen15 miles awayThe Cabin at FairygreenSleeps 2

The day

Discovery

It's a morning under a roof by the river, a couple of minutes from the station. The museum comes first, then the climb aboard the ship and down below decks, then lunch looking out over her bow.

About three hours

  1. Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

    Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

    An attraction

    Discovery Point is the domed building on the riverside beside the ship, with a large pay-and-display car park next to it. Inside, the galleries tell the story of the ship and her 1901 expedition with films and polar scenes, before you walk out to the dock and step aboard. Children can explore three levels of the ship, from the deck and the bridge down to the galley, the laboratory and Captain Scott's cabin. The stairs below decks are narrow and steep, so hold small hands, leave the pushchair, and bring an extra layer, as the ship can be cold. She is being conserved until about 2028, so there may be scaffolding and shipwrights at work. Give it at least an hour and a half. Discovery Point opens every day, from 9am to 5pm from April to October and from 10am to 4pm in winter. Booking online saves 10%, and each ticket is a pass for a year.

    More about Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

  2. 77º South

    77º South

    Lunch

    Lunch is in 77º South, the café inside Discovery Point, so there's nowhere to walk to. It serves light lunches, coffees, cakes and breakfasts, with a view over the ship's bow; ring to check when it is serving. The entrance is level, and the café is inside the building, out of the weather. Only assistance dogs are allowed in Discovery Point.

If it rains

All of it is under a roof except the ship's open deck, so it is the day for rain.

Discovery Point and RRS Discovery