THE STORY
Introduction
Discovery Point and the waterfront area
Starting the walk / Caird Hall
Tourist Information / High Street
Reform Street / Albert Square
University of Abertay
Dudhope Castle and Park
Verdant Works
University of Dundee
Dundee Rep and DCA
Sensation Science Centre
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Introduction
This short walk starts from the parking area at the RRS Discovery, on the riverside, close to the railway station and Olympia leisure centre. It links the main attractions and features of the city centre and highlights the city’s industrial heritage as well as present-day knowledge-based industries and cultural facilities. You could walk around it in an hour or so, but this should allow you plenty of time to stop off at the locations which interest you most, or to enjoy a leisurely lunch or coffee at one of the many good eating places along the way.
I’ve put this together from local knowledge of the city centre where I have worked since 1994. Over that time the place has been transformed by major improvements in the streets themselves, the retail and entertainment facilities, and the two universities. Many of my colleagues from Scottish Enterprise Tayside, and others from Dundee City Council, have been directly involved in these developments, so there is a real personal interest in setting out what the City Centre now offers to the visitor.
People who last visited Dundee 15 or 20 years ago often have a rather negative impression of it still lingering in their memory. It's time they came back and had a walk around the city. Those who have never been here are due for a pleasant surprise. There can't be many city centres with such a diversity of attractions and facilities concentrated together as they are in Dundee.
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Discovery Point and the waterfront area
Even so, for those who don’t want to take the walk, the Olympia swimming pool provides for various alternative activities. Discovery Point provides an impression of the Antarctic and explains the background to the construction of the ship and the expeditions of Captain Scott. The tour of the ship is especially fascinating. There's a cafe and shop as well - and a family pub situated nearby on the waterfront. Beyond that, extensive landscaping has provided an attractive riverside promenade along to the rail bridge (but that's a different walk!).
Recently a colleague recounted the story of how the RRS Discovery was brought back to Dundee - first to nearby Victoria Dock in 1986, then carefully navigated under the bridge and into its permanent home a few years later. It sounded like a very tricky undertaking! Many other fascinating events are described in a timeline of the ship, on the Heritage Trust website.
This "Central Waterfront" area of the city is the focus for further redevelopment over the next decade, working to a masterplan to create a much more welcoming environment less dominated by motor vehicles. The first stage of this renewal is underway (May 2005) on the road leading up from the railway station to the city centre. A web page on the City Council site describes the roadworks and goes on to explain further developments that are planned over the coming years.
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Starting the walk / Caird Hall
The first part of the walk is probably the most difficult section to follow! Walk up the spiral steps at the front of the Olympia building to the start of the overbridge, then turn left to cross above the roads. This leads through Tayside House, the tower block housing Dundee City Council services, due for demolition as part of the regeneration of this area. An escalator leads down to the foot of Crichton Street.
Walk ahead up Crichton Street for a short distance until you reach a flight of steps up to the right. These lead up to the City Square at the front of the Caird Hall. The Hall is the city’s main venue for large conferences and concerts. It was built as a concert hall from 1914-1922, thanks to the generosity of one of Dundee's best known jute barons, Sir James Caird (he also helped to fund Shackleton's momentous expedition to the Antarctic).
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Tourist Information / High Street
There’s a café with outside seating on the square, if the weather’s good and you want to stop for refreshment. If not, continue to the other side of the Caird Hall, where a tunnel leads through to Castle Street. Here you'll find the Tourist Information Centre, where you can call in for local information and accommodation bookings.
There are some fine old shops down Castle Street, and you may catch the smell of coffee roasting at Braithwaite’s across the road. Continue up to the top, then turn left, back towards the City Square where you can call into Ottakar's bookshops for books of local interest. On the corner on your right are statues of Desperate Dan and Minnie the Minx – celebrating the pleasure provided to millions of youngsters by these and other characters from the Dandy and Beano comics, created by D.C Thomson & Co in Dundee.
The main entrance to the splendid Overgate shopping centre stands across the square, with an area of seating around the statue of the Dundee dragon. Further along the High Street you will see the Old Steeple. Dating from around 1495, it is the highest surviving medieval tower is Scotland, and all that is left of an ancient church - a more recent church stands alongside.
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Reform Street / Albert Square
Back at the dragon, turn left past Boots into Reform Street. It has some fine facades, restored in recent years along with the pedestrianisation of the street itself. Continental markets are held here on several weekends during the year, and the continental atmosphere is maintained by more cafe seating on the wide pavement.
Walk along Reform Street, pausing midway to look down Bank Street on the left with other well-maintained old facades. The Victorian McManus Galleries stand on Albert Square at the top of Reform Street, and provides a variety of exhibitions as well as a café. Plans were recently announced (May 2005) for extensive renovation to the Galleries linked to improvements to the square outside. This will mean the building closing from October 2005 to early 2007, with the collections moved to Barrack Street Museum nearby (just beyond the Howff).
Along Ward Road to the left is The Howff, the old city centre graveyard which is a pleasant place to rest on a warm day. Although there are many parks in Dundee, this is the closest green area to the city centre. Across the road is the main post office and the imposing red sandstone headquarters of DC Thomson. Looking west provides an impressive series of contrasting frontages aligned along Ward Road facing the Howff.
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University of Abertay
Walk up to the right of the Thomson building, past the front door, then to the left of Dundee High School, and through to Bell Street. This brings you to the front of the University of Abertay, housed in the buildings of the predecessor Technical College. Turning left, the modern university buildings come into view. On the left is the new Students Union building, just ready for opening at the time this story is being written. On the opposite corner is the styllish front of Abertay University Library which it is designed to complement. These new buildings provide an impressive modern heart for what has become a highly innovative university, specialising in fields such as computer games technology, environmental management, and business studies. You can read more about the latest developments.
The commanding pillars of the Courthouse stand a little further along West Bell Street, although this is a slight diversion from the route. Intriguingly, seen from North Lindsay Street, the Courthouse is overlooked by The Law (the formerly volcanic hill standing above the city).
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Dudhope Castle and Park
Turn up the street to the right of the Library and past the side of the multi-storey car park. At the end, a road underpass leads under the inner ring road. Turn to the left when you emerge on the other side, and walk past the front of the Pentecostal Church, turning right up Parker Street. At the end of this, you should continue up the steps. Dudhope Castle and Park lie to the left. The residential buildings on the other side of the road were once the Dundee Royal Infirmary, until its functions were transferred to Ninewells Hospital on the west side of Dundee. Behind these lies the Constitution Street campus of Dundee College. At the top of the steps, turn left towards Dudhope Castle (there is also public parking here). This is one of four impressive castles within the boundaries of the city, and is now being put to good use by the University of Abertay.
From here it is possible to continue across Dudhope Park and up the Law, requiring an extra hour and a significant amount of effort climbing uphill (just go through the gate at the top of the park and on ahead up sucessive flights of steps). If you have less time or energy, you can get a good view over Dundee from the top of the slope in the park.
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Verdant Works
A roadway runs beside the castle on the other side from the park, and a stepped pathway leads down to a gate onto Lochee Road. Cross this with care to the top of the street opposite. This has the unappealing name of Smellie's Lane. At the foot of this street, continue ahead along West Henderson's Wynd to reach Verdant Works. Like Discovery Point, this is operated by Dundee Heritage Trust, and you can easily spend a fascinating couple of hours here, learning about the story of jute processing in the city. It recalls a time when Dundee was a major trading and manufacturing centre bring in massive shipments of raw jute from Bengal and converting these into sacks, rope and canvas.
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University of Dundee
Leaving Verdant Works and turning left (or walking past the front) continue ahead up the next street to a roundabout on Hawkhill. Cross the road here with care onto Hunter Street, and continue with the car park on your left towards the University of Dundee.
As a diversion from the route, you can walk up to the right, up Old Hawkhill, where there is currently a lot of building work on new university facilities. The university sports centre stands on the right, and on the left the impressive Wellcome Biocentre where leading edge research in the life sciences takes place.
A new Centre for Interdisciplinary Research is (May 2005) nearing completion alongside - its principal aims will be "to research the causes of two epidemics facing the developed and less developed world - Diabetes and Tropical Diseases". On the other side of the Hawkhill stand the premises of Cyclacel, one of the leading life sciences companies in Dundee. It aims to develop commercial treatments for cancer based on research carried out in Dundee.
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Dundee Rep and DCA
Returning down Old Hawkhill, continue past pubs and shops into South Tay Street. Towards the far end, on the right, stands Dundee Rep Theatre set back from the road behind an attractively designed square. As well as a great programme of theatre and other entertainments, it has a relaxing restaurant and bar.
Continuing to the end of South Tay Street, you reach Perth Road, with plenty more restaurants, bars and shops. Straight ahead is Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), in an award-winning conversion of an old commercial building. It has a programme of exhibitions, studios, a cinema showing many foreign language films, and a bar/restaurant looking out across the River Tay.
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This is the heart of Dundee's Cultural Quarter. The main buildings of the University of Dundee, including Duncan of Jordanston College of Art and Design, are situated further up Perth Road beyond the Queens Hotel, with access to the new digital media centre which faces south onto the railway line.
In the other direction lies the Overgate Shopping Centre overlooking a major junction. The road down to the right leads back towards the station and Discovery Point, past the roadworks currently underway.
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Sensation Science Centre
However, you are recommended to walk out from the back of DCA restaurant, down steps which lead towards another parking area and the Sensation Science Centre. This is yet another opportunity to spend some time enthralled by displays of a rather different type from those at the heritage museums. It's a good incentive to encourage the kids to keep going to the end of the walk, and will be a good reward for their exertions.
Leaving the entrance to Sensation, walk across the car park and towards the rail station, then cross at the traffic lights to Discovery Point and the car park where the walk started.
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Contributed by: Andrew Llanwarne
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