Neighbourhood highlights
Situated in the southwest of Scotland, with the Central Belt & Ayrshire to the north, Cumbria & the Lake District to the south, the Scottish Borders & Northumberland to the east, and Ireland to the west, this kaleidoscope of beautiful pastoral landscape, rugged coastline, woodland and forest, moorland and mountain is a rich cultural melting pot.
Wigtown was officially designated as Scotland’s National Book Town in 1998 and is now home to a wide range of book-related businesses. A book lovers haven – and with over quarter of a million books to choose from, old and new … it is impossible to escape empty-handed.
The annual Wigtown Book Festival offers more than 200 events for adults, children and young people including literature, music, film, theatre, arts and crafts. The festival takes place for 10 days each autumn and has welcomed speakers such as Ian Rankin, Clare Balding, Celia Imrie, John Simpson, Joanna Lumley, Douglas Hurd, Sally Magnusson, Richard Holloway, Mairi Hedderwick, Nick Sharratt and Cathy Cassidy.
With easy access and easy parking in the town’s wide streets and market square, shopping is a pleasure in Wigtown. It’s an easy stroll round bookshops, gift shops, cafes and inns. New businesses and restored buildings all add to the vibrancy of the literary town.
Enjoy a great day out, with meals and refreshments served in the town’s cafes, inns and hotels. We also have our own distillery in nearby Bladnoch – the region’s only distillery – with visitor centre and gift shop.
Dumfries and Galloway offers excellent holiday opportunities, with farm parks, castles, wildlife and a raft of mind-boggling outdoor adventure activities to try for families, places like Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie and along the Solway coast are all great family holiday destinations.
Enjoy Cream o' Galloway, a huge farm adventure park, and Brighouse Bay, a beautiful beach complete with rock pools and a nearby riding centre.
Spend a day mountain biking at Kirroughtree 7stanes mountain biking centre. Or for something a little less high energy and a lot more creative, stop off at The Wee Pottery Kirkcudbright to hand-make your own souvenirs.
Craft your own chocolate creations at the Cocoabean Company and enjoy a leisurely horse or pony trek through the lush Galloway countryside at Lochhill Equestrian Centre.
Exploring a real-life Scottish castle is pretty cool, but a visit to Threave Castle is even more of an adventure than most - its set on its own private island and you take the passenger boat across the river to reach it.
A warm climate and a rich soil makes for plenty of beautiful outdoor spaces in Dumfries and Galloway. Glenwhan, Crichton or Castle Kennedy Gardens are just a few in the area definitely worth a visit. For a woodland walk visit Scotland Wood of Cree Nature Reserve or the Crook of Baldoon coastal reserve within Wigtown Bay. Since buying the reserve, the RSPB has restored farmland and a willow crop to wet grassland. This provides a breeding habitat for lapwing and redshank, as well as increasing the richness of other wildlife.
Sandy beaches with long and varied coastlines are among the most picturesque in the area, enjoy a leisurely stroll, put of a wet suit and take a dip or fly that kite - you will have unforgettable memories of your holidays here.
Established in 1947, the Galloway Forest Park is often referred to as ‘the Highlands of the Lowlands’ and attracts around 800,000 thousand visitors each year. Home to dramatic ancient woodland, magnificent scenery and an astonishing range of local wildlife, the park is perfect for the whole family. Whether walking, cycling, fishing, driving through it has something for everyone to explore and remember.
Go stargazing in Galloway Dark Sky Park and enjoy amazing views of fantastic dark skies. The region covers 300 square miles that have been protected from light pollution. On moonless nights the Milky Way can be seen stretching from one horizon to the other. Thousands more stars are visible compared to a typical town or city. On the outskirts of the park you will find the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory – a beacon of public stargazing events
Dumfries and Galloway hosts many renowned festivals and events each year.
The Wigtown Book Festival, Spring Fling open studios weekend, the Arts Festival and Big Burns Supper are cultural festivals that always produce exciting and dynamic contemporary programmes.
The Big Burns Supper in January has at its heart the elegant speigeltent, a fitting venue for all kinds of weird and wonderful cabaret, comedy, live music and theatre.
Our region has several hundred artists and craftmakers living who have made their home here, which makes the Spring Fling weekend unmissable. More than eighty top artists and craftmakers throw open their studios to the public during the last weekend in May, to explain their work and inspiration, and to draw visitors in to the alchemy of artistic inspiration.
The South of Scotland’s biggest and best multi-form Arts Festival is Dumfries and Galloway’s Arts Festival. It has events taking place across the whole length and breadth of our region, which are always eclectic, thought provoking and fun. Why not combine your trip to one of our museums and galleries with an Arts Festival event?
Wigtown golf club is a pleasant 9 hole course that offers a good test of golf to players of all abilities.Set in rolling parkland on the edge of Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town, the course is a haven for those seeking relaxing golf and a friendly atmosphere. Around the course there are magnificent views of Wigtown Bay.
