Walking The Arbroath Cliff Trail: From Auchmithie to Arbroath

Spectacular cliffs, deep-blue coves, secret caves, and unique rock formations make the Arbroath Cliff Trail a must-visit in Angus. And if you are interested in food, this is the home of the Arbroath Smokie, a type of hot smoked haddock that is unique to the region and has a Protected Geographical Indication status.

ARBROATH / SCOTLAND

When we arrived at Arbroath an hour late, courtesy of the Scotrail drivers’ strike, it was 11 am on a Saturday but the town was still asleep. We stopped by the bus station to check the timing for the next departure to Auchmithie– we were planning to walk from Auchmithie to Arbroath– and then headed into town for a coffee. The streets were mostly empty except for a few souls, and the local postman, who was going about their business. The boats in the harbour jangled in the wind, and the creels stood in neat piles under the cloudy sky.

How to Reach Arbroath

Arbroath is easily accessible by public transport. It is a lovely car-free day trip destination.

BY TRAIN // Depending on the service, it takes about 1.5 hours by train from Edinburgh to Arbroath. If you are travelling from Glasgow, the train ride via Perth takes about 2 hours. Check Trainline for tickets and timetables.

BY BUS // If you are travelling by bus from Edinburgh or Glasgow, you must change buses at the Seagate Bus Station in Dundee and the journey can take close to 3 hours.

Bus from Arbroath to Auchmithie

To access the Arbroath Cliff Trail from Auchmithie, you must take a bus from Arbroath to Auchmithie. Local buses run by Wishart serve the holiday park at Seaton and the erstwhile fishing village of Auchmithie several times a day. A one-way adult ticket is £1.90 (May, 2022) and you can pay by cash or card. The driver usually has change, so you don’t have to worry about the exact amount! The trip takes about 15 min.

Alternatively, you can also walk from Arbroath to Auchmithie and back.

Auchmithie

Auchmithie is the birth-place of the Arbroath smokie. Local legend has it that a store caught fire one night, destroying barrels of haddock preserved in salt. The following morning, the people found some of the barrels had caught fire, cooking the haddock inside. Inspection revealed the haddock to be quite tasty.

Perched precariously on a cliff 150 feet above the sea, Auchmithie commands a spectacular view. According to the information board in the village, the etymology of Auchmithie comes from a Gaelic phrase meaning “the field of the cowherd.” In his 1821 novel, “The Antiquary”, Sir Walter Scott immortalised the locals as the “Mucklebackits of Musselcraig” on account of the heavy creels carried on the backs of the womenfolk. Once a bustling fishing village, today Auchmithie is a single row of cottages along the narrow, arterial street. Nothing remains of Auchmithie harbour but you can walk down to the cove.

The bus will drop you next to The But ‘n’ Ben, a restaurant known for serving Scottish fare cooked with locally smoked fish. It is the final stop on the Arbroath Smokies Trail and their Arbroath Smokie pancake is a must-eat on many a foodie’s lists. Unfortunately, we did not have a reservation and thus couldn’t eat there, so don’t forget to reserve a table, if you plan to eat at The But ‘n’ Ben.

Also read: Another great walk on coastal cliffs is at the St. Abbs Head Nature Reserve. Perfect for a day trip from Edinburgh. See Top Things to Do in St. Abbs, Scottish Borders.

The Arbroath Cliff Trail

The Arbroath Cliff Trail is a mesmerising 4-mile stretch of the Angus coastline that runs from Auchmithie to Arbroath (or vice versa). The Seaton cliffs, as these cliffs are called, rise from the icy waters of the North Sea like majestic warriors clad in red armour. They are known for their spectacular rock formations including the Deil’s Head, the Needle E’e, and Dickmont’s Den, and a series of sea caves. You can see them all in the following image:

We walked the Arbroath Cliff Trail on a cloudy day interspersed with bursts of sunshine and the chiaroscuro upped the drama of the marine landscape; sometimes the water was the colour of fog, sometimes a sparkling blue, and sometimes jade. We started the walk from the village of Auchmithie, and soon we were on the open cliffs overlooking the North Sea. Behind us, the spectacular cliffs stood guard and below us, a pebbled beach and a lonely cove and soon we were walking amidst a profusion of wildflowers: sea pinks and dandelions and vetch and campions and poppies and so many others we didn’t know the names of were blooming all along the trail. The chirping of birds, swallows hopping from branch to bough, and little white butterflies drawing patterns in the air. Fat bumblebees hopped from flower to flower and we stopped to take photographs every now and then. There are dolphins in these waters though we did not spot any on that day.

Turn left near the farmhouse and continue along the narrow tarred trail. Behind us, the spectacular red cliffs stand guard and below us, a pebbled beach and a lonely cove stretch under greying skies. In spring and early summer, the path is hemmed with a profusion of wildflowers. Soon the path turns inward above Castle Sea Bay and we slip past the flowering gorse as the path makes a V and emerges on the cliffs again. Here the route runs next to hydroponic farms that sprawl over the headland and we soon reach a rock formation called The Devil’s Chair. The skies are overcast, with a sliver of sunshine every now and then, and the waters of the North Sea are a pensive shade of grey-blue. You can’t take a bad photograph on this route! Handsome cliffs rise above the waters of the North Sea and it is picturesque. We continue along the path towards Carlingheugh Bay, also known as the Flairs. The raised beach was once the site of a small settlement. At the head of the bay are remnants of an old boathouse and in former times the fisherwomen of Auchmithie came here to collect seaweed. At the southern end of the bay is a rock feature known as the Three Sisters.

Instead of climbing down the steps towards the bay, we make a mistake and continue along the path and soon reach a fallen tree and rickety bridge and stop to wonder if we should retrace our steps towards the bay. But we encounter a dogwalker who tells us to press ahead along the route, so we do but we soon realize that the clifftop path here is dangerous and the trail veers very close to the edge, some of which are undercut and crumbling due to weathering and erosion. The path here is not maintained. It is recommended that you climb down to Carlingheugh Bay and then up the steps near the installation featuring musical notes.

Above the Carlingheugh Bay, we sat on a bench in front of a hydroponic farm– baby strawberries hung like pale hearts off the stems– and snacked on a Biscoff bar that we had bought at Caffe Barista in Arbroath and marvelled at the scenery. Just us and the wind and a couple far below on the beach walking towards Castle Gate. There are a total of sixteen sea caves in these cliffs, one of which, the Smuggler’s Cave, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a piper! We pressed ahead, past the Deil’s Head, a magnificent sea stack that does look like a gigantic head, and then stopped to watch the numerous gulls nesting on Gullie’s Island.

Also read: Plan a day trip to the charming seaside town of North Berwick with our guide: Top Things To Do in North Berwick: Day Trip from Edinburgh.

The trail got more crowded as we neared Arbroath. There was a wedding party and the newlyweds were intending to dive from the Deil’s Head! We even spotted cyclists navigating the narrow, cliff-top trail!

Arbroath Cliff Tours from Arbroath runs kayaking tours to the caves. It is a unique one-of-a-kind experience if you enjoy watersports and wild swimming.

Difficulty: Easy
Itinerary: Linear route from Arbroath to Auchmithie and back. Or, you can take the bus to Auchmithie, then walk to Arbroath as we did.
Distance: 4 miles / 6.4 km (one way)
Time taken: 1.5 – 2 hours (one way)

Arbroath: Home of the Smokies

The town’s main export is a type of smoked haddock called the Arbroath Smokie. The smokie has protected status under European law (PGI Status), which means that it can only be called an Arbroath Smokie if it is produced in the traditional specified manner and within a five-mile radius of the town. The classic method for Smokie preparation is described by Bertram in The Harvest of the Sea:

You can buy an Arbroath Smokie from one of the many fishmongers in town. It was too late by the time we reached Arbroath and most of the shops had closed, so we had a late lunch at The Old Boatyard. We ordered the Declaration Bake, a fish pie with flaked Arbroath Smokie and prawns, and the Pork Belly and Scallops. Later, we bought a breaded cod supper from Marco’s on the Shore to eat on the train back to Edinburgh.

Also read: Visiting Edinburgh? Find out about free things to do in Edinburgh from our post: 20+ Free Things to Do in Edinburgh.

Arbroath is also known for the Arbroath Declaration. The Declaration, dated 6th April 1320, is a letter written by the barons and the whole community of the kingdom of Scotland to Pope John XXII, asking him to recognise Scotland’s independence and acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the country’s lawful king.

We wandered about town a bit– sadly, the smokie shops had closed and we could visit none of them– then stopped by a pub for drinks before taking the 20:10 Scotrail back to Edinburgh. Make sure you take a seat on the coast side because the views are gorgeous: sweeping views of the North Sea, pretty villages, and rolling hills studded with fluffy sheep and sometimes a glimpse of deer.

Have you walked the Arbroath Cliff Trail?

Arbroath Cliff Trail: Route and Elevation

This trail shows the path from Arbroath to Auchmithie and back, but you can just do a point-to-point walk and ride the bus to/from Auchmithie.

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