Tarfside: Hiking and Church Architecture

St Drostan’s Episcopal Church is in Tarfside, by the Water of Tarf. Its building history, religious heritage and landscape offer different points of interest: one path leads west from Tarfside across moorland facing south-east, while the Glen Esk, Tarfside and the Badalair route offers views of Loch Lee. This gives you a choice when planning your trip between church and memorial history on the one hand, and landscape and seasonal route guidance on the other.

Church: Building Period, Style and History

St Drostan’s Episcopal Church was built in 1878–9 in the Early English style using Aberdeen-bond granite. The date adds a chronological reference to the building’s stylistic and material classification. If you are interested in church architecture, the building period, style and granite offer concrete points of reference for a closer look at the building.

Together with the former manse, the church forms a group of particular historical value. Its significance lies in its testament to religious practice and the enduring Episcopal tradition in this part of Scotland. Alongside the building’s form and materials, this also brings the history of religious practice into focus.

Path and Landscape

The Tarfside cross-incised stone stands south of a path that leads west from Tarfside across moorland facing south-east. Several reference points are important for orientation: Tarfside, the path’s westward direction, the moorland and the stone’s position south of it. Together, these details provide a spatial context distinct from the church’s building history.

The Glen Esk, Tarfside and the Badalair route offers views of Loch Lee. This is a different landscape reference from the one associated with the cross-incised stone: there, the focus is on its position south of the path; on the route, it is the view of Loch Lee. If you are comparing walking routes, this distinction between a described path and stone location and an expressly named viewpoint is useful.

Routes and Seasonal Planning

Caution is advised on the Fungle route in winter, particularly when snow-covered. Take this seasonal guidance into account when planning your walk and check conditions before setting out. It concerns winter use of the route and specifically highlights snow cover; the view of Loch Lee, by contrast, is a landscape feature of the Glen Esk, Tarfside and the Badalair route. This helps distinguish the two details by their practical significance: one is a view of the landscape, the other seasonal planning guidance.

The Maule Monument

The inscription on the Maule Monument commemorates seven deceased members of the Maule family, Lady Ramsay MacDonald, Lady Christian Maule and Fox, Earl of Dalhousie. The dedication by name adds a distinct note to the history of remembrance. While the group formed by the church and former manse is significant as a testament to religious practice and the Episcopal tradition, here the focus is on the people named in the inscription. Historical interest thus encompasses not only architecture and church history, but also the form of commemoration.

Discover more destinations: Dykehead, Monikie, Inverkeilor, Menmuir, Monifieth, Tealing, Brechin, Carnoustie.

For the overall travel guide: Angus.