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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Forfar
Base in Forfar only if you have a car: 1 night covers the town, and Glamis Castle plus the Pictish stones need a half-day each.
Forfar is the county town of Angus, 13 miles north of Dundee, and works as a low-cost, low-key base for Glamis Castle and the Pictish carved stones at Meigle, Eassie and Aberlemno. The town itself is small: a museum, two churches, a loch with a park, and Forfar bridies. Without a car the sights are hard to reach, so most travellers sleep in Dundee and day-trip, or stop one night on the way to Aberdeen.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, many sights closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance) 999 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Forfar bridie from a bakery | £2.50–4 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Taxi Forfar to Glamis Castle | £15–20 each way |
| Stagecoach bus Dundee to Forfar | £4–5 single |
| Glamis Castle adult ticket | about £18.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DND · Dundee Airport
- Small; most arrivals use Edinburgh (EDI) or Aberdeen (ABZ), then train to Dundee and bus to Forfar.
- EDI · Edinburgh Airport
- Train to Dundee about 1 h 20 min, then Stagecoach bus 20/21/22 about 40 min.
- ABZ · Aberdeen Airport
- Train south to Dundee or Arbroath, then bus.
Typical fares
- Bus Dundee → Forfar
- about £4–5 single, 40 min
- Bus Forfar → Arbroath
- about £4–5 single, 45 min
- Taxi Forfar → Glamis Castle
- £15–20 each way
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Forfar has no railway station; Dundee (13 miles south) is the nearest. Stagecoach buses 20/21/22 run Dundee–Forfar every 30–60 min, about 40 min, and bus 27 links Arbroath in about 45 min. Citylink coaches between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Aberdeen stop at the A90/A94 junction two miles southwest of town, not the centre. For Glamis Castle, Meigle, Eassie and Aberlemno you need a car, a bike or a taxi: there is no practical bus service.
See and do
Known for
- Glamis Castle
- Pictish carved stones
- Forfar bridies
- Forfar Loch
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Glamis Castle | Drive or taxi 6 miles southwest on the A94 | About 20 min each way |
| Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum | Drive 12 miles west via the A94 | About 25 min each way |
| Kirriemuir | Stagecoach bus 20 or 22 from Forfar, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Aberlemno Sculptured Stones | Drive 7 miles northeast on the B9134 | About 20 min each way |
| Dundee | Stagecoach bus 20/21/22 from Forfar centre, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Arbroath | Bus 27, about 45 min; hourly Mon–Sat, only four buses on Sunday | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Forfar town centre (Castle St / The Cross)
- Walkable to the Meffan Museum, pubs and buses; the practical choice for one night without a car.
- Forfar Lochside
- Caravan and camping site by the loch, open Mar–Oct; best for self-drive trips.
- Glamis and Kirriemuir
- Village stays closer to the castle and Kirriemuir; needs a car or taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hellohel-LO |
| Thank you | Thank youTHANK yoo |
| Please | Pleasepleez |
| How much is it? | How much is it?how much iz it |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card?kan eye pay by kard |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet?wair iz the TOY-let |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- No railway station: everything goes via Dundee by bus, or a car.
- Glamis Castle is six miles away with no useful bus; book a taxi or drive.
- Several sights are seasonal: Glamis Castle Apr–Nov, Meigle museum Apr–Sep, Pitmuies Gardens Apr–Sep.
- The Tayside Police Museum in Kirriemuir is closed until 2027.
- Rural roads are single-track in places with passing places; drive on the left.
Forfar is a quiet small town and feels safe day and night; the real risks are rural roads, single-track passing places, and long, dark winter afternoons. Standard UK advice applies: 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-urgent police.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Forfar yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Glamis Castle
- Pictish carved stones
- Forfar bridies
- Forfar Loch
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Angus — official destination site: www.visitangus.com/
- Meffan Museum and Art Gallery, Angus Alive: www.angusalive.scot/museums-galleries/visit-a-museum-gallery/meffan-museum-and-art-gallery/
- Glamis Castle: www.glamis-castle.co.uk/
- Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum, Historic Environment Scotland: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/meigle-sculptured-stone-museum/
- Stagecoach East Scotland — Dundee and Angus bus network: www.stagecoachbus.com/
- Wikivoyage: Forfar, revision 5197620 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5197620
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Forfar
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Forfar; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most other missions are in London. Check your own government's list before you travel.
English is spoken everywhere; no phrasebook needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/forfar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.