IMD Ethnography

On and Around Campus

There is no doubt about it, the students in Dundee love this city! Perhaps this is because the campus is in the city centre, close to amenities, tourist-spots, cosy wee pubs and vibrant night-clubs. Perhaps it is because Dundee Student Union is hard to beat (http://www.dusa.co.uk/), with a fantastic range of societies, sports clubs, entertainments, club nights and live events. This is the place where Dundee folklore is made. It has five floors of venues and bars where you will spend a good deal of your time listening to the most improbable stories and dancing like a maniac till the wee small hours in the morning. 

Perhaps it is the university itself, with its excellent reputation for teaching and research, the new buildings, which provide a perfect learning environment and the friendly staff. The University of Dundee has played host to the pioneers of aspirin, electric light, wireless telegraphy, manned flight, X-Rays, the adhesive postage stamp, keyhole surgery and radar* (http://www.cityofdiscovery.com/).

Whatever the reasons (and they are many) Dundee has a tight-knit student community, where you will always feel welcome.

Dundee City

Rich in culture, and with a particular interest in music, Dundee hosts a number of Festivals during the summer months including The Dundee International Guitar Festival, The Dundee Jazz Festival, The Dundee Blues Bonanza and the Fest'n Furious (http://www.dundeefestival.co.uk/). This reflects the active folk music scene, and the wealth of local bands that you can catch on one of the many pubs on the Perth road. For a big night out the Doghouse and Fat Sams have great gigs or you can grab a ticket from Grouchos and head to the SECC in Glasgow.

Once a great port, Dundee’s ships criss-crossed the oceans trading with the East Indies and her whaling fleet supported a thriving economy. The East India Company brought jute to Dundee on the ships built on the Tay and the jute was softened with whale oil before it was woven in one of the many jute mills in the city. The industry had an enormous effect on the Victorian economy and the City of Dundee was one of the richest cities in the United Kingdom.

The great explorer Robert Falcon Scott set out on his journey to the Antartic on the Royal Research Ship Discovery,  in 1901. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Antarctica was still an uncharted wilderness. Exploration was a daunting task, involving a long voyage through remote and tempestuous oceans and in hazardous conditions. The ship is now docked at the harbour where it was made, and has become a well-known museum and tourist attraction.

Dundee is ideally located for exploring the rest of Scotland, with easy access to our big cities, as well as our remote Highlands and islands.

Maps

For maps look at search under DD1 in http://maps.google.com/

Broughty Ferry

With its cosy wee pubs and excellent restaurants the small harbour town of Broughty Ferry is Dundee’s second city centre. On a Tuesday night you can often catch some traditional music in The Fish and The Ship as local musicians gather for a jam. The Ship also does great wine and bar meals while The Fish has a fantastic range of beers and runs a very popular beer festival in the summer. The Ferry Inn is one of my favourites. You must say hello to Phil the landlord and tell him I sent you. Why not join them for a poker night, or (in my opinion) the best Burns Night in the city. On the main street Bruach does some of the best cocktails you will taste, all made with fresh fruit and herbs. If you like Indian food the Indos is only across the road, and has a brilliant menu.

Broughty Ferry is a great place to chill out. It has a golden beach, which stretches from our own wee Castle, along the coast all the way to Monefeith. On September mornings you can watch as the violinist’s hut emerges from the mist on the silvery-silvery Tay. In the summer you can have a picnic on the beach while watching the dolphins playing, or get a wee bit closer in a dingy or a speed-boat. Get an ice-cream from Vissochies in the day, and on those long summer evenings, with longer shadows, you can enjoy a spectacular sunset with a glass of beer on the harbour.

If you like the water-sports here, you might also want to head up to Monefieth beach for a bit of kite-surfing or across to St Andrews for a range of water-sports and clubs.

St Andrews

St Andrews is probably best known as the “Home of Golf”. It is home to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the famous “Old Course” close to the sea and the West Sands. The links never belonged to a golf club, but were and are still public courses, administered today by St Andrews Links Trust and open to anyone to play on payment of a green fee.

Rich in history and intrigue, St Andrews has exceptional things to offer: a ruined castle with a subterranean passage and a dungeon; ancient monasteries; the Mary Queen of Scots’ House and (for many years) the largest mediaeval Cathedral in the north of Britain. Many major events in our turbulent history took place here.

As well as all of this it is a pretty little town with traditional architecture, cobbled streets and wynds and a great selection of bars and coffee houses where you can while away a lazy sunday.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is our capital city, and a beautiful one. I’ve had many guests who were stunned by the view of our ancient castle from Edinburgh’s Princes Street. Here and in Princes Street Gardens you will often see a piper in traditional kilted attire playing the bagpipes.

In the summer it is home to the Edinburgh Festival (http://www.eif.co.uk/). This is a huge international festival of the arts. It presents a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance. The Festival began in 1947, with the aim of providing 'a platform for the flowering of the human spirit'. Right from the start it inspired people to put on shows of their own and these quickly grew into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Now you can see dance from Africa, puppetry from Eastern Europe, Comedy from America, as writers and performers with all levels of experience come together to test their talents. During the Festival venues literally spring up all over the city. Performers can be found on every street corner and you cannot fail to become excited by the buzz this generates.

Edinburgh is also host to the biggest Hogmonay party in the world (http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org/). From the traditional Ceilidh, to the Concert in the Gardens, and the Torch-lit processions this is the Scottish New Year Celebration and it cannot be missed. No matter what, when the bells ring you must go out into Princes Street to kiss a stranger and wish them a prosperous New Year.

Traditional Food

For some typically Scottish food, check out the smokehouses in Arbroath. You can get the train from Dundee station, which it takes about 15 minutes.  Arbroath smokehouses prepare smokies & salmon as they have done for hundreds of years. The outcome is cheap and absolutely delicious. If you ask nicely, some of the smokehouses let you go through & see the process too. And then you can take a walk along the cliffs to Auchmithie and look out over the sea. Perfect and very Scottish!

For other tasty savouries, look out for the regular Farmers Markets and Continental Markets in Reform Street, right in the centre of Dundee. These take place around once a month and I’m reliably informed that you will get the best sausages you can find for toad-in-the-hole, gorgeous Scottish honey, and home-made delicacies from around the world. The Dundee Flower and Food Festival takes place in the summer months and offers a great selection of delicious local produce.

For those of you wanting to try our most famous tipple there is no better establishment than the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (http://www.smws.co.uk/) in Edinburgh. It has the typical décor of a Victorian men’s club and an atmosphere to match. As a private club the Society offers whisky’s that cannot be bought in any other venue and a range of tastings and events that live up to its glorious reputation. Lap it up!