Forfar

Forfar is the county town of Angus, 13 miles north of Dundee. It had a linen and jute industry in the 18th and 19th centuries but those have gone, so Forfar is now a commuter town for Dundee, with a population in 2020 of 14,000. The main reasons to visit are Glamis Castle, and the fine Pictish carved stones here and at Meigle and Aberlemno.

Get in
Forfar is off A90, 13 miles north of Dundee which is the nearest railway station.

Citylink buses from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen stop at the A90 / A94 intersection two miles southwest of Forfar town centre - the bus stop is by McDonald's. They're every hour or two; they may also stop at Broxden P&R on the edge of Perth, and in Dundee.

Stagecoach Bus 20 / 21 runs from Dundee to Forfar town centre, taking 30 min; M-F it's every 30 min, Sa hourly, Su every two hours. Bus 20 continues to Kirriemuir and Bus 21 to Brechin and Strathcathro Hospital.

Bus 27 runs from Arbroath (which has a railway station) to Forfar, taking 45 min. It's hourly M-Sa with only four buses on Sunday.

There are no buses west to Blairgowrie or Coupar Angus, you'd have to double back via Dundee.

Get around
You need your own wheels to reach the places of interest; a bike would do nicely. For instance to Glamis Castle is six miles, with no practical bus service.

See

 * East and Old Church (Church of Scotland) on High St was built in 1789/90, with the clock tower added in 1815.
 * Lowson Memorial Church (Church of Scotland) at the foot of Montrose Road was built in 1914 in Scots Gothic style.
 * west side of town is a shallow freshwater lake, about a mile long east-west. There's a park and paths for strolling. St Margaret's Inch, the gravel projection on the north bank, had a crannog and monk's cell but nothing remains of them.
 * is a village 7 miles northwest of Forfar which in the 16th century was the scene of witch hunts. But it's best known as the birthplace of JM Barrie (1860-1937), author of Peter Pan, and his house is a museum run by NTS. The Tayside Police Museum is on Reform St, open Th-Su 11AM-3PM. Other local artifacts such as Pictish stones have been taken to Meigle or other museums. The actor David Niven (1910-1983) claimed to have been born in Kirriemuir, in fact it was London.
 * stands in fields at Crossan 4 miles west of Forfar. It's a Pictish cross-slab and depicts a boat: Forfar Loch and wetlands may once have extended this far. In 2020 it's covered over for conservation work.
 * Glamis village nearby is attractive, with several historic buildings and the Pictish Glamis Manse Stone, but the Angus Folk Museum has closed down. There are two distilleries, see Drink.
 * has a single Pictish stone, from about the 8th century and finely carved. It's in a glass shelter within the ruin of Eassie old church, by a loop off A94.
 * Glamis village nearby is attractive, with several historic buildings and the Pictish Glamis Manse Stone, but the Angus Folk Museum has closed down. There are two distilleries, see Drink.
 * has a single Pictish stone, from about the 8th century and finely carved. It's in a glass shelter within the ruin of Eassie old church, by a loop off A94.
 * is a ruin two miles northeast of Forfar, follow B9113. There was a church here from Pictish times, but what you see now is from the 12th century when it became an Augustinian outpost of Jedburgh Abbey. You're free to stroll round it any time.
 * refers both to the 19th C mansion, and the ruined 17th-century L-plan tower house in the woods behind. It's privately owned and you'll have to be content with a glimpse as the A90 sweeps past, though they rent out an apartment within the mansion and have game-fishing on the River South Esk. The 16th-century Doocot has 2400 pigeonholes and is managed by NTS but seldom open to visit. On the hill to the southeast towards Aberlemno was an Iron Age fort, but there's just shrubs to see now.
 * is a mostly 19th century mansion 6 miles east of Forfar. Since 2017 it's just been a private residence and you can't visit.
 * Edzell Castle: see Montrose for this charming ruined castle and walled garden north of Brechin.
 * Tealing Earth House and Dovecote: see Dundee.
 * Tealing Earth House and Dovecote: see Dundee.

Do

 * Forfar Athletic (aka "The Loons") play soccer in Scottish League Two, the game's fourth tier. Their home ground is Station Park, capacity 7000, on Carseview Rd at the north edge of town.
 * Golf: Forfar GC is a mile east on A932 Arbroath Rd. There's also a driving range half a mile north of town on B9128.
 * Bonfest is a rock festival held in May in Kirriemuir, with the next on 3-5 May 2024.
 * Angus Agricultural Show is held in June in the nearby town of Brechin.
 * Strathmore Highland Games are held in June at Glamis Castle, with the next on Su 9 June 2024.
 * Kirriemuir Agricultural Show is held in July at the Castle, with the next on Sa 13 July 2024.
 * Glamis Country Fair & Horse Trails was cancelled in 2023 and is unlikely to resume in 2024.
 * Glamis Country Fair & Horse Trails was cancelled in 2023 and is unlikely to resume in 2024.

Buy

 * Asda in town centre is open daily 7:30AM-10PM and has a filling station.

Eat

 * Forfar bridies are savoury meat pastries. They're triangular shortcrust pastries with crimped edges filled with minced steak, but not potato, so they're more substantial than (for instance) Cornish pasties. Two holes punched in the crust means it also contains minced onion, one hole means it's without. Elsewhere in Scotland the pastry may be flaky but Forfar always bakes with shortcrust pastry.

Drink

 * Other pubs along High Street are Old Masons Arms, Burns Bar, The Osnaburg, and Thistle Bar, with The Stag on Castle St.
 * Distilleries: Glamis has two. Gin Bothy in the village offers tours Th-Su 11AM-5PM. Ogilvy Spirits a couple of miles south makes potato vodka, no tours.
 * Cows drink free: The pawky legend goes that a townsman left a tub of beer at his doorway, and a passing cow drank it. He tried to bill the cow's owner, but the magistrate ruled that a drink taken standing at the doorway was deoch an doras, a stirrup cup or farewell drink, a gesture of hospitality for which no Scot would ever expect payment. The ruling is not binding upon other courts so don't push your luck at pub closing time.
 * Cows drink free: The pawky legend goes that a townsman left a tub of beer at his doorway, and a passing cow drank it. He tried to bill the cow's owner, but the magistrate ruled that a drink taken standing at the doorway was deoch an doras, a stirrup cup or farewell drink, a gesture of hospitality for which no Scot would ever expect payment. The ruling is not binding upon other courts so don't push your luck at pub closing time.

Sleep

 * The B&Bs in Forfar didn't open in 2020.
 * The B&Bs in Forfar didn't open in 2020.
 * The B&Bs in Forfar didn't open in 2020.

Connect
As of Nov 2020, EE has a good 4G signal in town. You might manage a mobile call with the other carriers. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Arbroath, source of Scotland's first documented declaration of independence in 1320, has a ruined abbey and a Victorian Signal Tower used to signal and support the lighthouse.
 * Dundee has Scott's Antarctic vessel Discovery, the V&A design museum, and Verdant jute mill.