The land of make-believe

When the bureaucrats and civil servants from the south, decided in their wisdom to

''re-create'' the region of Angus, in the most recent re-organisation of local government, I doubt if many of the local folk would have taken much notice. For this is an area whose population knows its identity very well, and the 20-year intrusion imposed on it of Tayside and Grampian was always going to be in conflict with more than 1000 years of history. In fact, the region was first recorded as Angusia in the year 993 AD and subsequently became known as both the Shire and then the County of Angus. This ancient country is a land where highland meets lowland, from the upland wilderness of the glens, through the rich agricultural land of the south, spreading through the vale of Strathmore towards a rugged stretch of the North Sea coastline peppered with long sandy beaches to the east.

Leaving the urban sprawl of the City of Dundee behind, Angus begins almost immediately as you enter the douce decency of Carnoustie, with its neat streets and tidy avenues. The town has no focal point of a square, a harbour or a cathedral, and little history to brag about, but it has something of apparently more estimable popularity . . . golf. The sport appears to have been played here for as long as the town has existed and attracts thousands of visitors to its three courses. Carnoustie has now hosted five Open championships and has such a high profile it is regarded as one of the top venues in the world. Such prestige has been further enhanced by the return of the event back to the town in 1999.

Further along the coast sits Arbroath, a town which, in marked contrast, can claim much history. Its once magnificent abbey, now reduced to pink stone ruins, was founded in 1178 by King William and dedicated to Thomas a Becket on its completion in 1233. The abbey was dissolved during the Reformation and sadly became a source of red sandstone for local buildings. However, enough has survived down the centuries for visitors to marvel at, including the Abbots House which now contains a small museum of artefacts.

The town was also involved in one of the most significant events in Scottish history when the Declaration of Arbroath was sent to the Pope in 1320 seeking recognition for Scottish independence. It was finally acceded to in 1329, but too late for Robert the Bruce who died shortly before receiving the acknowledgement of his right to be king. By the late eighteenth century Arbroath had become a strong trading and manufacturing centre, famed for sail-making (the Cutty Sark's sails were made here) and boot-making. Those activities have now disappeared, but the tradition of fishing continues, with the resultant Arbroath smokie, a line-caught haddock, smoke-cured over oak-chips and poached in milk, one of the best known of Scottish dishes.

From the town the coast stretches along a line of red sandstone cliffs eroded into inlets, caves, and arches, before reaching the sweep of Lunan Bay. A four-mile walk along the sands will take you past the atmospheric ruin of Red Castle, and precious little else on this deserted beach. Around the headland, past Scurdie Ness lighthouse and sitting across the shore from Ferryden, is the ancient seaport of Montrose, an attractive town of closes, pends, courtyards and quiet back streets. It is sandwiched between the sea and the tidal basin, a two-mile square lagoon whose rich nature reserve is home to waders, geese and swans. Worth spending some time in is the eclectic local museum. There is an absorbing collection of maritime memorabilia, including a cast of Napoleon's death mask and a detailed model of a British man-o-war sculpted out of bone by French prisoners at Portsmouth. Perhaps the most

moving artefact is a message found in a bottle in 1857, written by the chief mate of a brigantine 80 years earlier. It finishes; ''. . . no water on board, provisions all

gone. Ate the dog yesterday, three men left alive. Lord have mercy on our souls. Amen.''

The city of Brechin, nine miles inland, was established as a religious community by Irish missionaries in 900 AD. Although the monastery has long gone, the eleventh-century round tower, one of only two in Scotland, still survives. A door built 6ft up in the wall is evidence of the constant threat of Viking raids which led to the design of the structure. The cathedral adjacent to the tower has also witnessed much upheaval. Through the centuries it has been sacked, levelled, rebuilt, knocked down and rebuilt again. The result, however, is a pleasing conglomerate of architectural styles.

Close by, in the bustling town of Forfar is one of the oldest Christian churches in Scotland, Restenneth Priory. Hidden behind trees, only the spire is visible from the road of a religious retreat which was a spiritual sanctuary during the time of the Celts, Picts, Romans and Saxons, before becoming parish kirk of Forfar. Although

much is in

ruins, it is well worth a detour.

Glamis Castle, set in extensive parkland roamed by pheasants, deer and highland cattle, is a beautiful site, but you will be unlikely to find too much peace. Looking every bit like a fairy-tale setting with its profusion of towers, turrets and stepped gables, and with its high-profile royal connections, the castle is the most popular visitor attraction in the area. Visitors flock here to experience the most haunted building in Scotland, to view a location chosen by Shakespeare as the setting for Macbeth, or to glimpse the ghost of Beardie Crawford, said to be trapped in the crypt playing cards with the devil.

There can be no question about the County of Angus's connections with story-telling, for it was in the town of Kirriemuir that author J M Barrie created Peter Pan. During his childhood here, he forged the ideas that led to the creation of the character. Today he is remembered in the town by a statue of his creation which stands in the square and his birthplace, in a small weaver's cottage, is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. Visitors can

enjoy an audio-visual journey through his boyhood and muse among many artefacts of his life. Kirriemuir seems the perfect

setting for such whimsy, for, with its narrow cobbled streets and closes, its old-fashioned shops and jumble of little houses sitting at odd angles, it almost seems as if it exists in a land of make-believe.

Info file

Angus Tourist Information Centre: Tel 01382 434664.

Iain White was the guest of Castleton House Hotel: Tel 01307 840340.