IT always amazes me that many people just whizz by on the motorway and don’t stop in Dumfries and Galloway.
I’ve just been back to what is surely Scotland’s most underrated region and once again, it seriously delivered. If you’ve never been, or have just not been in a while, it’s time you joined me in this magical corner of Scotland.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the east of Dumfries and Galloway, so on this trip, I focused on the west, kicking off at the end of the rail line in Stranraer.
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Following the loss of the ferries to Ireland, I feared bleakness, but Allan Jenkins of Stranraer Development Trust could not be more positive: “There is so much going on with a massive rebirth of the waterfront.
“Then the new Kirkpatrick C2C kicks off right here on the pier, we’ve a new watersports centre, the grand George Hotel is being revamped and we are attracting international sailing regattas. Watch this space for more.”
We grab lunch at the bright and welcoming Fig & Olive, which is run by an Australian who loved it so much they settled here, before Jenkins walks me down to the old tourist information centre. The Trust has taken it over and breathed in some new life.
Its sea of leaflets and brochures show just how much there is to do around Stranraer, the famed Rhins of Galloway and Luce Bay. The latter is home to one of my favourite beaches in Scotland.
With his other hat on, as organiser of the annual Stranraer Oyster Festival, Jenkins introduces me to the skipper of the local oyster boat. They farm these bivalve molluscs, from what I learn is the UK’s last wild native oyster bed.
Jenkins fills me in on September’s oyster festival too: “The Loch Ryan oysters are world-class, and people come from all over for the festival with live music and bars spicing things up. It’s a great time to be in town.”
I meet Southern Upland Way ranger Tom Henry at the striking marker that has just been sculpted to mark the start of the emerging Rhins of Galloway Coast Path walking route. We head south to join a spectacular section north of Portpatrick towards Killantringan Lighthouse. It’s just us, the cliffs and the seals splashing around below under low-slung autumn skies.
This new walking trail is still being put together and will sweep 83 miles from Stranraer all the way down to the Mull of Galloway. On a good day, you can see the “Five Kingdoms” – the Isle of Man, Scotland, Ireland, England and ... heaven. The route will then strike back up to Stranraer to end on the shores of Loch Ryan.
These two long-distance walks are reason enough on their own to come to Dumfries and Galloway. The long-standing Southern Upland Way actually kicks off in Portpatrick – itself a gorgeous wee village where you can savour great seafood down by the old harbour.
It then follows its Rhins sibling north, before vaulting all the way across Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders to end up on the North Sea a whopping 214 miles away in Cockburnspath. The Southern Upland Way is a brilliant option to really get under the skin of the region.
I stay over at Knockinaam Lodge in very good company. Churchill and Eisenhower met in this secluded spot to plot the D-Day landings, another of these wee historical gems I always stumble across in Dumfries and Galloway. Dinner is served in their shadows in the three AA rosette restaurant, with a tasting menu that showcases the bountiful local produce, with the highlight Belted Galloway beef.
Knockinaam Lodge is a gorgeous place to stay, whether you are planning the future of the world or not. This boutique bolthole hides down a wee road on its own stretch of coast, hemmed in by hills and cliffs.
A huge lawn unfurls out towards the Irish Sea and you can hike up the cliffs back up to Portpatrick from here too.
It is another scenic walk that takes in the ruins of Dunskey Castle en route. It’s a spirit-soaring spot as the castle gazes out over the cobalt sea – look out for passing dolphins and even whales. Dumfries and Galloway is an oasis for wildlife as much as it is an escape for humans.
I push further east in search of more of the rich history that Dumfries and Galloway always delivers. This is a region alive with castles and ruined abbeys, but many people don’t realise it is so alive with prehistory too.
Outlander star Sam Heughan (above) is from Dumfries and Galloway and you can follow him back in time at a number of sites where you are often the only person around.
I venture to Torhouse Stone Circle and the Cairn Holy Chambered Cairns (below), two brilliant sites where the mysterious stones stand in epic locations.
Information boards help your journey back in time, but they are the sort of oases where your imagination runs riot.
That happens a lot in this glorious, criminally underrated corner of Scotland, so next time you’re on the motorway, take a life-affirming detour west.
More tourist information at www.scotlandstartshere.com. Dumfries Tours offer bespoke trips around Dumfries and Galloway.
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