Memorial to Mine Sweepers

A modest stone memorial sits on the Angus coast near Montrose, marking one of those quietly important sacrifices that history tends to shuffle past. It commemorates the minesweepers and their crews who died clearing the waters around these shores during the Second World War - dangerous, unglamorous work that quite literally kept supply routes open and ports functional.

There's not much fanfare here. No visitor centre, no café, just a memorial in a working landscape where you can actually see the water they were protecting. It's the kind of place that takes ten minutes to visit properly, but those ten minutes matter if you're interested in military history or simply understanding what happened in these waters.

Historians and Second World War enthusiasts will find it worthwhile, though families with young children might find it too brief unless they're keen on the subject. The real appeal lies in its authenticity - no interpretation panels gussying things up, just a straightforward acknowledgment of loss.

If you're staying at St Cyrus Holiday Park down the road, it's a simple addition to a coastal walk rather than a destination in itself. Go on a clear day when the sea's actually visible - there's something about standing there looking out at the water they died in that makes it land harder than any plaque ever could. Allow an hour if you're combining it with a walk along the coast; twenty minutes if you're passing through.