The Area

Local Attractions

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland has a great deal to offer the tourist looking for a holiday to remember from Stranraer with its easy transport links to Ireland to Gretna Green where a short break can be combined with a quick hitch. There is a multitude of outdoor activities to entertain you and quaint towns and villages will entice you back to enjoy further memorable holidays in this magical corner of Scotland.

Dumfries and Galloway is a land of colourful and breathtaking scenery and an area of great natural beauty, wilderness and romance. Its rich and colourful past is apparent in the many towns and villages which still retain traces of the area's history. Follow the footsteps of Burns through Dumfries or simply take in the quaint atmosphere of the many ancient villages.

Dalbeattie

Dalbeattie was founded in 1793 as a mill town, a port and a granite quarrying centre. Craignair Hill quarry still exists today, but now Dalbeattie makes most of its income from tourism and service industries. Visitors to Dumfries and Galloway are invited to visit the town as part of their exploration of this unique area. With its granite buildings, Dalbeattie looks good in any kind of weather and the local businesses and people offer a warm welcome to the visitor.

The town began to thrive during the first Scottish Industrial Revolution, with mill-sites using the water-power provided by the steep descent of the Burn into the Urr Valley. Granite quarrying in and around the town gave it a period of prosperity in the 1870s, and many of the fine granite buildings in the town date from this period. From the 1900s Dalbeattie developed other industries in support of agriculture and forestry, the most unusual being from 1940 to the 1960s, when the extensive Edingham Depot manufactured explosives and filled and stored munitions.

The nearest town of any size is Dumfries, about fifteen miles to the northeast. Dumfries is the administrative centre of the Region and has a population of about 44,000 people. Across the Urr, and seven miles to the northwest is the town of Castle Douglas, with a population of about 6,000 people. Further west, eighteen miles along the coast from Dalbeattie, is the Artists' town of Kirkcudbright, once the county town of the Stewartry and still an important centre.

About four miles from Dalbeattie, is the small town of Palnackie. This small port was once an outport of Dalbeattie but is now more famous for its annual ' World Championship Flounder Trampling' contests. Further south and seven miles southeast of Dalbeattie, is the former fishing and smuggling village of Auchencairn.

Kippford and the Colvend Coast

Kippford, recognised historically for its ship-building and fishing activity, is a picturesque village of elegantly painted houses, a sailing equipment shop, yacht club and two welcoming pubs. Today, the village is most commonly recognised as a hub for yachting and attracts many visitors to its annual regatta.

Breathtaking views (Rockcliffe), spectacular walks (Kippford, Mabie Forest and Dalbeattie), superb cycling routes and scenic beaches are all features of the area. There is a number of spectacular golf courses (Colvend, Craigieknowes and Dalbeattie are all within three miles of Kippford) and local fishing spots.