| The West - 4,000 years of history
and sub tropical gardens. Ayone interested in
our cultural and religious past must visit Whithorn,
where an archaelogical dig has unearthed remains of Scotland's oldest Christian
settlement. An award winning visitor centre explains the finds and helps you you to
imagine how life must have been in those distant times. It was near here that St Ninian landed, bringing Christianity to
Scotland. You can visit the cave where he sheltered and imagine the steady stream of
pilgrims making their way to this, the last outpost of Christianity in North Western
Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Even older are the standing stones at
Torhousekie,
erected over 4,000 years ago and whose purpose remains a mystery.
Cabbage palms, tree ferns and other plants from the South
Seas grow abundantly in the gardens of Galloway - thanks to to the warmth of the passing Gulf Stream. You can
see them in profusion in Logan
Botanic Gardens. And in Meadowsweet Herb Garden you can see a range of interesting
herbs and medicinal plants. Other gardens open to the public are at Ardwell, Glenwhan, and
Castle Kennedy.
Pretty little ports like Port William, Garlieston, Isle of
Whithorn and Drummore, the most southerly village in Scotland, mark the tourist route
around the Machars peninsula.
Farthest West lies the charming holiday village of Portpatrick
with its challenging golf course and comfortable hotels. The patron saint of Ireland was
said to have crossed here in a single step. If you feel like stepping it out, the Southern Upland Way
begins here - a 212 mile walk across Scotland - and there are many shorter strolls along
picturesque clifftops with stunning views across to the Isle of Man and the Irish coast.
More and
more are discovering that Dumfries & Galloway is a land of activities. We have 31 golf
courses, five major salmon and sea-trout rivers and innumerable burns and lochs, dozens of
opportunities for pheasant shooting or wildfowling and stalking deer, hundreds of miles of
spectacular cycling and walking routes, pony trekking and riding and a never-ending
succession of ceilidhs, village fairs, the Scottish 'Alternative' games, country dances,
classical music concerts and children's entertainments and - some of the most exciting of
all events - the 'Riding of the Marches' in historic border towns like Langholm. If you
call in at any of our 8 Tourist Information Centres, you can pick up a copy of our
Visitors Guide to Dumfries and Galloway or any of our specialised guides on golf, gardens,
fishing, walking, cycling and fieldsports.
Whoever you are, whenever you come, you'll find a welcome in
Dumfries and Galloway - Scotland's best-kept holiday secret.
Click here to go to Dumfries & Galloway Tourist Board
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