Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Downstairs there's a sitting room with a free
minibar, and
outsi
de there are seats overlooking a
croquet lawn.
£100
The Old Vicarage
2 Seaton Road
T
01241 430475,
W
theoldvicaragebandb.co.uk.
Simple and friendly,
The
Old Vicarage
has an impressive breakfast table that includes
hot Arbroath smokies,
a fre
shly baked loaf of bread and
home-made preserves.
£80
EATING AND DRINKING
But'n'Ben In
Auchmithie, four miles east of Arbroath
T
01241 877223.
One of the best restaurants along this
stretch of coast, specializing in delicious, moderately priced
seafood. The flavoursome platter of local smoked fish and
shellfish costs £19.95.
M&M Spink
10 Marketgate
T
01241 875287
This tiny
whitewashed shop is one of the most approachable and
atmospheric places to try the famous Arbroath smokie (£8/
kilo); chef and cookery writer Rick Stein described the fish
here, still warm from the smoke, as “a world-class delicacy”.
Mon-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 10am-5pm.
The Old Brewhouse
1 High Street, by the harbour wall
T
01241 879945.
A convivial and moderately priced
restaurant-cum-pub, where you can sit down and tuck into
Arbroath smokies smothered in melted butter and lemon
(£10.25).
Daily noon-9pm.
10
Montrose and around
MONTROSE
, a seaport and market town since the thirteenth century, can sometimes
smell a little rich, mostly because of its position on the edge of a virtually landlocked
two-mile-square lagoon of mud known as the Basin. But with the wind in the right
direction, the ancient Royal Burgh of Montrose is a great town to visit, with a pleasant
old centre and an interesting museum. he Basin too is of interest: flooded and
emptied twice daily by the tides, it's a nature reserve for the host of geese, swans and
wading birds who frequent the ooze.
If you have time to spare, be sure to check out the town's fabulous golden
seashore
.
he beach road, Marine Avenue, across from the town museum, heads down through
sand dunes and golf links to car parks fringing the fine, wide beach, which is
overlooked by a slender white lighthouse.
Montrose Museum and Art Gallery
Panmure Place, on the western side of Mid Links Park • Tues-Sat 10am-5pm • Free •
W
www.angus.gov.uk
Two blocks behind the soaring kirk steeple at the lower end of High Street, the
Montrose Museum and Art Gallery
is one of Scotland's oldest museums, dating from
1842. In the local history section, look out for the mechanical paper sculpture of the
town, with a green train running along the top and yachts sailing by. Outside the
museum entrance stands a winsome study of a boy by local sculptor William Lamb.
William Lamb Memorial Studio
Market Street • July to mid-Sept Tues-Sun 2-5pm; at other times ask at the museum • Free
Scottish sculptor William Lamb (1893-1951) was a superbly talented but largely
unheralded artist. His career is all the more impressive because he taught himself to
sculpt with his left hand, having suffered a war wound in his right. Much of his work
can be seen in the moving
William Lamb Memorial Studio,
including bronze heads of
the Queen, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. here's another Lamb sculpture,
Whisper
, outside the library on the High Street.
Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre
Around a mile west of Montrose on the A92 • March-Oct daily 10.30am-5pm; Nov-Feb Fri-Sun 10.30am-4pm • £4 •
W
montrosebasin.org.uk
On the south side of the Basin, a mile or so out of Montrose along the A92, the
Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre
has binoculars, high-powered telescopes and remote-
control video cameras available for visitors who want to catch a glimpse of wading
birds. Family-friendly guided walks also depart from the wildlife centre (see the website
for a schedule).
