Dumfries & Galloway

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Back to Dumfries & Galloway InnsNa0046.wmf (13814 bytes)nitary authority in southern Scotland, formed in 1996 from the regional council of the same name (1975-96).

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Local Links Dumfries and Galloway Council
owns and cities Annan, Dumfries (administrative headquarters), Kirkcudbright, Stranraer, Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart
rea 6,421 sq. km / 2,479 sq. miles
opulation 147,900 (1995)
opography Fort Monreith BayArea characterized by an indented coastline, including Luce Bay and Wigtown Bay, backed by a low-lying coastal strip of varying width; intensively forested in the Galloways. Much of the inland area is upland: east to west this includes Eskdalemuir (Hart Fell 808 m / 2,651 ft), the Lowther Hills (Green Lowther 732 m / 2,402 ft) and the Galloway Hills (the Merrick 843 m / 2,766 ft)
ommerce Fishing for Crabs and Lobsters at Corsewall PointIndustries: timber, chemicals, food processing

Agriculture: beef and dairy cattle, sheep, forestry   Agriculture is the most important economic enterprise in the area, with poorer lands being intensively forested and better quality lands being intensively cropped or grazed. Tourism is also important, with many camping and caravan sites along the southern coast and, via Stranraer, it is the shortest ferry route to Ireland.
amous people Galloway Forest ParkThe Galloway Hills provided the setting of John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps. The region had a number of early innovators during the agricultural revolution, and has associations with Robert the Bruce, the poet Robert Burns, and the writer Thomas Carlyle. The playwright JM Barrie was educated at Dumfries academy and is understood to have conceived Peter Pan at this time.
ttractions Corsewall LighthouseWanlockhead (the highest village in Scotland); the oldest working post office in the world at Sanquhar; Glen Trool National Park; Ruthwell Cross, Whithorn dig   There are Neolithic tombs and a wide range of later prehistoric sites at Burnswark; also at Burnswark and Birrens are Roman artefacts. Early Christian monuments include those at Whithorn and Ruthwell.

There are many earthen mounds (mottes) for timber castles which testify to the Norman penetration of Scotland. Caerlaverock Castle is one of the foremost examples of medieval secular architecture in Scotland.

There are 93 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, five National Nature Reserves, four Ramsars (wetland sites), three Special Protection Areas, three Biosphere Reserves, and three National Scenic Areas.

Dumfries - Robert Burns is buried in the graveyard of St Michael's church. The site of a Franciscan friary where Robert (I) the Bruce killed the Red Comyn is now built on; a stone marks the site of the old castle of Dumfries which Robert captured after Comyn's death. This death started the long war of independence. Greyfriars church (1867) stands on the site of the old castle of the Maxwells. Two foot bridges and four traffic bridges span the river. Devorgilla's Bridge (1426) is the oldest and is now reserved for pedestrians.
Seacat to IrelandStranraer - Situated at the head of Loch Ryan, Stranraer is the main route into Scotland from Larne and Belfast in Ireland via ferries and the seacat. The town has a museum and the remains of a 16th-century castle, known as the Castle of St John. It is also a gateway to the Rhinns of Galloway to the west. To the south, Logan Botanic Garden is an important attraction, and features a collection of plants including cabbage palms and tree ferns. The extensive parklands at Castle Kennedy Gardens east of Stranraer are also worth visiting