Dundee

It's a bit tucked away and slightly ignored but Dundee has big plans for the future. No longer a stopping point between St Andrews and Aberdeen, Dundee is carving out a destination to be in its own right.

On leaving the railway station (if that's your prefered method of transport East Coast Trains) you will be struck by the masts of a mighty vessel. This is Robert Scott's antarctic explorer, Discovery. For many years tourists could visit the ship when it was moored on the Thames in London. Why Dundee? Because she was built here and a visitor centre will guide you through its history(.Discover Visitor)

The next delight is Dundee's ambitious V&A project where the city beat off fierce competition to bring the Scottish version of the famous London museum to the Tay. Rather than is staid London surroundings, the V&A Dundee embraces modernity and opened in September 2018. Click on the link to find out more.

One of the pleasures of Dundee is that its centre in small and easy to navigate. It has all the usual Scottish and UK chains plus a few individual shops unique to the city. It also possesses one of the most unusual tributes to a local celebrity. What is has not got is wall to wall shops of tartan and pseudo Scottish artifacts like the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

A giant metal statue of the cartoon character Desperate Dan marks the centre of the town. Dan and his counterparts were conceived just around the corner from where he stands at the newspaper offices of DC Thompson.

Dundee stands by the Tay and maritime industries brought it great wealth during the industrialisation of Britain. The sea is not as important to Dundee as it once was but some maritime activity can still be seen on the river.

If you like football then you are spoilt for choice on a Saturday afternoon. The city has two teams who usually play on alternative weeks, Dundee and Dundee United. You can not miss them. The grounds are next to one another on the hill behind the centre. Most people take the bus but a 30 minute walk should get you there. Dundee has plenty to keep the weekend visitor happy and ambitious plans to provide more attractions. Does it have a down side? Only one. It has limited hotel accommodation. Book early for the best rates. Failing that, some AirBnB are in town. 

By the way if you like these posts please feel free to follow this blog. If you arrived by way of Google+ or Reddit, welcome. I hope you find some of what you wanted.
Location: Dundee, UK

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