20 Attractions to Explore Near Buittle Castle

Orchardton Tower is an unusual free-standing round tower, the only one of its type in Scotland. It operated as a fortified residence for a nobleman named John Cairns, who may have acquired the land after James II’s overthrow of the Douglases in 1455. is remarkable as the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland. Orchardton Tower is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Threave Garden is a series of gardens owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, which is rich in diversity, with areas such as an informal rose garden, a wildflower meadowland and a one acre walled garden with a temperate glasshouse collection. It is also well known for its great displays of daffodils. The garden also feature many champion trees from around the world.

Threave House was built by William Gordon, a Liverpool businessman who had bought the Threave Estate as a summer home for his extensive family in 1867. He preferred this location for the house to the lower parts of the estate extending to the River Dee and including Threave Island and Threave Castle. There is also a visitor centre and plant centre. The wider estate is managed as a nature reserve and is home to bats and ospreys, and includes part of the Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes Special Prot

A majestic and beautiful historical castle situated on an island in the middle of the River Dee, this formidable castle is only reachable by boat. This massive tower house was built in the late 14th century by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway. It became the stronghold of the Black Douglases and still today, round its base you can see the artillery fortification, an innovative defence years ahead of its time

Sandyhills is a large sandy beach near Dalbeattie on the Dumfries and Galloway coastline. The beach lives up to its name and at low tide has a vast expanse of sand, backed by gentle sand dunes. The beach is the perfect spot for a walk, a paddle or a picnic. The beach can be very busy in the summer but nearby walks and attractions provide other opportunities to enjoy the local countryside.

Hestan Island is a small coastal island at the southern foot of the River Urr estuary in the Solway Firth, in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. This small island measures approximately 460 by 270 metres and at its highest elevation sits at just over 50 metres above sea level. Hestan Island is one of 43 tidal islands that can be walked to from the mainland of Great Britain and one of 17 that can be walked to from the Scottish mainland.

Mersehead is an extensive wetland and saltmarsh area, a haven for breeding waders, wintering waterfowl and year-round bird and wildlife-watching. Spring is particularly magical, when the wet meadows fill with lapwings and skylarks. One of the iconic location where you can spend some nice time in the middle of nature.

A beautuiful hill in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries. It is a prominent feature in many of the views from the northern Lake District on a clear day. It is surrounded by a host of satellites, including Long Fell, Maidenpap and Bainloch Hill. The slopes of Criffel feature the upland vegetation of heather, bog cotton and blaeberry and are inhabited by skylarks. Loch Kindar sits at the foot of the hill. A new path to the summit is currently finishing construction.

Loch Ken, located in the picturesque Glenkens, is a 9 mile long freshwater loch, that is fed from the north by the Water of Ken. It is popular spot for water skiing, fishing, and sailing and these activities and more are served by the Galloway Activity Centre located on the banks of the loch. It is part of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere

New Abbey Corn Mill is a well-kept secret in the village of New Abbey, five miles south of Dumfries. The corn mill as an attraction is rather overshadowed by Sweetheart Abbey, whose impressive ruins dominate the west end of the village. The 18th-century mill is much more than a time capsule of the miller’s craft: it is still put to work to show how oatmeal is made. The mill is still in full working order and on most summer day visitors can see it run as it would have all of those years ago.

Sweetheart Abbey was founded in 1273 by Lady Devorgilla of Galloway in memory of her husband John Balliol. When she died, she was buried with her husband’s embalmed heart and her tomb is in the Abbey’s sanctuary. The village which stands next to the ruins today, is now known as New Abbey. At the other end of the main street is Monksmill, a corn mill. Although the present buildings date from the late 18th century, there was an earlier mill built by and for the monks of the abbey which serviced th

A complete Cistercian monastery in Scotland and features some of the best Gothic architecture in the country. The abbey was founded in 1142 by Fergus. Dundrennan is noted for the purity and restraint of its architecture, reflecting the austere Cistercian ideal. It is also built from very hard-weathering grey sandstone, so the original architectural forms and mouldings are well preserved.

Mabie Farm Park extends to approximately 54 acres, with an excellent arrangement of play sheds, animal housing and outdoor activities and is for sale due to ill health.Mabie Farm Park offers over 5,000 square feet of indoor play area and represents a fantastic day out for the whole family.

Kirkcudbright Galleries is located in a B listed 19th century landmark building in St Mary Street in the heart of Kirkcudbright’s historic town centre and within the wonderful landscape of Dumfries and Galloway. The gallery displays an extensive collection of works by Kirkcudbright Artists. It also displays an exciting range of temporary exhibitions throughout the year of historic and contemporary works lent by galleries and private collections from all over the UK.

The Harbour Cottage Trust was established in the former 'Harbour Inn' in 1957 and acquired a small collection. The building is now run as a gallery hired out to individual artists and exhibitors. The ‘gallery-run’ Summer and Autumn Exhibitions feature mainly local professional and amateur artists by invitation. An annual ‘Open’ Exhibition, aimed at encouraging and supporting new and developing artists, takes place early Summer and is open to any artist over the age of 16 wherever they live.

MacLellan's Castle in the town of Kirkcudbright, in Galloway, Scotland, was built in the late 16th century. It stands in the centre of Kirkcudbright, on the south side of the River Dee which flows into the Solway Firth. The L-plan castle was the residence of the MacLellan family from whom it derived its name. The family sold the castle in 1752, and from 1782 to 1912 it was held by the Earls of Selkirk. Today, the site is curated by Historic Environment Scotland.

The Stewartry Museum is a local museum in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, which covers the history of this part of Galloway. It tells the fascinating history of the Stewartry, the eastern part of Galloway. Its collections chiefly relate to the human and natural history of the Stewartry, the eastern half of Galloway also known as Kirkcudbrightshire. The social history collections of the 18th and 19th century are particularly important and offer a fascinating insight into Stewartry.

An eighteenth century house with a twentieth century garden by the Artist E A Hornel, who lived here from 1901-33. He was interested in oriental art and the garden reflects this taste. Since 1997 it has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and is maintained as "a living museum of Hornel’s life and work". The house is a category A listed building, and the gardens are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

Kirkcudbright Tolbooth is a historic municipal building in Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Built between 1627 and 1629 to serve the town as a centre of commercial administration, a meeting place for the council, and a prison, it was used for all these roles until the late eighteenth century when the council moved much of its business to new, larger premises they had constructed across the street; the tolbooth remained in use as a prison until the early nineteenth century, after

The John Paul Jones Cottage Museum is the historical birth place of “The Father” of the U.S. Navy. This cottage sits on the Arbigland Estate where John Paul Jones grew up. The cottage has been restored to how it would have been when he lived there and features unique artifacts and information from his past. It also features audio presentations about life in the cottage. There is a reconstructed cabin of John Paul Jones' ship Bonhomme Richard, and exhibits about his defeat of HMS Serapis at the B