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Explore an Authentic Scotland’s 5,000 Years
of History,
Far from the
Madding Crowd,
in Dumfries and Galloway
For many people, a visit to Scotland means a trip to the capitol city, Edinburgh, or its largest city, Glasgow, or even a pilgrimage to the world’s “Home of Golf,” St. Andrews—with a few outlying distilleries thrown in for the adventurous types.
However, straying from the typical tourist’s itinerary offers more than an escape from the crowds. The Dumfries and Galloway region in southwest Scotland gives a glimpse into the lives of people who live in a country that boasts 5,000 years of history.
It also offers a wide variety of landscapes: Scotland in miniature. The economy is mostly fueled by farming—so much so that it has its own distinctive type of cattle: the Belted Galloway, affectionately called Belties.
The Ferry Port of Stranraer links Scotland to Northern Ireland.
Gulf Stream Moderates Climate
In Dumfries and Galloway, life is slower paced, and although it is obviously colder than California, there are warming breezes from the Gulf Stream—but remember this is Scotland, everything is relative.
Much of this area is surrounded by the ocean on three sides. This slightly milder weather allows it to support a surprising number of tropical plants, a fact borne witness to by the 18-plus nurseries and gardens in the area. One of the best and most exotic is the Logan Botanical Garden, affiliated with the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh.
Another impressive garden is at Castle Kennedy, five miles east of Stranraer, the ferry port to Northern Ireland located on the north side of the hammer-shaped peninsula known as the Rhins of Galloway. Castle Kennedy Gardens shows the power of man to shape his environment. Its natural location on an isthmus between two natural lochs is only made more picturesque by the manicured, man-made avenues, terraces and mounds constructed primarily in the 1730s.
A young visitor to the Mull of Galloway’s treacherous coastline is startled by the 325-ft. drop to raging seas below.
Mull of Galloway
For those looking for a more natural glimpse of Scotland’s beauty, the “Mull of Galloway” is the name of Scotland’s southernmost point. It is a natural coastal habitat that is home to many exotic plants and animals, including puffins and other exotic sea birds.
Even without a lucky bird sighting, the views are remarkable. There is an almost 360-degree view that features rocky cliffs and beaches as well as grassy hills. We took a day trip here and had sunny weather in late-May. The lighthouse is 85 feet tall and 325 feet above sea level.
It was built in 1830 by Scottish Engineer Robert Stevenson. Stevenson and his descendants designed most of the country’s lighthouses, most of which still stand. His grandson is author Robert Louis Stevenson. “Treasure Island” and other works were likely inspired by family visits to the monuments.
Like so many places in Scotland, it has a tea room, called the Gallie Craig Coffee House, to provide the requisite cup of tea, or coffee, that is for every Scot the culmination of any good day trip and an afternoon ritual.
Portpatrick is a town that many people stop at on the way to the Mull. It features an impressive harbor, where two celebrity chefs were visiting during our trip. We stopped at one pub to have dinner and noticed a group of men huddled around a TV with the volume turned high. A soccer match? No. It was a cooking-themed reality TV show.
Haggis—Traditional Dish
of Scotland
Scotland offers a variety of cuisine, from the traditional haggis, or sheep’s stomach stuffed with the animal’s heart, liver and lungs and oatmeal, to nouveau cuisine. Vegetarian haggis is a surprisingly good way to sample the traditionally spiced dish and an alternative even for squeamish nonvegetarians.
For those looking for more modern fare, high-end dining is available at hotels and restaurants, even in small towns like Portpatrick.
Extreme Mountain Biking
Scotland is an outdoor-lover’s paradise, excellent for fishing, golf or even mountain biking. My wife, brother-in-law and I went to a mountain-biking center on a drizzly day. Seven of these centers, part of a series of mountain bike trails called 7stanes, dot the area.
Dumfries and Galloway contain five of them. We chewed up trails at Kirroughtree near Newton Stewart that were ranked like ski slopes, increasing in difficulty from blue to red to black. While mostly sticking to the mid-level trails, we went home with facefuls of mud and an invigorating experience of actively enjoying—and tasting—a little bit of Scotland’s natural beauty.
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Logan Botanical Garden features an unexpected collection of exotic plants surviving well in the Scottish climate.
Auld Lang Syne
Those inclined to more literary activities will enjoy learning about poet Robert Burns. No visitor can leave the country without hearing references to the man. He is known to most U.S. residents as the poet who wrote the traditional New Year’s Eve song, “Auld Lang Syne,” which, loosely translated, means “for old times’ sake.” Burns lived in the late 1700s and wrote his poems in Scots dialect.
Today, the Scottish brogue (English with a Scottish accent) can be as dark, smoky and impenetrable as some of the country’s whiskies. One stop that celebrates the life of Scotland’s bard is the Robert Burns birthplace museum in Alloway, Ayr, slightly north of the Dumfries and Galloway region.
It includes the Burns Cottage where you can see how cozy farmers got with their animals in ancient Scotland (sharing a house) and the museum, which is an architectural celebration of the country’s greatest poet. Words literally emerge from the ground and are projected on walls and hung from trees.
“But his correspondence is in plain English!” one visitor exclaimed after reading Burns’ formally written letters in an exhibit at the museum. The easily understandable letters were a stark contrast to most of his poetry, which could leave readers scrambling for a Scots-to-English dictionary.
Zoonabar
Smallest Scottish Distillery
Of course, no region of Scotland could exist without a distillery, and Bladnoch in Wigtown is Scotland’s most southerly one. It also lays claims to being its smallest. The whisky is Lowland malt, with a light flavor and notes of lemon.
Wigtown is also Scotland’s book town and has a yearly book festival, reinforcing the old stereotype that writing and drinking are inextricably linked.
Chocolate and Ice Cream
Those who are looking for activities suitable for children can choose from several centers that revolve around chocolate and ice cream. Cream o’ Galloway in Castle Douglas is on an organic farm, but the real draws are the 30 exceptionally rich flavors of ice cream.
It also has a zip line, bike area, carts and a child play zone. A similar chocolate-themed center is The Chocolate Factory at Twynholm where children can make their own chocolate-covered confections and have chocolate moustaches painted on their faces.
Taking part in a few or all of these activities would give visitors a deeper understanding of a beautiful country with a rich history—literary and otherwise. But a little advice, choose your departure date wisely. As comedian Billy Connolly says, “There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter.”
R. Adam Ward is a freelance journalist who has worked at a variety of publications including The San Diego Union-Tribune. All photos are by Adam Ward unless otherwise noted.
Find out more by visiting:
http://www.visitscotland.com/
http://www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/ |