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The promenade at Broughty Ferry, benches along the shore and the houses of the old village beyond.
Dundee

Broughty Ferry

The old fishing village east of Dundee where the jute barons built their villas, with a castle, a harbour and a long sandy beach.

Welcome

Broughty Ferry sits on the north shore of the Tay four miles east of Dundee's city centre.

It began as a fishing and ferry village clustered round its castle, and in the 1800s the jute barons who ran Dundee's mills built their mansions and villas on the slopes above, until it was called the richest square mile in Europe. It was a separate burgh until 1913, when it became part of the city.

Today it is Dundee's seaside. A promenade runs along the shore past pebble and sand beaches to the castle on its point, with views across the estuary to Fife, and beyond the castle a long sandy beach backed by dunes stretches east. Brook Street, the main street, is lined with independent shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants under strings of bunting. The harbour pier was built by the railway in 1851 for the first roll-on, roll-off ferries, carrying railway wagons across the Tay.

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The Daily for 2 November, from Scotland with love. Cloud shadows cross a sunlit mountain above a loch, rust-coloured moorland stretching below
A short drive awayHeather Street FoodA little white horsebox coffee van outside the V&A on Dundee's waterfront, with fresh doughnuts and its own roasted coffee.9 min by roadSee itHeather Street Food
Before you go

Open at any time.

Four miles east of Dundee on the A930; trains and buses from the city.

Open
Any time.
Where
Four miles east of Dundee.

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Where it is

Broughty Ferry, Dundee.

Close byEast of Dundee.
  1. The dining room at Collinsons in Broughty Ferry, with blue leather chairs, a long mustard banquette, patterned walls and a bright modern painting.CollinsonsUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. Gracie's On The Go window sign, takeaway and juice bar, striped awning aboveGracie’sA café bistro on Brook Street, Broughty Ferry, under a striped awning, with palm-leaf walls, breakfasts, lunches and home baking.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Bookhouse's grey shopfront, its window dressed with birch trees.The BookhouseA family-run independent bookshop in Broughty Ferry, with signed editions, eight book clubs and author events.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Pretty Fly WorkshopPretty Fly WorkshopA jewellery workshop and shop on Brook Street, Broughty Ferry, selling handmade work by Scottish art school graduates.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Broughty CastleBroughty CastleA castle of 1490 guarding the mouth of the Tay at Broughty Ferry, rebuilt as a Victorian fort, now a free museum.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Broughty Ferry beach curving along the Tay under a big sky.Broughty Ferry BeachA long sandy beach backed by dunes beside Broughty Castle, looking across the Tay to Fife, with seals and wading birds.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
Bruach Bar and Restaurant frontage with a penguin statue by the entranceRestaurantsBruach Bar0.5 miles
Broughty Castle's tower and battlements overlook the water beside a stone harbour wallAttractionsTravel back in time to the Coastal Fort of Broughty Castle0.8 miles
Duck leg with a rich sauce at Daisy Tasker.RestaurantsDaisy Tasker3.2 miles
The cheese counter at The Cheesery in Dundee, full of cut wedges and whole cheeses with handwritten labels.ShoppingThe Cheesery3.3 miles
Inside Assai Records in Dundee: racks of vinyl round white walls under the shop's sign, with a crate of records on a wooden floor.ShoppingAssai Records3.5 miles
Inside Höfn on Bank Street, Dundee: the counter in front of lit shelves set into a round arch, seen across a wooden table.CafeHöfn3.5 miles
White food trailer selling donuts, coffee and bagels outside V&A DundeeCafeHeather Street Food3.7 miles
The tiered, ribbed concrete walls of a modern museum building curve toward a domed glasshouse and a ship's mast visible along the waterfront.AttractionsV&A Dundee3.7 miles
Five bronze penguins on the low wall outside the Steeple Church on the Nethergate, Dundee.AttractionsThe March of the Penguins3.7 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the town, 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
  • 7 miles from Broughty Ferry
Free 8–10 NovThe 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
  • 15 miles from Broughty Ferry
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
  • 15 miles from Broughty Ferry
Free 2–4 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
  • 15 miles from Broughty Ferry
Free 9–12 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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What we have written about it and more in Dundee.

ArticleThings to do in Dundee and AngusArticleScotland's Most Beautiful Town
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