South West Accommodation

Burns Statue, Dumfries

Caerlaverock Castle, South of Dumfries

Sweetheart Abbey, New Abbey, South of Dumfries

Women Munitions Workers. Photography at the Devil's Porridge Exhibit, Eastriggs near Gretna Green

Edward Hornel at the Tolbooth Arts Centre, Kirkcudbright

The Southern Upland Way at Wanlockhead, Scotland's Highest Village in Dumfries & Galloway

Making Hats, National Costume Museum, New Abbey

Sandyhills, Colvend Coast, Dumfries & Galloway

Southerness Point, Colvend Coast, Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Information: Dumfries, Gretna Green, Moffat, Stranraer

Dumfries and Galloway, the Southwest stretch of Scotland with some of Scotland's best beaches on the Colvend Coast, is a popular Scottish area for holidays. To the far west on the Rhinns of Galloway, the Mull is a sanctuary for seabirds and wildlife.

There's a holiday activity for everyone here, from hopping onto the Robert Burns trail at Dumfries (where Burns spend his last days) to relaxing on the stunning Solway coastline at the best beaches of Sandyhills and elsewhere. Abbeys and castles are scattered across the area, with two of the most stunning being Sweetheart Abbey and Caerlaverock Castle south of Dumfries. Keen walkers and mountain bikers should head straight for Britain's largest forest park, the Galloway Forest Park.

Dumfries Tourist Information

Dumfries sits firming on the Robert Burns Scottish trail, Robert Burns spent the remaining years of his life here. A number of visitor attractions pay homage to Scotland's National Poet and the Poetry of Robert Burns (1759-96) including The Globe Inn where Burns liked to partake, Robert Burns House and the Burns Centre. Dumfries is well served with a choice of centrally placed B&B guesthouses and hotels, as well as tasteful restaurants for eating out in the town.

Peaceful, and with a long history as a market town, Dumfries is a superb base from which to explore the Dumfries & Galloway area. One of Scotland's most striking castles, Caerlaverock Castle, is nearby alongside the Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Westlands Centre, plus there's local golf, parks and gardens, family holiday attractions, a choice of local museums and an evolving arts and crafts scene centering around the Gracefields Arts Centre. Although Robert Burns, as Scotland's National Poet, has become the main tourist focus here, there's much more going on, including a fascinating Aviation Museum, a costume museum and two excellent local history museums. Scotland's oldest bridge - Devorgilla Bridge, is here too!

Gretna Green Tourist Information

Gretna Green weddings are still popular, with over 1000 couples marrying here in Gretna every year. The Old Blacksmith's Shop and Centre is the main hub not just for superb shopping but also as a heritage site for runaway weddings since 1754. The Gretna Story exhibit within the Blacksmith's complex is well worth your time to explore Gretna Green Weddings history and why couples flocked here to get married.

Gretna Green shopping lives up to the hype - at the Old Blacksmith's Centre you've everything from Scottish Tartan and Scotch Whisky to arts and crafts, Scottish gifts and full cafe and restaurant facilities on-site. More Gretna Green Shopping is on offer at the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village. Highly recommended too is the Devil's Porridge exhibit at St John's Church just outside Gretna at Eastriggs. It's an important site for women's history and the history of womens roles in munitions production during World War One.

Annan near Gretna makes a superb picturesque base for both walking and cycling. It's an attractive town situated as it is at the mouth of the River Annan. The town has associations with Thomas Carlyle who studied and taught at Bridge House (Annan's town Academy) between 1802 and 1820. The town academy building survives today, and plans are afoot to restore it. Carlyle's birthplace is situated not far from Annan in Ecclefechan and is open to the public.

A74M - Lockerbie, Moffat & Langholm Tourist Information

Lining the A74M motorway upto Glasgow from the south, a selection of picturesque Dumfries & Galloway towns and villages make perfect stopovers, or indeed longer stay bases for exploring the eastern area of Annandale and Eskdale.

Moffat sits conveniently close to the Southern Upland Way, and is famed for its historic spa town history. Lockerbie is an excellent base for Dumfries & Galloway Golf, with nearby Ecclefechan home to the birthplace house of Thomas Carlyle. Langholm, just inside the Dumfries & Galloway border, but with close links to the Scottish Borders, is a stunning spot and birthplace to acclaimed 20th century Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid.

Castle Douglas & Dalbeattie Tourist Information

Quieter than Dumfries, Castle Douglas makes a peaceful base close to the Colvend Coast, Dumfries centre and the Galloway Forest Park. The little centre has a distinctive Georgian grid design, courtesy of William Douglas who had ideas to turn the town into a cotton industrial hub and named it after himself.

Dalbeattie is the nearby main town to the holiday Colvend Coast (the best of the Scottish Riviera), and a main centre for stocking up on supplies if you're based on one of the many scenic caravan parks or B&Bs from Rockcliffe to Southerness. Some of the hidden heritage of Dalbeattie itself though is beginning to emerge, and a fascinating history it is too. Head for the newly opened Dalbeattie Museum to find out more on the underground World War II munitions factory in the area and historic local sites such as the Moyle Iron Age Fort. A number of superb Scotland golf courses are located in this area of Dumfries & Galloway.

Newton Stewart & the Galloway Forest Park Tourist Information

Newton Stewart is the main gateway into the Galloway Forest Park and a key base for walkers and hikers, mountain bikers, and fishing holidays in the area.

Affectionately often referred to as the Highlands within the Lowlands, the Galloway Forest Park is actually Britain's largest forest park (300 square miles) and pushes right up to the Ayrshire Border from the Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway.

To the south of Newton Stewart the triangular headland known as the Machars offers a combination of ancient prehistoric hut circles, cairns, pilgrimage centres and at Wigtown a hub for books, literary festivals and numerous bookshops.

Moving south of Wigtown towards the coast you arrive at historic Whithorn, associated with the birth and history of Christianity in Scotland. St Ninian, Scotland's first Saint, is thought to have begun his mission here in Whithorn in 397AD to introduce Christianity to Scotland.

Kirkcudbright, Artist's Town, Dumfries & Galloway

Kirkcudbright is one of the most appealing locations in Dumfries and Galloway, with its still working harbour, Tolbooth Art Centre and now annual Wicker Man Festival! Pronounced 'kirk-cou-bri', Kirkcudbright's fishing heritage blends well with its art hub well - Edward Hornel (1863-1933) lived at Broughton House in Kirkcudbright. One of the major players in the Glasgow Boys art collective, his residence in Kirkcudbright from 1901 saw the establishment of a mini art colony here.

Stranraer, Portpatrick, Glenluce & The Rhinns of Galloway

Port town Stranraer is a key Scottish ferry link to Ireland, namely Belfast and Larne. Well worth a visit is the Stranraer Museum for the history of Wigtownshire farming and information on many of the ancient archeological finds in the area. The Castle of St John is also situated in the town. Moving down the Rhinns of Galloway you'll arrive first at pretty seaside resort Portpatrick, an excellent base for exploring the area with a golf course, pretty harbour and coastal walking. Portpatrick is also the start of the 212 mile Southern Upland Way.

Moving further south towards the Mull of Galloway things start to get a little more wild. Stunning coastal scenery down here is home to numerous wildlife including nesting puffins. Call in at the Mull of Galloway RSPB reserve to learn more. The far west of Dumfries and Galloway is Scotland's most southerly point, and warmed by the Gulf Stream. You'll discover a superb selection of gardens in the Stranraer area (exotic plants thrive down here). A number of sites, including the Logan Botanic Gardens, were used as backdrop to the 1973 cult film classic 'The Wicker Man'.

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