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Home > Visit Angus > Towns & Villages > Carnoustie
The coastal town of Carnoustie (pop 10,561) is one of the youngest Angus burghs, celebrating its 200th birthday in 1997.
The town is famous for its association with golf, and welcomed thousands of visitors to the Open Championship in 2007, the seventh time the town's Championship Course has hosted the world renowned event.
The landmark Carnoustie Golf Course Hotel and a host of hotels and B&Bs in the town provide excellent accommodation for the players and visitors who flock to the town for golf events and holidays.
Accommodation
This part of Scotland's east coast is well known for its fine sandy Carnoustie Bay, so Carnoustie has long been a favourite seaside holiday resort, with all the amenities you would expect. There are several good hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments to choose from, and the restaurants make good use of the fresh local produce that is readily available and in plentiful supply.
Getting to Carnoustie
Situated 10 miles north of Dundee, just off the main A92 dual carriageway (follow signs for Arbroath from Dundee), and on the main east coast Scottish railway line between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Carnoustie is easy to reach by car or public transport.
Shops in Carnoustie
The town is laid out on a grid system, and has a pleasant long straight main street with many lively small businesses offering most of the requirements visitors may have: tourist information centre (in the town's library), coffee shops, pubs, food retailers, pharmacies, hairdressers, newsagents, fast food outlets, gift retailers, a public library, a pet store and many more.
OurCarnoustie.co.uk
The OurCarnoustie.co.uk website provides visitors with all the latest news and events that are taking place in the famous golfing town.
Golf in CarnoustieThe first 18 hole golf course in Carnoustie was established in 1842. This was followed by the Carnoustie Ladies Golf Club in 1873. Ten years later, Simpson's Golf Shop appeared in the town, the precursor of an industry now said to be one of most lucrative in the world. The shop is still here, complete with its wonderfully attractive 'golf umbrella' dome-shaped roof.
Carnoustie today boasts three golf courses, with many more within a short distance of the town. The latest and most spectacular addition to the golfing scene is the large Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort, a 4-star hotel complex completed in time for the 1999 Open Championship. This was the first Open for 24 years to be held in Carnoustie, and the first for a long time to be won by Paul Lawrie, a Scotsman and local son. 2007 witnessed the return of the Open Championship to Carnoustie, when the town welcomed over 200,000 visitors.
Other Industries in CarnoustieCarnoustie's fortunes have not always depended solely on golf. In 1857, the large Panmure Works was founded in the town. Within a couple of decades it was employing 600 people, and producing over 5 million yards of assorted textiles each year. Parts of the works continue in operation today.
Another early success, and one that also still continues, was Carnoustie's role as a centre for malting barley. Barry Water Mill, a National Trust For Scotland property, is open to visitors from April to October, and can be seen in operation at certain times of the week.
Carnoustie's golf courses lie at the town end of the large triangle of Barry Links, a promontory on the north side of the mouth of the Firth of Tay.
Carnoustie in the PastCarnoustie's name is said to mean 'the Cairn of Heroes', and refers to a battle said to have been fought there in 1010 between Malcolm II and the Danish Vikings. As with much of the east coast of Scotland and Northumbria, Danish Viking raids were a common occurrence from 850AD onwards. The Viking who led this particular onslaught, Camus, was slain and buried, and his men were routed. Carnoustie has a street named after him to this day, and the Camus Cross is said to record his resting place.
The late Reverend W D Chisholm wrote about the Camus Cross - view the Reverend's words here.
The 1,000th Anniversary of the death of Camus took place in 2010. See also Camus Cross at www.monikie.org.uk
We look forward to offering you a warmer welcome than Camus received, and our heroes today wield nothing more serious than a golf club!
