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A tall ship with rigged masts sits in dry dock beside a domed building, a red life ring mounted on a stone bench in the foreground.
Dundee

Discovery Point and RRS Discovery

Captain Scott's Antarctic ship of 1901, built in Dundee and berthed again at Discovery Point, with a museum of her voyages.

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RRS Discovery is the ship that carried Captain Scott and his men to Antarctica, and she lies today in a dock on the Dundee waterfront, in the city where she was built.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Launched from the city's shipyards in 1901 for the British National Antarctic Expedition, she was the first ship in the British Empire built specifically for scientific research, designed like the tough Dundee whalers to survive the ice.

The visit begins in Discovery Point, the domed museum beside the dock, which tells the story of the expedition and of the ship's later adventures, before you step aboard. Walk her decks under the three tall masts, see the wheel and the rigging, then go below to the wardroom and the officers' cabins, among them Scott's own, with his name above the door, and the rooms where the scientists worked. She came home to Dundee in 1986 and is cared for by Dundee Heritage Trust. Allow at least an hour and a half.

Before you go

Open daily: 9am to 5pm from April to October, 10am to 4pm from November to March.

Closed 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 and 2 January. Adults £17 (£14 off-peak), children from £8. You need not book, but booking online saves 10%. Only guide and assistance dogs are allowed.

Apr to Oct
Daily 09:00 to 17:00.
Nov to Mar
Daily 10:00 to 16:00.
Price
Adult £17; off-peak £14.

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Did you know

A ship's galley holds a wooden counter, milk churn, wall clock and metal pipework beneath exposed beams, a dark stove visible at the far end.
Did you know

Built for science, not the Pole.

The expedition's organiser, Sir Clements Markham, saw its aims as purely scientific; being first to the South Pole was never an objective.

Looking up at a ship's mast and rigging beside a tall cream funnel against an overcast sky.
Did you know

One of the last of her kind.

Discovery was one of the last wooden three-masted barques built in Britain, relying mostly on sail to save precious coal.

A tall ship with rigged masts sits in dry dock beside a domed building, a red life ring mounted on a stone bench in the foreground.
Did you know

A crow's nest 110 feet up.

The lookout climbed 110 feet to the crow's nest at the top of the main mast to steer through the pack ice.

A tall ship with rigged masts and a Union flag sits in dry dock beside a modern glass and steel building.
Did you know

A funnel that folds down.

The funnel was hinged at its base so it could be laid flat to make room for a big sail.

An antique writing desk and chair stand beneath round brass portholes in a panelled ship cabin, a small table to one side.
Did you know

Ankle bashers.

Brass mushroom vents let light and air below decks, and the crew soon renamed them 'ankle bashers'.

A small wood-panelled study nook holds a writing desk, chair and shelving of books, framed prints of ships and landscapes hanging on the wall.
Did you know

223 miles in a day.

Her best run under sail on the outward voyage was 223 miles in a single day, at just over nine knots.

A tall ship with rigged masts and a Union flag sits in dry dock beside a modern glass and steel building, a person walking along the quayside.
Did you know

Climb the mast.

Visitors can climb aloft on the ship's mast on a booked Discovery Mast Climb.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Dundee

RRS Discovery was built in Dundee and launched into the Tay in 1901, and she carried Captain Scott and his men to Antarctica on his first expedition. Like the Dundee whalers, she was made to stand up to the ice. She came home to the city in 1986 and lies in a dock beside the domed Discovery Point museum, where the story of the voyage is told before you step aboard. Walk her decks under the three tall masts, then head down to the wardroom and the cabins, including Scott's own, with his name over the door. Allow an hour and a half.

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A painted penguin statue with a yellow beak stands on a paved pedestrian crossing, buildings and a lamp post visible behind.
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Where it is

Discovery Point, Discovery Quay, Dundee, DD1 4XA.

Close byOn the waterfront.
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  3. Inside Höfn on Bank Street, Dundee: the counter in front of lit shelves set into a round arch, seen across a wooden table.HöfnA coffee shop on Bank Street in the centre of Dundee, with speciality coffee, pastries and open sandwiches, open every day.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. The tiered, ribbed concrete walls of a modern museum building curve toward a domed glasshouse and a ship's mast visible along the waterfront.V&A DundeeScotland's design museum on the Dundee waterfront, in Kengo Kuma's cliff-like building, with the Mackintosh Oak Room inside; free.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Dundee Contemporary ArtsDundee Contemporary ArtsDundee's centre for contemporary art, with two galleries, two cinemas, a print studio and the Jute café bar on the Nethergate.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. The McManus Art Gallery and MuseumThe McManus Art Gallery and MuseumWith a collection spanning 400 million years, the McManus Art Gallery & Museum celebrates the history, culture and art of Dundee and its local creatives.2 miles 5 min by road
Directions
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The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the ship, and when each is next free.

The black timber cabin's exterior, with a chimney above the roofline and a freestanding bath standing on the decking below.Bracken Treehouse at Airdit
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Balmullo
  • 6 miles from Discovery
Free 25–27 OctThe long timber-clad side of the house runs under a slate roof with solar panels, white chairs on the terrace and a clear blue sky.The Glasshouse
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from Discovery
Free 16–19 NovTwo arched glazed doors in a stone wall open onto a paved patio, a rattan table with daffodils and mugs to the right.The Arches
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from Discovery
Free 30 Oct – 1 NovA white rendered cottage with a red tiled roof, dark dormers and a timber porch stands beside a birch tree under a blue sky.West Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Newburgh
  • 12 miles from Discovery
Free 30 Oct – 2 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in DundeeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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