With the goal of getting out in the van more and getting a lot more travelling done, it was up early and off to Dundee for a day trip.
The road was straight (M90/A90) then down the A85. I did get a bit lost and ended up missing the car park I was aiming for but ended up in a better one that was totally empty. So no problems parking.
The first port of call (no pun intended) was the Discovery Centre and the RSS Discovery
This is a ship that spent 2 years in the Antarctic ice surveying and exploring before a life of scientific voyages. The Discovery centre told the story o the expedition south along with the details of the ship’s construction in Dundee.
The ship itself had been modified since the Antarctica voyage and was missing its engines. However there was plenty to see on board and lots of details about the how the crew would have lived on the voyage. The quarters were cramped and one interesting feature is that there are no port holes on the side of the ship. This was to give the vessel strength to survive when trapped in the ice.
Next along the banks of the Tay was the V&A Dundee
This is an impressive building with an even more impressive space inside.
Lots of the building is given over to education about and the preserving of, Scottish Design. The permanent exhibition is not that large but had the MacKintosh Oak Room set up as it would have been when first installed in a tea room in Glasgow. This was worth the visit alone. Other items of design were on display and it was quite an eclectic collection.
Continuing along the river was HMS Unicorn. This is apparently the third oldest ship in the UK and is a frigate from the early 19th century. It had been converted to a drill hall at some point in its life so the top was roofed over and the masts were gone but the lower decks were set out as they would have been in its life as a warship. I enjoyed my visit but it was hard on the back and head, they seemed to have been a lot shorter in those days.
Last up on the visit was the McManus Gallery and Museum. This is a fairly typical city museum with the family silver on display as it were. However they did have some artefacts from NCR and DMA Design and a very good portrait exhibition so worth the visit.
There were a few other things I thought about seeing but I was on the clock for the pay and display parking so it was back to the van pausing only to see the Desperate Dan and Oor Wullie statues.
Started out on the road home just as the rain came on so result there. I really enjoyed my trip and saw some fabulous stuff. Might head back at some point for any other exhibitions at the V&A and to see the Dundee Contemporary Arts centre.
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