Living the retirement dream

We are sharing our ideal retirement experiences.

Carnoustie and Arbroath

Jim wanted to see Carnoustie because of its famous golf course even though he never visited the golf course during our stay.

We stayed in the Morvan House which was built in 1845 for a local shipping magnate John Borrie. After his death the house was in ruins until 1950 when it was taken over and established as a B&B then a small hotel and now owned by a couple who has made it a B&B again.

We had a relatively small but modest bedroom with an ensuite bath.

The house is located up on a hill so we had a nice view of the town below and a glimpse of the North Sea.

This is Jim’s only view of the famous Carnoustie golf links. You can actually see St. Andrews on the horizon in the background also.

We spent our only full day in Carnoustie hiking the Seaton cliffs.The main trail starts in Victoria Park in Arbroath.

This scenic coastal walk has options for both a short or longer 8 mile trail that can take up to four hours.

We opted for the shorter version today which gave us 4 miles over a period of two hours.

Surprising to find Gorse in bloom this time of year. The flowers reportedly have a distinct vanilla or coconut smell. We did not get close enough to this prickly bush to smell the flowers.

The path is mostly surfaced but has some rougher sections and steps leading to rocky cliffs

The trail features geological landmarks like blowholes and sea stacks.

It is a moderately challenging walk that requires caution in certain areas.

Jim choosing the dangerous route.

You can see Sandy’s shadow as she stands on the edge of the cliff to take this picture.

There are safety markers spread out along the cliffs to help the coastguard locate someone in an emergency.

It is advised to stay on the designated footpaths due to unstable cliff edges and follow any diversions.

We did not venture down any off the cliff footpaths but saw a few people who did dare to go down them.

The elevation gain is 295 feet. The sandstone cliffs are spectacular.

This is a mysterious metal art installation that appeared in September 2019. It features the musical notation for the song “Lord of the Dance”. The identity of the artist is unknown.

After our walk we drove in to picturesque Arbrorath Harbor

This is an historic fishing port.

We had a lovely lunch here. Sandy opted for grilled lobster which was delicious. We also had tasty oysters for an appetizer.

This plate was hanging in our B&B dining room. A sample of the Scottish brogue.

Breakfast was included and we had a lovely table by the window.

After breakfast we checked out and headed back to Arbroath to see The Arbroath Abbey. Jim spotted this antique motorcycle posing for a picture.

Just as we approached it the owner came out. It is a WWII military motorcycle.

It still works and off he rides in this video.

Arbroath is most famous for its medieval Abbey which was founded in 1178 by King William I, aka William the Lion.

The Abbey was intended as a memorial to William’s childhood friend Thomas Beckett, the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury.

Speaking of Archbishops.

We do not know what got into us to do this.

The presbytery, sacristy and south transept survive to a large extent but the most complete part of the abbey is its strikingly beautiful west front which is a captivating example of European twin towered church facade design.

William’s legacy was an outstandingly beautiful building. Though badly damaged it remains an important symbol and landmark.

The king was buried in front of the abbey’s high altar following his death in 1214.

Jim found the most perfect little cafe for us in Arbroath.

It had some great signs on the walls.

The scones with clotted cream and jam were delicious.There are two ways to eat a scone; clotted cream then jam which is the Devon method or jam first then clotted cream which is the Cornish method. We prefer the Devon method.

So that’s two nights in Carnoustie with a couple of visits to Arbroath. We did have a very good Thai meal on our first night and then the afternoon seafood meal in Arbroath. Jim also had a haircut in Carnoustie from a Turkish barber which seems to be quite popular in the UK. It is not a great haircut. Next stop is Pitlochry.

Living our retirement dream

October 27, 2025

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