Travel: Adventure in Angus

The harbour at Arbroath

When you think of Angus, do you conjure up the red cliffs and golden sands of the coast? Is it the rich farmland? Or the solitude of the glens?

It’s the coast that captivates me: from the oil industry vessels at Montrose to the fishing boats of Arbroath; the crescent of sand at Lunan Bay to the dramatic smugglers’ cliffs around Auchmithie. And the fact it’s Scotland’s Year of Coast and Waters makes it an ideal time to explore the Angus shoreline.

The Montrose Basin seems as good a place to start. The expanse of water – mingling the fresh waters delivered by the South Esk from the glens with the brine from the North Sea’s tides makes it a haven for wildlife, especially birds.

Now, if bird watching conjures up hours of sitting in a cold hide waiting for the flap of a wing to excite – as it did me – think again. At the Montrose Basin Visitor Centre it’s much more civilised – and warm.

Of course, for anyone with a passion for birds there is much more to it with hides positioned around the basin and a reputation for pink-footed geese. But as a novice, the centre allowed me to watch the bustle of the small birds around strategically placed feeders and learn about them from the volunteers and staff who enthusiastically shared their passion.

As we waited in the warmth – with heavy duty binoculars to the ready – for a kingfisher to return to a perch it had been using all morning, I found myself sucked into the jostling strategies of the tits as they hovered around the food and the nonchalance of the grouse taking the pickings below.

The glint of the jewelled kingfisher was not to be, but I was rewarded with something rarer – a white egret swooping back to the water’s edge. Buoyed by the sight of the carefree visitor, I drove around the basin to House of Dun.

The Eskines picked their spot well when they settled in this bucolic landscape. The higher land had defensive qualities in the 14th century when they bought the estate and by the 1730s when David Erskine, the 13th laird, commissioned William Adam to build House of Dun, the vista down to the basin only enhanced the glorious Georgian interiors. Extravagant plasterwork, elegant furniture and ancestral portraits tell a fascinating tale of the family through the centuries.

In Angus, time takes on a deeper significance. Heading south from Montrose, barrels of whisky are maturing quietly in the farmland above Lunan Bay and its guardian, the aptly-named Red Castle. Arbikie Distillery has been a bit of a secret outside the gin and whisky community but all will be revealed later this year when it opens to the public.

Under construction is a visitor centre next to the farmyard distillery and those whisky barrels and soon we will all be welcome to learn about this innovative family business. The Stirling brothers have been at the forefront of Scotland’s craft distilling movement since 2015 when they launched their field-to-bottle gin and vodka made with their farm’s “wonky” potatoes which had been rejected by the supermarkets.

Their gins – Kirsty’s and AK’s – have picked up numerous awards and now they are waiting for Scotland’s first rye whisky to mature. Time is important here as spirit has to be aged for three years before it can legally be called whisky and although Arbikie Rye is past that stage, head distiller Kirsty Black expects it to be a few years before it is mature enough for general release.

For 700 years, Arbroath has been inextricably linked to the document which eloquently sets out Robert the Bruce’s vision for an independent Scotland.

In April 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was dispatched to Pope John XXII in Avignon demanding Scotland’s independence and recognition of Robert as its lawful king and this year the town was preparing to celebrate in style. Coronavirus has meant a year’s delay and the planned community pageant and performance of a specially written choral work will mark the 701st anniversary instead.

The cloisters of Arbroath Abbey where the monks worked on the Latin document 700 years ago are long gone, but the deep red sandstone ruins reflect its past importance. Abbot Bernard was Robert the Bruce’s chancellor and in charge of government records.

Dr Nicki Scott, an expert on the abbey at Historic Environment Scotland, which looks after the site, explains to me that although the terms of the declaration would have been agreed at a meeting of nobles at Newbattle Abbey in the Lothians, Abbot Bernard would have looked to the skilled scribes at his own abbey.

“We know from documentary references that there’s a scriptorium here and that the monks have access to books and a library. We know from archaeological records that they are producing parchment, ink and styli to write with. So, we know that they have the capability to be producing something of that sophistication here. Abbot Bernard probably chose Arbroath to make sure that it is being written as nicely and neatly and as lavishly as possible,” Dr Scott adds.

“What we have is the surviving Scottish record copy – we don’t have the actual copy that was sent to the Pope, but it was standard practice if you are sending a letter somewhere you make a duplicate copy to keep for your own records. In Arbroath, we have a reproduction of that copy as the original is in Edinburgh.”

Although one of Angus’s oldest tourist attractions, there have been recent innovations at the abbey. An eco-designed sedum-roofed visitor centre was added a decade ago and the Declaration’s anniversary has been a good excuse for a refresh. Its displays have been brought right up to date with recent research – and the latest technology – to bring the abbey’s history to life.

It is also home to an important new piece of art, the Arbroath Tapestry. Stitched by members of the Arbroath Tapestry Group, its panels tell the story of the Declaration alongside key moments in the abbey’s history. Surprisingly this crucial part of Scottish history was left out of the 2013 Great Tapestry of Scotland, so its designer Andrew Crummy designed the new panels for Arbroath. n

FACT BOX

Due to COVID-19, check websites for updates and trading details.

Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, www.visitscotland.com/ycw2020

Arbroath 2020, www.Arbroath2020.com

Montrose Basin Visitor Centre, adult £4.50; cons: £3.50; child £1; members free, scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserve/montrose-basin

House of Dun, near Montrose. Tour, adult £12; cons £10; family £28, 
www.nts.org.uk

Arbikie Distillery, Inverkeilor, www.arbikie.com

Arbroath Abbey, adult £9; cons £7.20; child £5.40, www.historicenvironment.scot

The Declaration of Arbroath on display at National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, until 26 April, entry free. www.nms.ac.uk