Dundee - City Walls & Squares

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Treasure Hunt around Dundee City Walls & Squares, with Explorers helping the Intrepid Explorers Society solve the clues after Roger 'Dodgy' Dodger finds a tatty treasure map in his attic, all in pursuit of a hidden hoard of Russian and Spanish gold doubloons said to have been brought to Dundee on the RRS Discovery.

The quest covers approximately 1.5 miles and should take around 1.5 hours to complete. You'll begin at Yeaman Shore pay & display car park, just off South Marketgait, then explore Dundee's city centre clues around places including the Howff Cemetery, Steeple Church, High Street, the Overgate Shopping Centre, The McManus Gallery and Caird Hall before finishing back at the car park where you began.

This Trail is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The route is along pavements and clear paths, with a cobbled path in the Howff Cemetery.

Cross Yeaman Shore at the pedestrian crossing, take care crossing Union Street and High Street, and be careful of buses when crossing High Street.

Getting There

By car: Start your treasure-hunting expedition at Yeaman Shore pay & display car park, just off South Marketgait (DD1 4BU). LiveHouse car park (DD1 4EH) is next door and slightly cheaper.

By public transport: The start is not far from the train station. Make your way to Yeaman Shore pay & display car park, just off South Marketgait, to begin the quest.

Need the Loo?

Comfort breaks are available at the train station near the car park at the start, and in the Overgate Shopping Centre before Clue 14.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Explorers are welcome to join the treasure hunt 🐾

The route follows city pavements and clear paths, with road crossings at Yeaman Shore, Union Street and High Street, plus a cobbled path in the Howff Cemetery. Keep canine companions close around traffic, especially when crossing High Street where there may be buses.

Food & Drink Stops

Clue-cracking in the city centre is thirsty work, but supplies are close at hand. There are plenty of shops and cafes throughout the route, so Explorers should have plenty of chances to refuel while hunting for Dodgy Dodger's doubloons.

Want to Make a Day of It?

RRS Discovery

After the route, you can visit the RRS Discovery. This steamship was built in 1901 to take Scott and Shackleton on their first Discovery Expedition to the Antarctic from 1901-04, and the start is not far from it - a fitting extra for Explorers chasing treasure said to have arrived in Dundee aboard the famous ship.

The McManus Gallery

The route passes The McManus Gallery, voted Dundee's best loved building in 2000. It has been at the heart of art and culture in the city since it first opened in 1867 as the Albert Institute for Science, Literature and the Arts.

The Howff Cemetery

The Howff Cemetery adds a fascinating historic pause to the quest. The name means 'meeting place', and the site used to be the garden of the former 13th century Greyfriars monastery, which was destroyed in 1548. The land was gifted to the city by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1564.

Steeple Church

The quest takes you in and around Steeple Church, described as 'the Old Steeple' and Scotland's highest surviving medieval tower. It's a strong spot for slowing down and taking in some of Dundee's older stonework once you are not busy interrogating every clue.

Caird Hall

Look out for Caird Hall's unusual origin story as you explore. King George V and Queen Mary laid the foundation stone in 1914 by electric press button control from Caird's Ashton Works in the Hawkhill. Work then stopped because of war, and the hall was not completed until 1923.