Montrose

Montrose's places to stay reflect the town itself: solid, characterful and largely independent, with none of the identikit chain hotels that dominate bigger Scottish towns. At the top end sit a handful of properties built around genuine character, from a boutique coastal bed and breakfast at Lunan Bay to the Links Hotel's Victorian mill-owner's house on the historic Mid Links, both offering a standard of comfort and food well above what the town's modest size might suggest. These suit couples and golfers looking for a proper night out as much as a place to sleep.

In the middle sits a cluster of long-established, family-run hotels right in the town centre, several with genuine histories stretching back over a century: the Park Hotel and the George Hotel both trade on solid, comfortable rooms and dependable Scottish cooking rather than novelty, while the Star Hotel claims roots as a coaching inn dating to 1748, one of the oldest in Scotland still taking guests. All three put the High Street, harbour and station within easy walking distance, and all three are popular with golfers visiting the town's historic links.

For a quieter or more budget-conscious stay, Montrose has a good spread of guest houses and B&Bs, several positioned to make the most of the town's two great natural assets: the beach and the basin. Oaklands Guest House looks out towards Montrose Basin and is an easy walk from the High Street, while the Hillside Hotel, a small family-run inn in the village of Hillside just outside town, suits those who want a rural edge without giving up a restaurant and bar on site. For a self-catering alternative with a working farm setting, Charleton Farm's cottages sit just outside Montrose and add extras like private hot tubs to a more independent stay.

Whichever category you choose, book ahead for the Montrose Basin goose season in autumn and for any weekend when the golf links are hosting events, as rooms in this modestly sized town can fill quickly despite its unhurried, unshowy character.

Montrose rewards a slow visit as much as a brisk one, with the beach, basin and old town all within walking distance of each other. Highlights include:

• Montrose Basin a two-mile-wide tidal nature reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, with a visitor centre, hides and telescopes overlooking mudflats that host thousands of pink-footed geese, eider duck and wading birds through autumn and winter.
• Montrose Beach nearly two miles of clean sand backed by dunes and a promenade, with a pitch and putt course, an amusement arcade and space enough that it rarely feels crowded even in summer.
• Montrose Museum one of the earliest purpose-built museums in Scotland, opened in 1842, with collections covering natural history, Napoleonic-era militaria and the town's seafaring and whaling past.
• Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre housed on the site of the UK's first operational military airfield, established in 1913, with original buildings, replica aircraft and archives covering both World Wars.
• Scurdie Ness Lighthouse a Stevenson-built lighthouse standing guard over the harbour entrance since 1870, a bracing walk or short drive from the town centre with views along the coast.
• House of Dun a Georgian mansion designed by William Adam for the Erskine family, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, set in walled gardens and woodland a few miles west of the town.
• Montrose Golf Links a complex of courses with recorded golf played since 1562, making it one of the oldest places in the world to swing a club, open to visitors alongside its private members.
• Lunan Bay a mile-long sweep of sand a short drive south, overlooked by the ruins of Red Castle and regularly ranked among the best beaches in Scotland.

Montrose's food scene leans heavily on what comes off its own coastline and the surrounding Angus farmland: North Sea seafood, Angus beef and soft fruit from the fertile land inland all turn up on menus around the town. The harbour still lands fish, and local chippies and seafood spots make good use of it.

The High Street holds a mix of independent cafes, bakeries and pubs rather than national chains, with a Saturday street market bringing local produce, baking and crafts into the town centre. Hotel restaurants at properties such as the Links Hotel and the George Hotel serve modern Scottish menus built around local beef, lamb and fish, while smaller establishments around the town offer everything from fish and chips to coffee and home baking.

Nearby, the fishing villages of Johnshaven and Gourdon retain working harbours and simple, honest seafood pubs worth the short drive, and Brechin and the Angus glens inland are known for game and farm produce that regularly appears on Montrose menus. Whisky and gin from Angus and wider Aberdeenshire distilleries are well represented in the town's bars, alongside a growing interest in Scottish craft beer.

Montrose's flat coastal setting, sandwiched between beach and basin, makes it a natural base for touring and tent camping, and the town itself holds a well-established holiday park within walking distance of the sea front and the High Street. A handful of further sites lie a short drive north and south along the coast, taking in the dune-backed beaches and cliffs that make this stretch of Angus and southern Aberdeenshire so distinctive.

South Links Holiday Park sits right on the edge of Montrose, a rare case of a coastal campsite that puts a town centre, a beach and a golf course all within easy reach on foot, and it is the obvious first choice for anyone who wants to explore Montrose itself without needing a car every day. Its four-star rating and solid facilities make it popular with both touring caravanners and families in tents through the spring and summer season.

Heading north across the county boundary into Aberdeenshire, the coastline around St Cyrus offers a quieter, more scenic alternative, with sites set behind dunes close to St Cyrus's own long sandy beach and National Nature Reserve, known for its cliffside flora and seabird colonies. These sites suit visitors who want direct beach access and a slower pace, with Montrose itself still only a short drive away for shopping, the museum or a meal out.

All of the sites below take tents, touring caravans and motorhomes, though facilities and opening seasons vary, so it is worth checking directly before booking, particularly outside the core April to September season. Electric hook-up, showers and laundry facilities are standard across the area, and dogs are generally welcome, making this a straightforward stretch of coast for a self-catering, outdoor-based break.