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Threave Castle, the fourteenth century stronghold built by Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas, stands on an island in the River Dee. For a description of the 1455 seige, please go to our 'History' page. In 1640 it was besieged again, this time by the Covenanters, whilst it was being held by the Earl of Nithsdale on behalf of King Charles I. This time the castle held out for thirteen weeks against heavy artillery bombardment, but following its surrender, it was 'slighted', or made uninhabitable by removing the roof and various other parts so that it could not be held again against an army. It has remained a substantial ruin since that time. It can only be reached by a boat, which is operated by Historic Scotland, the organisation responsible for its upkeep. Back |
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A ten mile drive on Forestry Commission Roads through the forest from Clatteringshaws Loch to Loch Ken, (or vice versa). There is a view point overlooking Loch Ken at the summit of Bennan, and an attractive picnic area at the Otter Pool. This route is very good for mountain biking. There are a number of other mountain bike routes around the Clatteringshaws Loch area, which is also the location of the Galloway Red Deer Range where you can see stags, hinds and calves on a guided walk of about 1 1/2 miles. There is also an indoor Visitor Centre with exhibitions. Back |
A hydro-electric power station on the River Dee, just outside Kirkcudbright. A very interesting guided tour takes visitors around the power station, explaining the story of the hydro electric power scheme and how electricity is produced. You may even be lucky enough to see salmon making their way up the fish ladder which provides them with a 'by-pass' so they can get upstream to spawn! This is one of four such power stations on the River Dee, but the only one that is open to the public. Back
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Threave Gardens is the National Trust for Scotland's School of Estate Gardening. After entering through the Visitor Centre with its exhibitions, shop and restaurant, the grounds contain many walks amongst the herbaceous borders, ponds, woodlands, peat gardens, and the Victorian walled garden, which once produced all the fruit, vegetables and flowers required for the house which stands in the the middle of the gardens. Back |
See this award-winning, natural ice cream being made from the viewing gallery. A video presentation explains the procedures used. The farm, which is presently converting to organic status, uses milk from their own cows in the making of the ice cream, which you can try in the farm shop - with a range of different flavours! Back |
| John Paul Jones is famous in the United States as the 'Father of the American Navy'. He was born in poverty on the estate of Arbigland, on 6th July 1747, where his father was the gardener of the estate. He went to Kirkbean school but spent much time at the small port of Carsethorn on the Solway Firth. At the age of 13 he boarded a vessel to go to Whitehaven across the Solway, where he signed up for a seven year seaman's apprenticeship. He stayed at sea and and through his skills became a distinguished naval officer fighting for both the USA and Empress Catherine II's Russia. The two-roomed Cottage where he was born and grew up, furnished in the style of the 1700s, is a fitting memorial to the swashbuckling hero. With audio headsets, visitors can hear the story of his action-filled life in the authentic setting of his birthplace, built for his father in 1740. In the room to the back, built in 1831 by Lieutenant Pinckham, USN, in order to ensure the continued survival of the building, there is a dramatic audio-visual presentation of the sights and sounds of Jones’ most famous naval engagement in 1779 at Flamborough Head, off the Yorkshire coast, and a reconstruction of the great cabin of his man o’ war ‘Bonhomme Richard’. He died in Paris at the age of 45 and his body lay in an alcohol filled coffin in an unmarked grave in a cemetary for foreign Protestants for over a century. The turn of the 20th century was a time of great American naval expansion, encouraged by the President Teddy Roosevelt , and an intensive search was made to find his body. In 1905 it was rediscovered and returned to the United States amid great ceremony. In 1913 his body was finally laid to rest in a magnificent marble sarcophagus, modelled on the tomb of Napoleon, in the chapel crypt of Annapolis Naval Academy; a far cry from his humble beginnings in Scotland. | |
| An attractive village situated at the estuary of the Urr Water (or river) which is a centre for sailing. Boatyards, chandlers and boat moorings, together with walks along the side of the estuary, make this a popular place to visit. Along the riverside walk amongst the plants, is imaginative artistic work based on pieces of driftwood washed up by the sea and stones from the shore. This is also one end of the Jubilee Path to Rockcliffe, an attractive 1 1/2 mile walk over the cliff top. A short diversion leads to the Mote of Mark, an ancient earthwork fortification. Back |
A small village built between the hills and the shore at the opposite end of the Jubilee Path Cliff Walk from Kippford. Many of the houses have attractive natural rock gardens. The shore here has rocks and rockpools near the land, but when the tide is out, the beach is sandy and flat. From here a Countryside Ranger leads walks at low tide to Rough Island bird sanctuary, which stands in the middle of the estuary. Back |
| The attractive former county town of the Stewartry has a number of places of interest. Broughton House in the High Street, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, was the home of the artist E. A. Hornel, one of the "Glasgow Boys" in the early part of the twentieth century. There is an exhibition of his work in the house, and his studio is as he left it when he died in 1933. The very attractive garden, laid out as a series of "rooms", runs from the house down to the river. Designed by Hornel, it gives the impression of being much larger than it really is, by the imaginative use of paths and planting. MacLellans Castle, a castellated town house standing beside the river, was built in 1577 by the then Provost of the town, using stone from a nearby ruined monastery. It has many interesting architectural features. Just outside the town is the Wildlife Park, 27 acres of woodland and grassland containing a collection of animals from all over the world. The objective is the breeding of threatened and endangered species for release into the wild. Back |
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This is the place to leave the car for the 11/2 hour walk up Screel, with its views across the Solway Firth to Cumbria in one direction, and Carlingwark Loch and Castle Douglas in another. It is possible to divert from the Screel path to climb Bengairn as well, but this will take considerably longer. Bengairn alone is best approached from just outside the village of Gelston. Back |
Forestry Commission managed woodland, with numerous walks from between 1 and 3 miles, of up to 2 hours duration, through the valley of the Urr Water, and climbing to a viewpoint which looks over the Solway Coast. Also contains cycling routes. Back |
| Practice your golf here at this floodlit golf driving range, which also has a 9 hole golf course and putting, chipping and driving bunkers. Set amid the rolling hills and farmland of Galloway, but only a short 'drive' from Castle Douglas. Back |
Twynholm (pronounced "Twine-am") is the home town of Formula 1 racing driver David Coulthard. Here there is an exhibition tracing his career from the go-karts of his youth to Formula 1 cars he has raced in, and displaying trophies he has won. Back |
| Loch Ken This 15 mile long loch has a number of centres where there are facilities for sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and powerboating. Back |
An extensive abbey, now a ruin, where Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her last night on Scottish soil before her imprisonment and subsequent execution in the England of Queen Elizabeth I. Back |
| The conservation village of Gatehouse of Fleet is worth a visit just because it is so attractive. Here you will find the Mill on the Fleet Visitor Centre, a former cotton mill, which now contains an exhibition of the history of the town and the life of the people around the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth century, as well as a rolling programme of exhibitions from the world of art. There is also an excellent restaurant overlooking the river. On the outskirts of the town is Cardoness Castle, a 15th century tower house and former home of the McCullochs. Back |
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