The next phase of the development of Eden Project Dundee has been confirmed.

Ambitious plans to create a global attraction in the heart of Dundee have taken another step forward with agreement to complete detailed development design and formal planning. 

The Eden Project and its partners have agreed a funding package that will pay for the next stages of work on the world-class attraction. 

The £7.6m injection into the project will fund detailed design and development and completing the work required for a planning application. This is effectively everything needed to get the project ready for construction. 

This work follows the completion of the Eden Project Dundee pollination study and masterplan, which established the economic, social and environmental case for the project and started exploring design and content. A series of community programmes in Dundee, beginning with the planting of wildflower meadows, is already underway. 

Eden Project Dundee partners Dundee City Council, The Northwood Charitable Trust and the University of Dundee will all contribute to the funding pot. The Eden Project will also invest heavily into the project through its development arm, Eden Project International, in order to maximise the Dundee project’s chances of success. 

Eden Project Dundee, which is set to be built on the former gasworks on East Dock Street overlooking the River Tay, is projected to attract more than 500,000 visitors every year, generating £27m of economic impact on the region annually. The project will create 200 direct jobs and support an additional 300 jobs in the supply chain and connected businesses. The construction phase is projected to bring an additional £171m to the regional economy. 

The Eden Project team is responsible for the hugely successful Eden Project in Cornwall which has turned an investment of £141m into a £2.2bn economic impact on the regional economy in South West England. Since opening in 2001, Eden in Cornwall has welcomed more than 22m visitors and in recent years has continued to see annual visitor numbers of more than a million. 

David Harland, Chief Executive of Eden Project International, said: “This is a hugely significant moment for Eden Project Dundee. Not only does it fund work on the project up to the point of shovels going into the ground but also demonstrates the huge confidence the city of Dundee and its institutions have shown for our vision. 

“With last year’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland established its place as a global environmental leader and we hope to continue this momentum in Dundee. 

“Everyone at Eden is energised by this project and inspired by the enviable ambition of the city. The gasworks site is unique and brimming with opportunities for an attraction that Dundonians can feel proud to call their own. We can’t wait to share our ideas with everyone as the plans develop and mature.” 

Dundee City Council leader, Councillor John Alexander, said: “The feasibility work that has been undertaken shows just how much Eden can deliver for Dundee – hundreds of jobs, huge visitor numbers and tens of millions of pounds into the local economy. 

“And it’s so much more than that too, with tremendous opportunities for education and connecting our diverse communities. 

“Eden Project Dundee truly is an incredible concept, which will wow city residents and tourists alike. It will be another jewel in the crown of our stunning, transformed Waterfront area. 

“This investment by the city council and its partners is a real statement of intent and shows our collective commitment to progressing this world-class project.” 

Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said: “The Eden Project provides the opportunity for us to develop our city as a beacon for social and environmental sustainability, bringing the benefits of a just transition for our citizens to a society more in tune with our local and global environment. Dundee can again provide leadership for others in Scotland and beyond. 

“As a university with social purpose at its heart and being an institution that is ranked top among UK universities for Climate Action, we are delighted to support this incredibly exciting development that will bring real benefits to our students as well as the wider community.” 

Blair Thomson, Director of The Northwood Charitable Trust, said: "We are delighted that Eden Project Dundee is making such rapid progress and we are excited about what the next stage of development will bring. 

"This is a project that will be transformative for Dundee, acting as a beacon for social, environmental and economic regeneration. Eden Project Dundee will be a unique attraction for the city and be a standard-bearer for Scotland in the growing global family of Eden Projects." 

Eden Project Dundee will draw on the history of the city’s Nine Incorporated Trades and is themed around nine new “Guilds” for the 21^st century – Healers, Growers, Navigators, Myth-Makers, Noticers, Alchemists, Celebrators, Menders and “Re-Sourcerors”. 

It is characterised not by specialisms, like the existing nine trades, but by providing alternative ways of perceiving the world. Each Guild will have its Guild Hall on the main Eden Project Dundee site with opportunities for “embassies” elsewhere in the city. 

These Guild Halls will form the central experience spaces for Eden Project Dundee visitors and will include areas such as the Lookout, which celebrates connections between people and the natural world, the Lush Bunker, a high-tech zone showcasing new ways to grow plants and featuring hyper-real journeys into the air, soil and water, and the Seam, a collection of emotional, story-driven experiences related to mining and its alternatives.

The preferred site for Eden Project Dundee on East Dock Street has good public transport links, the potential for a new pedestrian connection to the city centre and is less than a mile away from V&A Dundee and the train station. 

The existing tall brick walls on the site suggested to the Eden team the potential to create walled gardens, making for a striking contrast to the industrial heritage of the gasworks. Eden envisages this as a powerful symbol of regeneration, echoing the project’s home in Cornwall which is located in a former clay quarry.Building Eden Project Dundee in this location would also provide an eastern anchor for the Dundee Waterfront regeneration project.

The Eden Project has signed a memorandum of understanding with the owners of its preferred site for Eden Project Dundee and released the first image of how it might look.

The agreement between Eden, National Grid and SGN will kick off a period in which the partners will explore the practicalities of converting the former Dundee Gasworks on East Dock Street into the Eden Project’s home in Scotland.

The site is set back from the Dundee waterfront on the bank of the River Tay. It has good public transport links, the potential for a new pedestrian connection to the city centre and is less than a mile away from V&A Dundee and the train station.

The existing tall brick walls on the site suggested to the Eden team the potential to create walled gardens, making for a striking contrast to the industrial heritage of the Gasworks. Eden envisages this as a powerful symbol of regeneration, echoing the project’s home in Cornwall which is located in a former clay quarry.

Building Eden Project Dundee in this location would also provide an eastern anchor for the Dundee Waterfront regeneration project.

Eden’s agreement with National Grid and SGN follows the completion of a six-month “pollination” process to establish feasibility for the creation of a new international-scale site.

The feasibility study was completed with the support of Eden’s partners, Dundee City Council, University of Dundee and The Northwood Charitable Trust, and was created under the unique challenge of the national lockdown and travel restrictions. The study defined the themes and approaches of Eden Project Dundee.

Eden Project Dundee will draw on the history of the city’s Nine Incorporated Trades and is themed around nine new “Guilds” – of Healers, Growers, Navigators, Myth-Makers, Noticers, Alchemists, Celebrators, Menders and “Re-Sourcerors”.

It is characterised not by specialisms, like the existing nine trades, but by providing alternative ways of perceiving the world.

Each Guild will have its Guild Hall on the main Eden Project Dundee site with opportunities for “embassies” elsewhere in the city.

These Guild Halls will form the central experience spaces for Eden Project Dundee visitors and will include areas such as the Lookout, which celebrates connections between people and the natural world, the Lush Bunker, a high-tech zone showcasing new ways to grow plants and featuring hyper-real journeys into the air, soil and water, and the Seam, a collection of emotional, story-driven experiences related to mining and its alternatives.

Eden predicts that the project will create 200 jobs (with an additional 300 indirectly created) and contribute £27m per year to the regional economy.

David Harland, Eden Project International Chief Executive, said: “This is a really exciting moment for the Eden Project and the City of Dundee. The former Dundee Gasworks site is by far the best location for our Scottish home and we’re delighted to have a formal agreement in place to start working on a detailed plan.

“The feasibility study was like nothing we’ve ever worked on before, coming as it did during lockdown. Against all the odds, the hard work and dedication of our partners in Dundee shone through - even when we could only talk to them through a computer screen, their passion for the project, their city and country was palpable.  Alongside the generous engagement of local businesses and community groups, this has come together, such that we now have a project with genuine air under its wings.”

Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said: “Completing the feasibility study and identifying the preferred site are another two important milestones on our journey to bringing Eden to Dundee.

“It truly is an incredible project, which will wow city residents and visitors alike. What Eden has envisaged is the transformation of an industrial site into a world-class attraction with a focus on the environment and sustainability.

“Eden Project Dundee is another opportunity to put Dundee on the map and show how well our city works with internationally-renowned partners.

“This project will deliver on so much of what we all want for the city – from creating hundreds of jobs and bringing millions annually into the local economy to delivering opportunities for education and connecting our diverse communities.

“It will be another jewel in the crown of our stunning, transformed Waterfront area. And the concept of the entire city being part of the project is unique and incredibly exciting.”

Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said: “This is very exciting news for the city. The University helped start the conversations between the city and the Eden Project, in a similar way to how we sparked the discussions to bring the V&A to Dundee, so I am delighted to see the project building on those connections and moving forward.

“We have recently established a Climate Leadership Group for the city, which I am chairing. The Eden Project will help us stimulate action and showcase excellence in regard to our own environmental and climate ambitions, for the city and for the University.”

Eden Project Dundee is one of a sisterhood of UK projects Eden Project International is developing, with plans well advanced for Morecambe (Eden Project North), and others proposed in Derry~Londonderry and Portland. Eden’s global portfolio of projects includes developments in China, Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica.

Like every Eden Project around the world, Eden Project Dundee will be transformational and regenerative with an overarching theme of humanity’s connection to the natural world.

The original Eden Project, located near St Austell in Cornwall, opened in March 2001 and boasts the world-famous geodesic Biomes, one of which houses the world’s biggest undercover rainforest. Eden has welcomed more than 22 million visitors since opening and has generated more than £2bn for the regional economy.

A UK-exclusive exhibition on the joyful history of nightclub design will reopen V&A Dundee on Saturday 1 May. 

Night Fever: Designing Club Culture is the first large-scale examination of the relationship between club culture and design, charting the evolution of nightclubs from the 1960s to today. Tickets are on sale now at www.vam.ac.uk/dundee  

Nightclubs are spaces for adventure and escape, and have always encouraged experimental and radical design, from New York’s Studio 54 to Manchester’s Haçienda. 

From Italy to New York, Paris, Manchester, London, Beirut and Berlin, and into everyone’s homes today through online streaming, the exhibition charts how nightclub design has changed and developed. 

The exhibition will include a new section on Scotland’s unique and distinct club culture, including legendary club nights in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Paisley, exploring how the Scottish club scene holds closer ties to the music and influences of Chicago, Detroit and Europe than London clubs.  

The exhibition celebrates these critical cultural spaces at a very important moment, a year on from the first coronavirus lockdown, as we all look to a brighter future where everyone can come back together, to dance and to enjoy shared public experiences once again. 

Night Fever: Designing Club Culture at V&A Dundee is supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery. 

Leonie Bell, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “Design is fundamental to our lives, it’s a form of creativity that everyone engages with every day. At V&A Dundee we are committed to championing and exploring the many ways that design helps us and brings joy.  

“Night Fever: Designing Club Culture is a perfect exhibition to reopen V&A Dundee with. Nightclubs and dancehalls are precious cultural spaces that often play a pivotal role in our lives. Night Fever explores the history of nightclub design, looking at how this has changed from Italy in the 1960s right through to everyone’s living rooms today with online streaming of club nights. 

“We can’t wait to welcome our visitors back to enjoy the new exhibition, or simply to appreciate the calm sanctuary of Kengo Kuma’s architecture.” 

Laura Chow, Head of Charities from People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “V&A Dundee has had a huge impact on local communities and Scottish cultural life since well before it opened in 2018, and I’m delighted that players of People's Postcode Lottery have supported the museum for seven years. 

“This UK-exclusive exhibition is hugely exciting as we all look forward to brighter times ahead, and it is the perfect time to explore how important design and culture are to our lives and wellbeing.” 

Key nightclubs featured in the exhibition include: 

• The Electric Circus, New York, 1967 
• Space Electronic, Florence, 1969 
• Studio 54, New York, 1977 
• Paradise Garage, New York, 1977 
• The Haçienda, Manchester, 1982 
• Area, New York, 1983 
• Sub Club, Glasgow, 1987 – present 
• Kinky Gerlinky, London, 1989 
• The Rhumba Club, Scotland, 1991 – present  
• B018, Beirut, 1998 
• Berghain, Berlin, 2004 
• Ministry of Sound II, London, 2015 
• The Mothership, Detroit, 2015 

Nightclubs are an example of a total designed experience, employing architecture, art, fashion, graphics, lighting, performance and sound to create an immersive sensory experience where design, music and technology meet on the dancefloor. 

Night Fever: Designing Club Culture is a UK-exclusive exhibition at V&A Dundee, from 1 May 2021 to 9 January 2022.  

Developed by the Vitra Design Museum and ADAM – Brussels Design Museum, it includes films, photography, posters, flyers, and fashion, as well as a light and music installation. 

Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer will now run at V&A Dundee from 26 February 2022 to 4 September 2022. This is the first ever major exhibition on Michael Clark, the groundbreaking Scottish dancer and choreographer, curated and organised by Barbican Centre, London. 

A number of measures are in place across the museum to ensure a safe, welcoming and inspiring experience for visitors and staff alike.  

All visitors now need to book free tickets to enter the museum, as part of the essential steps to keep visitors safe and to ensure physical distancing. Those free tickets can also be booked at www.vam.ac.uk/dundee 

#VADNightFever 

www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/nightfever 

The University of Dundee’s Cooper Gallery has become the first Scottish University gallery to join Plus Tate.  They are joined in the network of leading visual arts organisations by Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) resulting in Dundee becoming the only Scottish city to host two Plus Tate recognised galleries. 

 The Plus Tate initiative was started in 2009 by Tate to support the growing interest in contemporary art across the UK. 

 The Cooper Gallery at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) and DCA are two of 13 visual art organisations to become part of the Plus Tate network across the UK. 

 DCA is an internationally renowned centre for contemporary arts that enables audiences, artists and participant to see, experience and create. 

 With two large scale gallery spaces, two cinema screens, a busy print studio, an award-winning learning programme, as well as a packed programme of events, workshops, classes, and activities aimed at all ages and abilities, DCA enriches people’s lives through art, culture and creativity. 

 The exhibitions programme at DCA brings world leading contemporary artists to Dundee with recent exhibitions including Patrick Staff, Alberta Whittle, Eve Fowler, Mark Wallinger, Lorna Macintyre and Margaret Salmon.

 Designed in 1953 by architect James Wallace as an integral part of DJCAD, Cooper Gallery provides a unique space for exhibitions and events and provides a supportive environment for emerging and significant artists to conceive and produce risk-taking and ambitious projects within a leading School of Art and Design. 

 Cooper Gallery presents a public exhibition programme of contemporary artists from the UK and internationally including Jasmina Cibic, Phil Collins, the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, Bruce McLean, Jade Monserrat, Laura Mulvey & Peter Wollen, Paul Noble, Georgina Starr, and Ulay. 

 Both galleries work to embed diversity and inclusion across all aspects of their organisation is one of the many reasons they have been selected to join the distinguished visual contemporary art network.

 Cooper Gallery and DCA’s artistic visions and their focus on engaging broad audiences are key attributes recognised by Plus Tate.

 Professor Anita Taylor, Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, said, “I am delighted that the quality and profile of Cooper Gallery has been recognised by Plus Tate.

 “Cooper Gallery provides a unique resource at the heart of the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, the University, and the creative and cultural offering of Dundee.

“Led by Principal Curator, Sophia Hao, Cooper Gallery has an ambitious and distinctive programme that forefronts innovative practices and critical discourse in contemporary art, design and visual culture.”

 Beth Bate, Director of DCA said “We are delighted to be joining Plus Tate, allowing us to connect with and learn from other leading art organisations across the UK that are part of this respected network.  

 “We’re thrilled that DCA’s commitment to artists and audiences has been recognised, along with our work in diversity and inclusion, and our innovative and inspiring programme.”

 Cooper Gallery Principal Curator, Sophia Hao, said, “We are thrilled to be joining this network of leading art organisations across the UK.

 “For Cooper Gallery it demonstrates support for our passionate belief in the potential of contemporary arts to inspire alternative ways of thinking and doing, of embedding diversity and inclusion, and building collaboratively an ambitious and radical future for contemporary art.

 “We are delighted to become a Plus Tate member in the fantastic company of our friend DCA, with two Plus Tate members, Dundee garners another prestigious element in its thriving cultural economies”. 

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre are excited to reveal SHINE ON, a 4-part Christmas offering, as well as details of their Spring 2021 programme all created in response to the coronavirus pandemic. While Dundee Rep Theatre remains closed to the public, the show must go on, and both resident ensembles have joined forces to deliver a host of special Christmas gifts over the festive period.

PRESENT will see both companies stage a total of four bespoke, socially distanced performances for four deserving Dundonians. The lucky recipients will be nominated by friends, families or colleagues to have a show made just for them. These unique Christmas pop-ups can take place on a doorstep or back garden and will be designed to surprise and delight (while operating within current Government guidelines). Nominations are open until Thursday 12 November at 5pm - find out how to nominate here.

PRESENT is just one of a series of seasonal offerings from them which will also include a behind-the-scenes SHINE ON documentary following their two ensembles as they adapt, pivot and transform the way they work in response to these challenging times.

To keep us all connected throughout the Christmas season, both companies will present ADVENT, a series of 24 digital performance gifts, filmed safely on the Rep stage, and shared on social media each day of December in the run up to Christmas.

Finally, the doors of Dundee Rep Theatre may be closed but this year the venue itself becomes the star of the show as we transform the building into a work of sound and visual art. With the help of award-winning designer Karen Tennent, and renowned lighting designer Emma Jones the theatre will come to life bringing a much-needed dose of festive cheer to all passers-by.

Read the full news story: https://bit.ly/2TVsCwN

Design graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Naomi Cairns and Naomi McIntosh, have won top prizes during Part 1 and 2 of the 2020 New Designers Awards. 

 Product Design graduate, Naomi Cairns has been awarded the Colour in Design Award for her project ‘Affinity’, which uses colour to combat loneliness. Interior Environmental Design graduate, Naomi McIntosh, has won the Creative Conscience and the Business Design Centre for Social Impact Design Award. 

 New Designers exhibits the work of over 3,000 graduates from around the UK. Part 1 focuses on the disciplines of textiles and fashion, costume design, jewellery and precious metal work, ceramics and glass and contemporary design crafts.  

 Part 2 focuses on furniture, product and industrial design, spatial design and interiors, graphic design, illustration and animation and motion and digital arts. 

The prestigious event, which is normally held in London over two weeks, went digital this year to celebrate the Class of 2020 and their tremendous efforts adapting their design process and facing unprecedented challenges.  

 Product Design graduate, Naomi Cairns has been awarded the Colour in Design Award with her project ‘Affinity’ which uses colour to combat loneliness. The product to allows people to send their thoughts and feelings through coloured light sequences which remind the recipient that friends are thinking of them.  

 In a world where we are more isolated from each other than ever, Naomi created a small but significant solution to missing contact with the ones we love.   

 “I am deeply interested in designing products and services to help improve mental health, feelings of loneliness and connection,” said Naomi Cairns. 

 “My project 'Affinity' uses coloured light to let people connect without the need for words. I began developing this idea before Covid-19, so it was important to me how I could adapt my project to help people connect when we are more isolated than we were before.  

 “I'm looking forward to getting mentored by industry experts to help my development get advice for future career opportunities. Winning has given me more confidence to step out my comfort zone and seek more design opportunities.” 

 Naomi McIntosh was this year’s recipient of the Social Impact Award for her project, ‘The Lade’. Naomi created a family-centred community hub designed to help tackle the issue of child poverty. Making use of an abandoned jute mill, it is powered using sustainable technologies and provides support, learning opportunities and life skills to youngsters facing disadvantages. 

 “Being a mother and the personal challenges I have faced inspired me to design something that would help families. I had researched Dundee's child poverty crisis for my dissertation the previous semester which involved speaking with families and third sector organisations in the city.  

 “A few themes arose during my study including extortionate childcare rates locking parents out of employment, children growing up without life skills and access to outdoor play, and families living in isolation without a support network. This motivated me to design a community hub that would address these issues for my thesis project.” 

 Naomi Cairns will be going on to complete an MSc in Product Design at DJCAD with plans to develop her project further. Since graduating Naomi McIntosh is continuing to design for social good through her freelance design work. 

Design graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Naomi Cairns and Naomi McIntosh, have won top prizes during Part 1 and 2 of the 2020 New Designers Awards. 

 Product Design graduate, Naomi Cairns has been awarded the Colour in Design Award for her project ‘Affinity’, which uses colour to combat loneliness. Interior Environmental Design graduate, Naomi McIntosh, has won the Creative Conscience and the Business Design Centre for Social Impact Design Award. 

 New Designers exhibits the work of over 3,000 graduates from around the UK. Part 1 focuses on the disciplines of textiles and fashion, costume design, jewellery and precious metal work, ceramics and glass and contemporary design crafts.  

 Part 2 focuses on furniture, product and industrial design, spatial design and interiors, graphic design, illustration and animation and motion and digital arts. 

The prestigious event, which is normally held in London over two weeks, went digital this year to celebrate the Class of 2020 and their tremendous efforts adapting their design process and facing unprecedented challenges.  

 Product Design graduate, Naomi Cairns has been awarded the Colour in Design Award with her project ‘Affinity’ which uses colour to combat loneliness. The product to allows people to send their thoughts and feelings through coloured light sequences which remind the recipient that friends are thinking of them.  

 In a world where we are more isolated from each other than ever, Naomi created a small but significant solution to missing contact with the ones we love.   

 “I am deeply interested in designing products and services to help improve mental health, feelings of loneliness and connection,” said Naomi Cairns. 

 “My project 'Affinity' uses coloured light to let people connect without the need for words. I began developing this idea before Covid-19, so it was important to me how I could adapt my project to help people connect when we are more isolated than we were before.  

 “I'm looking forward to getting mentored by industry experts to help my development get advice for future career opportunities. Winning has given me more confidence to step out my comfort zone and seek more design opportunities.” 

 Naomi McIntosh was this year’s recipient of the Social Impact Award for her project, ‘The Lade’. Naomi created a family-centred community hub designed to help tackle the issue of child poverty. Making use of an abandoned jute mill, it is powered using sustainable technologies and provides support, learning opportunities and life skills to youngsters facing disadvantages. 

 “Being a mother and the personal challenges I have faced inspired me to design something that would help families. I had researched Dundee's child poverty crisis for my dissertation the previous semester which involved speaking with families and third sector organisations in the city.  

 “A few themes arose during my study including extortionate childcare rates locking parents out of employment, children growing up without life skills and access to outdoor play, and families living in isolation without a support network. This motivated me to design a community hub that would address these issues for my thesis project.” 

 Naomi Cairns will be going on to complete an MSc in Product Design at DJCAD with plans to develop her project further. Since graduating Naomi McIntosh is continuing to design for social good through her freelance design work. 

ALL SIX successful art works in Dundee City Council’s Dundee Windows project have been unveiled to the public for the first time Friday 4th.

The covers are off work by Tracey Stewart, Suzanne Scott from Whimsical Lush, Sarah Chacko, Agency of None, Pamela Scott and Macario De Los Rios in vacant windows in the city centre.

Cityscapes, a sound activated display, an augmented reality pattern and a celebration of nine maidens and the dragon are among the commissions to grace the formerly empty spaces.

Mark Flynn convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “This is the kind of imaginative and creative project that we are starting to see brighten up otherwise unused or unloved bits of the city, and they are becoming more and more popular and sought out.

“These bold and colourful designs that celebrate local people and places are part of our recovery plan and I am sure that they will draw in visitors and locals alike to the city centre.

“Almost 90 high quality entries were received when we called for submissions, showing that despite the obvious challenges it is facing our cultural sector is as creative and vibrant as ever.”

The windows project is one of a number of schemes to brighten up the city’s main shopping areas and supporting the city’s recovery with posters, window displays, street painting and shop trails.

Dundee City Council has joined forces with retailers and artists on a number of initiatives and in the coming weeks as well as Dundee Windows, Castle Street will be temporarily transformed by a colourful design painted onto the cobbles, leading people up a playful route from Shore Terrace to the High Street  -  download MAP HERE.

After the long months of lockdown, and amid the ongoing foreign travel restrictions, people from across Scotland are flocking to discover the beauty and delights on their own doorsteps.

And, whether you’re looking for rest and relaxation or a base for burning off some cooped-up energy, where better to spend a few days than in the place officially named the best Staycation city of the Year in 2019?

Dundee has everything you would want in a cosmopolitan city break – attractions, bars and restaurants, High Street shopping and more – but thanks to its location you can combine the urban experience with easy exploration of Scotland’s beautiful countryside.

There are lots of beauty spots in the city itself, such as the stunning waterfront with its miles of spectacular views and easy to walk, run or cycle paths. The green spaces in the city also include Camperdown Park (with its wildlife centre), Baxter Park, Slessor Gardens, the Law and Magdalen Green to name but a few.

 

 

 

 

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If you’re staying a while - and with lots of great hotels and B&Bs in the city, why wouldn’t you? – then the hills and lochs which surround Dundee are well worth exploring.

Less than half an hour’s drive from the city centre, Ballo Wood, which begins with the stunning Laird’s Loch, is a beautiful walking spot through a fairytale forest. Then there are a few access points to the wooded hill known as Ballo, popular with hikers and downhill cyclists. Bikers and hikers scale the hills often to take advantage of the well-laid trails and walking tracks.

 

 

 

 

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Not far from Ballo in the Sidlaws is Lundie Craigs. Another perfect spot for hiking and biking, it’s worth the short trip for the loch nestled in the hills alone. The place is so photogenic, Disney movies are jealous! The views are endless and your Instagram feed will be too after posting all your #LundieFunDay photos.

If all that hiking and biking hasn’t tired you out, why not check out the Wild Shore Dundee water sports park in the heart of the city centre harbour area?  It has an inflatable obstacle course (popular with kids of all ages) and even a zip wire that allows for wakeboarding!  Alternatively, check out Outdoor Explore, who give guided kayak tours on the Tay - and you might get to meet a few dolphins!

 

 

 

 

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Where to stay

After all that fresh air and exercise, you’ll need to unwind and maybe even treat yourself to a spa treatment or two. The spa hotels dotted around the city can take care of that! Have a look at the Landmark, Apex Hotel and Spa Dundee (overlooking Wild Shore Dundee) and Hampton by Hilton. 

 

 

 

 

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If your Instagram feed isn’t full yet, city centre hotels with the views to write home about include Sleeperz Hotel, Hotel Indigo, Premier Inn and the Malmaison, to mention only four. These luxurious finds are sure to please everyone but if you’re looking for something more quaint and cosy the list of B&Bs with spectacular views of the Tay stretching all the way to Broughty Ferry. 

If it’s an apartment you’re after, Dream Luxury Serviced Apartments or Urban Quarters will make you feel right at home when you need to slow down and have your own space after a day of water excursions!