Carnoustie - Geography

Geography

Carnoustie occupies a seafront position on the North Sea Coast of Scotland, on land immediately to the North East of the Buddon Ness, 10.3 miles (17 km) ENE of Dundee, 6.7 miles (11 km) SW of Arbroath and 13.1 miles (21 km) SSE of Forfar. The town lies 42.2 miles (68 km) NNE of Edinburgh and 360.2 miles (580 km) NNW of London. The built-up area occupies a roughly rectangular shape 1.9 miles (3.1 km) long by 0.5 miles (0.9 km) wide, aligned in an ENE direction. The land is relatively flat, rising gradually to around 30 m elevation to the North of the town.

The town straddles the border between the Parishes of Barry and Panbride and incorporates a number of former villages and Hamlets, including Greenlawhill, Gardynebourg and Hunterstown to the West, and Gallowlaw, Panbride and Westhaven to the East. Contiguous to the town, on the West side, is the village of Barry, and to the East, separated from the town by 250 yds (0.22 km) is the hamlet formerly known as Kirkton of Panbride (now known simply as Panbride). To the North of the town runs the A92, between Dundee and Arbroath. 1 mile (1.9 km) to the East of the town lies the village of East Haven. Running through the town on the border of the two parishes is a small stream, the Lochty burn, and to the Western edge of the town, runs the Barry Burn. The South-Western corner of the town lies within the floodplain of the Barry Burn. Half a mile (0.8 km) to the East of the town runs the Craig Mill burn, which flows through Batty's Den, into Craig Mill Den, to the sea.

The Dundee and Arbroath Railway runs along the South of the town, bisecting the former villages of Gallowlaw and Westhaven to the East of the Lochty burn. The A930 runs through the town from Barry, and is named Barry Road, Dundee Street, and High Street, as it runs from West to East. It turns sharply North at Gallowlaw, where it is named Carlogie road, and carves a path through Batty's Den to Muirdrum, where it meets with the A92.

The part of the coast that lies to the East of the Lochty burn is a rocky shore, where the Devonian Old Red Sandstone bedrock is exposed. To the West, lies the sandy beach of Barry Sands (otherwise known as Carnoustie Beach). The soil is sandy and, prior to the founding of the town, the land resembled the sandy dunes of Barry Links. To the West of the Lochty burn, the shore is increasingly separated by the peninsula of the Buddon Ness, on which lies the three golf courses of Carnoustie Golf Links, and Panmure Golf Club. To the South of the golf courses lies the Ministry of Defence owned Barry Buddon training camp. This land is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

The Buddon Ness is a triangle of land around 11 km2. Its position at the estury of the River Tay makes it prone to erosion, and the position of both the West and East facing shores have changed considerably since the founding of Carnoustie. Comparison of Ordnance Survey maps from the mid-19th century with present day maps show the shoreline retreating on the West shore and advancing on the East shore. This is supported by comparison of old photographs of Carnoustie links with the present day situation in which the foreshore is now much further from the Beach Pavilion (now the Rugby Club) than it was 80 years ago. When writing in 1874, Dickson stated that some residents of Carnoustie could still remember the high tide mark beyond where the railway line is now situated, and that Thomas Lowson used to throw seaweed onto his garden directly from the high tide mark. The concern latterly has been of the shoreline eroding from this part of the beach and rock armour was placed at the shoreline in 1994.

The climate is typical for the East Coast of Scotland, although the weather can be locally influenced by sea mist, locally known as haar.