Dundee History & Travel Guide

Dundee (Gaelic - Dùn Dèagh - Dun means fort) has a fantastic and interesting history. The setting is visually stunning and rivals any city in Bonny Scotland. The law (meaning hill), once an active volcano, sits in the centre of Dundee providing a romantic vantage point to all sides of City.

Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland in Dundee - the year 1309. He couldn't have wished for a more beautiful setting to officially wear his crown for the first time.

Dundee has been known for the three Js - Jute, Jam & Journalism, but now only one J survives - Journalism. When jute was being produced in Dundee, the city had more millionaires per square mile than any other city in the UK. Although industry has died rapidly in the city, technology is thriving and this supports the two main Universities - Dundee University & Abertay.

Journalism is still going strong in the city and this is purely because of the business skills utilised by the management. DC Thomson's have created some amazing characters in their comic books (Desperate Dan, Billy Whizz & my favourite character - Rodger the Dodger) which still haven't been exploited fully in the new multimedia age we all live in. Maybe like Marvel it might take a change of management, or a younger DC generation before the great characters that DC has created is exploited to the full.

Shipbuilding and the whaling trade also played a major part in Dundee. Dundee has the unenviable reputation of being the king in terms of whales killed per head of population in Scotland. The men who ventured out in mid winter to harpoon the whales, whilst misguided were probably the bravest men you could ever meet. Even now you get the occasional whale swimming into the river Tay and hopefully escaping back into the oceans.

Dundee is now turning into a frontier town yet again and offers easy access to the rest of Scotland whilst maintaining its relaxed pace of life. The three main cities of Bonny Scotland are within easy reach as is St Andrews, the home of golf and Perth which if it continues growing at the same rate will soon become a city! Dundee is ideally place to visit and admire the natural beauty of Scotland.

The "Silvery" River Tay is both beautiful and geographically important. The railway bridge has played an important part in UK history. Thomas Bouch designed the bridge and was ultimately blamed when a section of it collapsed during a storm in 1879. It is now thought by some that it wasn't his design to blame but the builders who used poor quality material to save costs. This is probably where the saying "it's a botch up" comes from.

Dundee has many tourist attractions including the Discovery Ship & the Frigate Unicorn. Unicorn is the oldest surviving wooden battle ship in the UK.

If you are looking for entertainment, Dundee has it all. Music is alive and well and the bars and nightclubs are second to none. For the younger generation the west end is full of lively and cosmopolitan drinking holes like the DCA. If you want to party the night away you will not go wrong by visiting Fat Sams or the London Night Club.

In Broughty Ferry a pub worth a visit is the Fisherman's Tavern. Broughty Ferry is more welcoming to people who are looking for a more relaxed pace of life.

Dundee has such an amazing history that it is impossible to do it justice in such a short article. Whatever you are looking for in a city you will not go far wrong by coming to the Banks of the Silvery Tay and sampling the lovely delights this city has to offer in Bonny Scotland.

About the Author

Chris Fawcett Dundee Dundee Business Dundee News