Once she guarded the entrance to the mouth of the River Tay. Today Broughty Castle, near Dundee, guards a lovely beach and a few historic treasures instead.
Just before the mouth of the River Tay finally opens out to the North Sea, the two banks draw close together one last time. This was exactly the most strategically favourable spot to control access into the Tay. Broughty Castle was built to provide protection – against the English.
Because whoever made it into the Firth of Tay had the way open to Dundee, to Perth, and far into the hinterland beyond. After all, at 193 kilometres, the Tay is Scotland’s longest river.
Today the castle no longer wants to bar visitors’ way into the Firth of Tay. Quite the opposite: a speedboat departs directly in front of the castle that seeks out the local dolphins, shows off the coastline, passes old lighthouses, or loops around behind the new V&A Dundee. The operator is Pirate Boats Ltd.
The castle gates, too, now stand wide open – visitors don’t even have to pay to look inside the fortress. And there’s plenty to see here.
First there are the ramparts, which were even fitted with cannons during the Second World War – against possible German attackers from the sea.
Then there’s the centrepiece, the old tower house – a typical castle form in Scotland.
It’s worth starting at the top of the building, on the viewing platform. From there, the view sweeps across the long beach of Broughty Ferry.
Then you make your way down floor by floor, and each level has its own exhibition. At the very top, for example, a weapons collection – including exhibits from Britain’s former colonies.
One landing further down, visitors learn more about the wildlife of the Tay estuary area. Below that again, things turn artistic: a painting collection adorns the walls.
On the ground floor stand items that quite literally come from the ground: finds from excavations in the area. Among them, a clay cup dating from the era between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.
For a free entry fee, this small castle really has a lot to offer.
Know-how: Broughty Castle’s fought-over history
Broughty Castle stands in the town of Broughty Ferry. The word “Broughty” comes from the Gaelic, made up of “bruach” for “bank” and “Tatha” for “Tay”.
Broughty Castle has stood on this spot since 1495, and could already take enemy ships under fire from a distance. The other way round, though, was harder: the Tay’s fast current made it difficult for captains to aim.
But as early as 1547 the castle was sold – to none other than those the castle was actually supposed to defend against: the English. From the castle, the occupying garrison also exerted influence over the town of Dundee. Something the Scottish crown was absolutely not happy about.
And so Broughty Castle faced its first real test. 150 men under the Duke of Argyll tried to storm the fortress. In vain. It was only when the future Scottish queen Marie de Guise attacked three years later with the help of hundreds of French soldiers that the castle fell back to Scotland.
A hundred years later, the English were back in a different form. It was the time of the Civil War under Oliver Cromwell. His General Monck laid siege to the castle, which was still held by royalist troops. But they had little appetite for fighting, and fled.
The town of Dundee had to pay a bitter price for this. Monck plundered and massacred around 5,000 inhabitants. He took the plundered riches aboard his ships and sailed off.
It was the River Tay itself that avenged Dundee. Heavy winds and the current sent all 60 ships, laden with treasure, to the bottom. Monck survived, and went on to oppress Scotland further still. But the treasures remain guarded by the waters of the Tay to this day.
Broughty Castle, incidentally, remained in military use right up until after the end of the Second World War. Today Historic Scotland runs the castle, and Leisure & Culture Dundee runs the museum inside it.
Tips: Broughty Ferry and the Tay
A visit to the castle can easily be turned into a full day out. For one thing, in good weather, the speedboat trip on the Tay is well worth it. Dolphins aren’t guaranteed, but even without them the boat trip is a lovely one – just be sure to book well ahead.
The beach and the waterfront promenades invite you to take a stroll, and the small restaurants tempt you with a seafood refreshment.
Getting there:
With satnav: “DD5 2TF” brings you close by. You can park around the street “Castle Approach”.
Without satnav: from Dundee, take the A930, or “Dundee Road West”. In Broughty Ferry, a brown sign for the castle eventually appears; turn right here. As soon as the castle comes into view, keep left and look for a parking spot.
