Overview

Dumfries and Galloway consists of the extreme southwestern portion of Scotland, with the coastline situated on Solway Firth and the Irish Sea. It shares a border with England only briefly, with Cumbria; its eastern border is shared with the Scottish Borders region. The modern term "Dumfries and Galloway" comes from the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and Wigtownshire. The latter two counties were known together as the region of Galloway. Wigtownshire and the Stewartry are located in the western and central portions of the region, while Dumfriesshire and the capital of Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries City, is situated in the eastern part of the region, close to England and the city of Bowness-on-Solway.

Dumfries is an historic market town, forever famed for its connection to poet Robert Burns and its strategic position in the turbulent history of Scotland. The Galloway Coast and Galloway Forest Park are home to such towns as Kirkcudbright, Portpatrick, Stranraer, and Newton Stewart. Other important towns include Castle Douglas, Gretna, and Lockerbie.

Things to see and do

Dumfries and Galloway is a region of great natural beauty, and is home to two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (called National Scenic Areas in Scotland). Let us at Tripmasters tell you about some key sights not just in Dumfries City but also across the entire region. For a full gallery of tourist attractions, click on our point of interest map on the Dumfries and Galloway page.

Sights to See in Dumfries City - The Dumfries Museum tells the story of the entire region through artifacts that date from prehistory. The museum also lays claim to the world's oldest camera obscura, which is available for visitors to see for a small fee (museum admission is free). The Robert Burns House is a small museum dedicated to Scotland's national poet who once lived here. Scottish art and history are on display at the Gracefield Arts Centre. The Old Bridge House dates from 1660 and is an open-air museum showing how people lived during that time period. The Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum is located on the old RAF Dumfries base and showcases civilian and military aircraft.

Nith Estuary National Scenic Area - The 55 square miles that make up the area around the estuary of the River Nith as it opens into Solway Firth is renowned for its beauty and also for its wildlife conservation. The entire population of Svalbard barnacle geese migrate to this area during winter, and populations of lamprey are monitored and preserved in the river and in the firth. Sights along this beautiful stretch of the River Nith include Criffel Hill (1,870 feet), Caerlaverock Castle, Sweetheart Abbey, and Southerness Lighthouse (built in 1749, it is the second-oldest lighthouse in Scotland, first picture).

East Stewartry Coast National Scenic Area - The area around Rough Firth in Dumfries and Galloway is referred to as the East Stewartry Coast and is a National Scenic Area. It is renowned for the number of distinct landscapes packed into just 37 square miles, such as beaches and coves which make way for steep cliffs, rocky outcroppings and islets, plateaus, rolling farmland, and heather moors. Sights in this area include the small coastal village of Rockcliffe, the only inhabited village in the area, and Orchardton Tower (second picture), the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland.

Caerlaverock Castle - The Maxwell clan lived in Caerlaverock Castle (third picture), seven miles south of Dumfries City, from the 13th century until the 17th century. The living quarters for the clan was considered one of the first modern examples of Scottish domestic architecture. It is unique in that the castle is built on a triangular piece of land around a moat. Located in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve, it is a great place to visit in winter due to the large number of barnacle geese that migrate here for the season.

Sweetheart Abbey - The Abbey of Dulce Cor, nicknamed "Sweetheart Abbey" (fourth picture), was founded in 1273 as a Cistercian order by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, the Lord of Galloway, as homage to her dead lover. The building was constructed in the Early English style and built from red sandstone. Today the ruins of the abbey, which closed in 1624, towers over the small village of New Abbey, eight miles from Dumfries City.

Drumlanrig Castle - Situated 18 miles northwest of Dumfries City, Drumlanrig Castle is called the "pink palace" because it was built in the late 17th century out of pink sandstone. The 120-room castle was built by William Douglas, the Duke of Queensberry, on a plot of land that his clan had controlled centuries earlier. The castle also houses a sampling of Renaissance-era art from the Duke of Buccleuch's private collection.

Threave Castle - Situated just outside Castle Douglas, Threave Castle (fifth picture) was the stronghold of the "Black Douglas" clan, which fell out of peerage in the 15th century. It later transferred into the care of the Maxwell clan, and finally the government, as the castle crumbled. Today the tower house and the artillery house are open to the public.

Logan Botanic Garden - Logan Botanic Garden is located on the Rhins of Galloway, the southernmost peninsula in Scotland. Due to its position in the south of the country, surrounded by water and temperate winds, flowers and plants are able to grow here that can't grow outside anywhere else in Scotland, and there are plants and flowers planted here from as far away as Chile, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. Admission is £7 and children under 15 are free.

Mull of Galloway Lighthouse - Take some time to visit the lighthouse at the Mull of Galloway, which is the southernmost point in Scotland. It is the end of the Mull of Galloway Trail, which starts at Glenapp, near Ballantrae, and takes hikers/walkers via Stranraer. The 85-foot lighthouse (sixth picture) was built in 1830, and is still standing today, even after surviving a plane crashing into it during World War II.

Grey Mares Tail Nature Reserve - The nature reserve is centered around the hanging waterfall of the same name, which cascades down 200 feet from Loch Skeen to Moffat Water in the valley below. (It is one of the top five highest waterfalls in the UK.) The town of Moffat nearby is well-known as a spa town and was one of the epicenters of the Scottish wool trade.

Lockerbie Memorial - Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, as a result of Libyan state-sanctioned terrorism, with all 270 people on board killed. A small memorial and plaque is located at 30-2 Sherwood Crescent, a half-mile from the town center.

Shopping

Dumfries and Galloway is filled with shops that are great for souvenir shopping, whether the souvenirs are for yourself or for friends back home. To get a kilt, we recommend looking at Anderson Kilts on Church Crescent in Dumfries City. The town of Moffat is a great place to go if you are interested in buying wool clothing or locally-made handicrafts. The Galloway Craft Guild has brought together over 60 small businesses from all over the region and their wares are sold on King Street in Castle Douglas. Kirkcudbright is a great place to stop for locally-made jewelry and clothes from southern Scotland's most chic fashion boutiques. Head to Gretna Green if you want to buy everything from foodstuffs to books on Scotland. Speaking of books, the largest secondhand bookshop in the country is located on North Main Street in Wigtown.

Food

Dumfries and Galloway is renowned for its farm-to-table approach to cuisine and is also known as "picnic country", because the natural landscape is so beautiful here that it naturally lends itself to packed lunches, which can be made yourself by visiting local butchers and bakers. Some great places to buy foodstuffs for your dream Dumfries and Galloway picnic include King Street in Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries City, Gretna Green, and Gatehouse of Fleet. There are gin distilleries in Annan and Newton Stewart. The Solway Riviera, including Kippford and Rockcliffe, are great places to sample fish and chips. Galloway Honey Farm is well-known domestically for its thick, dark-tinted honey.

Culture and Festivals

Some festivals that are held yearly in Dumfries and Galloway include:

January - Big Burns Supper's Winter Festival, held each year in Dumfries, consisting of music, theatre, and comedy. Big Burns Supper brings traveling entertainment to rural Dumfries and Galloway year-round as well, visit www.bigburnssupper.com for more information.

Last week in May - Spring Fling, the largest `open studio` arts and crafts event in Scotland.

July - Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, the largest rural performing arts festival in Scotland, at the Gracefield Arts Centre.

September - The Knockengorroch Festival, the world's largest ceilidh (Scottish folk) festival, held in the Forest of Ae in the Carsphairn Hills, near Kirkcudbright.

September - Stranraer Oyster Festival, one of the largest food festivals in Scotland, featuring dozens of chefs and restaurants and the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship.

Late September-early October - Wigtown Book Festival, the second-largest book festival in Scotland, with ten days of activities featuring dozens of authors.