A day trip to Dundee from Edinburgh

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The next destination for the Photographic Society of the University of Edinburgh was this day trip to Dundee, Scotland’s 4th largest city. The main point of interest was the brand new (then) V&A Museum in Dundee and the Tay (Rail) Bridge. We didn’t follow any nature trail as we did during our previous day trips (see A day trip to Peebles for an example). Nevertheless, you can find the route we followed below.

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Getting there

There are direct trains from Edinburgh to Dundee every half an hour. You can get the train either from Edinburgh Waverly or Haymarket stations. The train journey should last between 1 hour and 1 hour and a half (depending on the stops of the train). Once you reach Dundee station, the city centre and the main sights are only a few steps away.

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Things to do

Dundee has many museums to visit. One of the highlights is the relatively new V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum in Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum, the little brother of the V&A Museum in London. Then, there is the RSS Discovery, Dundee Science Centre, Dundee Contemporary Arts and the McManus Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum. Of course, you should not leave Dundee without having a look at the Tay Rail Bridge, which you most probably would have crossed on your way there. Lastly, pass by Magdalen Green on your way back to the city centre.


Day Trip to Dundee – Photo Diary

Tay Rail Bridge
Starting our walk by the beach to get closer to the Tay Rail Bridge.
Experimenting with taking a few close-up shots.
Tay Bridge
The Tay Bridge has quite an interesting story, starting with: “This is not the original bridge”!
Tay Bridge
The original rail bridge opened for passenger trains in June 1878 and it was the longest in the world back then. Unfortunately, in December 1879, it collapsed due to high winds while a train was passing. All 75 passengers and crew of the 6-carriage train were killed…
Tay Bridge
A few years later the construction of another bridge begun and the new bridge was finished in 1887. Since then, the bridge stands stills and is being properly maintained. Or at least I hope so, as many trains continue to regularly use it! Anyway, if you’re curious, the last refurbishment happened in 2003 and cost £20m. Sony ILCE-5100
Tay Bridge
Of course, no photography trip is complete without taking a photo of the bridge from every possible angle! ?
View of railway tracks
We need to cross the railway tracks using a bridge to reach Magdalen Park.
Bandstand in Magdalen Park
This bandstand in Dundee’s Magdalen Park is used for Sunday concerts during the summer.
Red Phone Box in Magdalen Park
From Magdalen Park, apart from this red phone box and the bandstand, you can also see the planes (small ones) that are about to land in the nearby airport.
A street in Dundee
Making our way back to the city centre to get something for lunch.
V&A sign
We made it to V&A!
V&A Dundee Exterior
The exterior of the museums is pretty impressive!
V&A Dundee Exterior
Time to head inside the museum as it started raining! By the way, did I mention that it is free to enter?

All photos were taken using the camera Sony ILCE-5100 [AD] and the 16-50mm [AD] or 55-210mm [AD] lense unless otherwise specified.


P.S. What do you think about my Scottish travel diaries? Let me know in the comments below! I still have a few more to upload so your feedback would be much appreciated! ?

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Elina Michaelidou

Elina is a computer science graduate and a traveller enthusiastic. Read everything about her travel experiences here.

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