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Hope at the Oaks

Hope at the Oaks'

Days Out in the Montrose Area

  • Play-park right over the road after the beech hedge – really fun
  • This leads to Rosemount Woods, with a circular walk of less than a mile which is really lovely.
  • Charleton Farm is walkable from here (about 20 minutes), straight down to the bottom of the Main Road and go across the road, taking the first left down the lane under the railway bridge. Keep walking about half a mile until you see the Charleton Farm sign and head up to your right up a bumpy track and you’ll be there. It has a huge playpark, café, shop and you can pick strawberries and other fruit in season.
  • Montrose Beach is 2 miles away – a short drive and is well worth a walk at low tide. It also has a big park with great climbing frames and a small splash park for little ones, complete with ice-creams etc.
  • If you like beaches then St Cyrus is a few miles north with its miles of sandy beach and dunes and Lunan Bay is few miles south - another beautiful spot.
  • Redcaps – a café in Montrose which is set up for board games, Warhammer, D&D and Magic the Gathering games all at different times of the week, also do cheapish meals and bakes.
  • Clay Half is a great wee pottery run by Irene who offer classes and workshops e.g. throwing, hand building and sometimes have sessions for children and adults together. Worth emailing if you can’t see what you would like because they are often willing to do one-off sessions.
Rock pooling in Angus

Local fun for the family

Montrose Basin is well worth a visit – the visitors centre has loads of telescopes you can use to spot birds and other fun stuff to interact with for kids and learn about nature - it’s not expensive and is just the other side of Montrose on the way to Arbroath

A walk in the woods


  • Montrose Sports Centre – really good swimming pool with sauna and steam room (£6 for adults) and gym/classes and cafe etc.
  • Montrose Playhouse is an independent cinema and bar. It has a lovely atmosphere – big community vibe and well worth checking out online
  • House of Dun National Trust property a few miles towards Brechin – it has lovely woods to walk in for miles, a café if you need it and you can also visit the house (there is a charge for this)
  • Drumtochty Woods are great for walking or biking and around 10 miles away
  • Edzell is a lovely wee town, around 10 miles away and well worth wandering around, visiting a couple of cafes.
  • Near Edzell is the Blue Door Walk, which is a beautiful walk up the river, past the Rocks of Solitude and back. It’s worth an explore, for little ones keep an eye on them as there are steep drops into the river. You can swim further up about half a mile/mile into the walk if you like!
  • Slightly further away is Glenesk, this is a wonderful valley which takes you right up into the Glens. From there you can walk to Loch Lee and beyond, it’s well worth the half hour drive out there.
  • Also that way is the Glenesk Folk Museum, which is full of lovely artefacts from the area and knowledgeable people who will be happy to yarn all day about the area. It’s a relaxing, calm experience and one you will cherish.


Shopping!

Montrose is proud to have a Lidl, Aldi, Farmfoods, Tesco, Home Bargains and a 24-hour Asda garage. These are the pinnacle of the Montrose shopping experience really. None of these are in the town centre. Tesco and Aldi are near the train station and the other three are on your way into Montrose. Good for your weekly shop although the Tesco carpark is a bit fraught so avoid this if you can! In the town centre however you do have some handy places, The Original Factory Shop for all your homewares and clothing items you have forgotten, loads of charity shops which are also brilliant for forgotten items (usually swim wear in my case!), Savers and a couple of other wee shops, bakers, butchers, etc.

Dundee is 45 minutes away and is our preference over Aberdeen for a day out, shopping etc. Home to a fab leisure pool with flumes and some brilliant museums and galleries. Discovery, V & A, Dundee Science Centre etc.

Eating Out

Eating (2-mile radius)

  • Avoid the Starbucks – it’s a franchise and everything is £5 or over – but Costa is ok and right in the retail park too!
  • The Traill Pavilion is a wee café on the beach which is lovely – stoves to warm you if it’s cold and good baking
  • Charleton Farm – great burgers and loaded chips
  • House of Dun Cafe – soup and a pie
  • Fish and chip van in the park opposite our house - on a Monday night only!
  • Sher-e-Bangla - great Indian in Montrose which we like
  • Various chip shops – all more or less the same, no real recommendations here!
  • Ma Yom Thai restaurant (Montrose) is nice if you want a posher night out, above an old hotel in the town centre

Eating -further afield