Arbroath: The Harbour, the Smokie & the Angus Coast

Arbroath: The Harbour, the Smokie & the Angus Coast

A fishing boat in Arbroath harbour with the sun low over the water.
Arbroath — a proper working harbour town on the Angus coast, and the home of the famous Arbroath smokie.

Overview — the honest take

Arbroath is a real, unvarnished working fishing town on the Angus coast, north of Dundee — and all the better for it. It has two claims to fame that most towns would kill for: the abbey where Scotland declared its independence in 1320, and the Arbroath smokie, a smoked haddock so good it has the same protected status as Champagne. Add a busy harbour, a red-sandstone coast and some of the finest sea cliffs in eastern Scotland, and it’s a genuinely rewarding stop. (The locals, for the record, are proudly known as “Red Lichties.”)

Our Hymer motorhome on the road to Arbroath.
On the road up the Angus coast to Arbroath.

Where it is

Arbroath sits on the North Sea coast of Angus, about 17 miles north-east of Dundee, on the main road and rail line up to Aberdeen. It’s an easy, worthwhile detour whether you’re heading north or exploring the east coast.

The harbour & the fishing town

Stacked creels and coloured ropes at Arbroath harbour.
Creels and coloured ropes stacked on the quay — this is still a working fishing harbour.

The harbour is the heart of Arbroath, and still very much alive — boats, creels, and the tang of the sea. This part of town, the old fishing quarter, is known as the “Fit o’ the Toon.” Wander the quays, watch the boats, and you’re looking at the industry that made the place.

The marina and fishing harbour at Arbroath.
The harbour and marina at the heart of the town.
Sunset over the boats in Arbroath harbour.
A winter sun going down over the harbour.

The Arbroath smokie

You cannot come here and not eat a smokie. It’s a whole haddock, salted and then hot-smoked over hardwood until the skin turns copper and the flesh is meltingly soft — eaten warm, straight from the barrel, it’s one of the great tastes of Scotland.

The story is a good one. The smokie was actually born just up the coast in the tiny cliff village of Auchmithie, whose fishing families are thought to have Norse roots — hot-smoking being an old Viking way of preserving fish. From around 1705 the families began moving to Arbroath for its better harbour, and brought the smokie with them. In 2004 it was granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status: a genuine “Arbroath smokie” must be made within five miles of Arbroath, the traditional way. Buy one from a smokehouse by the harbour and eat it there and then.

Arbroath Abbey

Arbroath Abbey seen across the green from the town.
Arbroath Abbey rises right in the middle of the town.

Right in the middle of town rise the great red ruins of Arbroath Abbey — founded in 1178 and the birthplace of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. It’s the town’s crown jewel and deserves a page of its own: read the full story here.

The coast & the Seaton Cliffs

The rocky red sandstone shore along the Arbroath coast.
The red sandstone shore that runs north to the Seaton Cliffs.

North of the harbour, the coast rears up into the magnificent Seaton Cliffs — red Devonian sandstone, 400-odd million years old, carved by the sea into stacks, arches, caves and coves. A cliff-top nature trail leads past landmarks with wonderful old names: the Needle’s E’e (a natural rock arch), the Deil’s Heid, Castle Gate and the rest — over forty of them in all, on the six-mile walk round to Auchmithie. It’s a wildlife reserve too, alive with seabirds. One of the best coastal walks on the east coast.

A wide view along the Arbroath coast and bay.
The wide sweep of the Angus coast at Arbroath.

The seafront

The seafront promenade at Arbroath.
The seafront promenade — a fine, breezy walk.

Back in town, the seafront and promenade make for an easy blow-the-cobwebs-away stroll, with the beach, the bay and the boats all in view. Lillie certainly thought so.

Lillie the dog running with a stick at Arbroath.
Lillie making the most of the Angus grass.

Getting there & overnight

Arbroath is a straightforward drive up the A92 Angus coast road. It’s a proper town with all services — fuel, shops, food and the harbour smokehouses.

More from our visit

The rooftops of Arbroath town.
Over the rooftops of the old fishing town.
Springfield Park and rose garden, Arbroath.
Springfield Park — a green breather in town.
The ruins of Arbroath Abbey in winter light.
The abbey ruins under a bright winter sky.
Lillie the dog on the grass at Arbroath.
Lillie enjoying the abbey green.

Nearby

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