castle
Glamis Castle
The childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, steeped in legend and set in the scenic Angus region of Scotland.
7 km · about 15 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomScotland
Forfar
Scotland, United Kingdom · Europe
About Forfar
Forfar is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Letham, 42km from Cairnwell Pass (A93, Glenshee).
Forfar is in Scotland, United Kingdom, with about 14,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Letham, about 8 km away.
Forfar ( ; Scots: Farfar, Scottish Gaelic: Baile Fharfair) is a market town, historical royal burgh and the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. In 2022, Forfar had a population ofRead more
13,801.
The town lies in Strathmore and is situated just off the main A90 road between Perth and Aberdeen, with Dundee (the nearest city) being 13 miles (21 km) away. It is approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Glamis Castle, seat of the Bowes-Lyon family and ancestral home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and where Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was born in 1930.
Forfar dates back to the temporary Roman occupation of the area, and was subsequently held by the Picts and the Kingdom of Scotland. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, Forfar was occupied by English forces before being recaptured by the Scots and presented to Robert the Bruce. Forfar has been a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute. Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around scenic Strathmore. The local glens are visited by hill-walkers, and there are ski-slopes in the mountains. The town is home to a number of local sporting teams, including the League Two football club, Forfar Athletic.
The Forfar bridie, a Scottish meat pastry snack, is traditionally identified with the town.
Where to Stay in Forfar
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Forfar?
Within an hour or so of Forfar: Glamis Castle (7 km), V&A Dundee (21 km), St Andrews (34 km), Cairnwell Pass (42 km).
Are there any good drives near Forfar?
The nearest famous roads are Cairnwell Pass, The Lecht (A939 Old Military Road) and The Lecht Road (A939).
Where is Forfar?
Forfar is in Scotland, United Kingdom, about 8 km from Letham.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 13,970
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Scotland
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 56.6438, -2.8900
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Forfar
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
V&A Dundee
Scotland's first design museum in a striking Kengo Kuma waterfront building, celebrating the country's rich design heritage.
21 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
St Andrews
Historic university town and home of golf, with a ruined cathedral, medieval castle and the world-famous Old Course links.
34 km · about 40 min drive
mountain pass
Cairnwell Pass
The highest main road in Britain at 670m, where the A93 crosses the Grampians at Glenshee between Braemar and the ski centre. The famously steep Devil's Elbow hairpins lie just below the summit.
42 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Scone Palace
The Perthshire palace beside Moot Hill, where Scottish kings were crowned on the Stone of Destiny.
42 km · about 50 min drive
famous road
Cairnwell Pass (A93, Glenshee)
The highest public road in Britain at 670m, climbing the Devil's Elbow route through Glenshee to Braemar.
42 km · about 50 min drive
waterfall
The Hermitage (Black Linn Falls)
A folly viewing house perched over the Black Linn Falls near Dunkeld, in a gorge of towering Douglas firs.
45 km · about 50 min drive
restaurant
Anstruther Fish Bar
Multiple UK Fish and Chip Shop of the Year winner on the harbourfront of the East Neuk's prettiest fishing town, frying haddock landed along the Fife coast. Eat on the sea wall watching the boats.
48 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Forfar
- 42 kmCairnwell PassThe highest main road in Britain at 670m, where the A93 crosses the Grampians at Glenshee between Braemar and the ski centre. The famously steep Devil's Elbow hairpins lie just below the summit.
- 42 kmCairnwell Pass (A93, Glenshee)The highest public road in Britain at 670m, climbing the Devil's Elbow route through Glenshee to Braemar.
- 60 kmQueen's View, Loch TummelA famous viewpoint on the B8019 looking west along Loch Tummel to the cone of Schiehallion.
- 65 kmThe Lecht (A939 Old Military Road)Notorious high crossing of the eastern Cairngorms on the 18th-century military road between Cockbridge and Tomintoul, climbing to 637m with roller-coaster gradients: often the first UK road closed by snow.
- 66 kmThe Lecht Road (A939)The Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, Britain's most reliably snowbound route, a rollercoaster over the Cairngorms' eastern edge.
- 71 kmCairngorm Mountain FunicularA funicular railway climbing high into the Cairngorms near Aviemore for panoramic alpine views and winter snowsports.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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