Reviving The Past

Tourists flock to explore Dundee’s shipbuilding and jute heritage

WHILE the September opening of the V&A Museum of Design in Dundee has generated much excitement across the UK and beyond, the city already has two five-star Visitscotland attractions that have been sought-after tourist destinations for years.

Discovery Point and Verdant Works are stunning reminders of two factors of Dundee’s heritage – its shipbuilding and jute industries.

Discovery Point tells the story of the Dundee-built RRS Discovery, the ship on which Captain Robert Falcon Scott sailed to the Antarctic in 1901. The ship is currently in dry dock, but you can climb aboard and examine the interior of the vessel in which 11 officers and 36 men once spent two harrowing winters frozen in the ice.

Much of the interior is as it was over 100 years ago, with replica furnishings, sleeping quarters and mess rooms. The visitor centre completes the tour, with