Home Report Brechin

Brechin, in the council area of Angus, is an attractive town of roughly 7,400 residents. The town is situated on the banks of the River South Esk in rural Angus. It is roughly about an hour’s drive of both Dundee and Aberdeen. In times past it was considered a city for its medieval cathedral and importance as a pre-Reformation religious centre.

Today, Brechin is an important agricultural centre for the surrounding area and a commuter town. Many residents travel to work in the nearby towns of Forfar and Montrose, as well as Arbroath, Kirriemuir and Carnoustie. Many residents also commute further afield to Aberdeen and Dundee. As such, residents need to get around easily. Thankfully for car users, the A90 trunk road runs along the western edge of the town and allows residents to travel onwards to Forfar, Dundee and Aberdeen. The A933 and A934 roads also allow for travel to the nearby towns of Montrose and Arbroath. The town has no active railway station for commuters but there are several bus services residents can use to travel to nearby towns and further to cities like Dundee and Aberdeen.

In terms of amenities and things to do, Brechin has the usual array of local businesses and chains you would expect in a town of its size. The town has a fair bit of character and history, and this is evident throughout the buildings in the town centre. The most imposing building of all would be the medieval cathedral, famed for its tall eleventh-century round tower which is one of only two such towers surviving in Scotland. The Town House and Museum house a fascinating display that tells the ‘City’s’ story over the last two-thousand years. The town was previously served by Brechin railway station, a terminus of several lines. It was closed to passengers in 1952 but has since reopened as part of the Caledonian Railway heritage railway. On Sundays during the summer, steam locomotives carry passengers between the Victorian Brechin Station and the nearby Bridge of Dun. It now attracts train enthusiasts and general tourists alike. The Brechin Castle Centre is also a draw for visitors, sitting within 70 acres of beautiful country parkland.

As for local schooling then, Brechin has four primary schools and one secondary school. The four primary schools are Andover Primary school, Edzell Primary School, Maisondieu Primary School, and Stracathro Primary School. All feed into Brechin High School.