Forfar offers several distinct highlights: nature at Forfar Loch, a Heritage Trail starting in the town centre, a museum and historic sites nearby. The walking options vary in the time they take; seasonal wildlife watching and a guided farm experience are also available. If you are planning an overnight stay in Forfar, you can choose what to see based on the balance you want between walks, culture and excursions.
Trails and nature at Forfar Loch
The four-kilometre path around Forfar Loch is suitable for people of all abilities and forms part of the wider Forfar Path Network. Forfar Loch Country Park also offers opportunities for walking, running, cycling and horse riding. The park therefore offers both a path with a specific distance and other ways to enjoy the outdoors. Kingfishers, otters, foxes and deer are regularly spotted. In summer, you can also watch ospreys fishing there. The seasonal differences are a useful guide when planning wildlife watching.
Walking times and the museum
The Forfar Heritage Trail starts in the town centre at the Meffan Museum & Art Gallery and takes approximately two hours. Shorter additional trail walks go around Forfar Loch and up to Balmashanner Hill; each takes approximately one hour. This gives you the choice of a longer trail or shorter options: each additional walk takes about half as long as the main trail. The approximate times help you plan the walks around the time you have available.
The Meffan Museum & Art Gallery displays the Goosecroft Logboat, a dugout canoe dated to 1090 AD. This named exhibit adds a cultural and historical stop to the trail, with a specific date associated with it. If you would like to combine exercise and culture during your stay, you can consider the museum and trail as separate activities.
Balmashanner Hill: views and remembrance
The walk up Balmashanner Hill offers views across Forfar and over Strathmore towards the Angus Glens; visibility depends on the weather. A stone tower also stands on the hill as a war memorial to those who died in the First World War. It was built in 1921. On this walk, views and a place of remembrance come together.
Historic sites and experiences nearby
Near Forfar lies Restenneth Priory, the ruins of a medieval Augustinian priory with older architectural elements. The choir walls, with their fine lancet windows, remain. You can view the ruins from paths and lawns and walk around the outside; the interiors of the surviving buildings are not accessible. Check the visiting conditions before your trip if you plan to visit. Unlike the museum, the focus here is on the site itself and its surviving features.
Near Forfar, Newton Farm Tours offers a 1.5-hour guided farm tour. You will meet cows, sheep, goats, alpacas and pigs. Tours and experiences must be booked in advance; check the details before your trip. With its set duration and guided format, the farm tour differs from the walking options.
Getting there and planning your stay
Forfar is easily accessible from Dundee and Aberdeen via the A90. To plan your stay, you can first decide whether to focus on trails and wildlife watching, the Heritage Trail and museum, or historic sites and guided experiences nearby.
Discover more destinations: Longniddry, Jedburgh, Carrbridge, Edinburgh, Kingussie, Hawick, Newtonmore.
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