Dumfries and Galloway - 90 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It comprises the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire, the latter two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The administrative centre is the town of Dumfries.

Types of Attractions in Dumfries and Galloway

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Dumfries and Galloway

Agnew Park

A beautiful park in Dumfries, which has a wide range of leisure facilities for all ages including a large boating lake with a range of boats, including canoes, skiffs and pedalos. It boasts a miniature railway which takes you on a full tour of the park, a play island featuring innovative play equipment, an 18-hole putting green and a mini car racing circuit.

Annan Beach

Annan beach is a shingle beach and an important wildlife area. It offers visitors a good chance to stretch the legs whilst enjoying views over the marsh and its wildlife. This rural beach is backed mostly by fields. This beach is perfect for a family day out, and if you’ve got little animal lovers, it’s perfect for trying to spot some wildlife.

Annan Museum

This family friendly Annan museum houses a permanent exhibition on the history of Annan and the surrounding area.A beautiful museum housing a permanent exhibition on the history of Annan and the surrounding area. A fascinating journey through time takes visitors from the prehistoric period up to the era of nuclear fission.

Annandale Distillery

Annandale Distillery

Man-made Structures- Other

Annandale Distillery is a whisky distillery producing single malt Scotch whisky in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The historic distillery has been through 3 whisky making eras and a period when it was used in farming. It was formerly a Johnnie Walker distillery which closed in 1918.

Annandale Way

Annandale Way

Outdoors- Other

The Annandale Way is a walk which gets under the skin of the landscape, offering the walker glimpses into the history and hidden secrets of this quiet and tranquil part of Scotland. The route, which was established on 12 September 2009, has been designed to be traversable in four to five days as a continuous walk but it also offers several day-walks.

Auchenlarie

Auchenlarie

Outdoors- Other

Set in some of the most stunning scenery in Scotland, this family-run holiday park offers a prime location and superb facilities, including fitness facilities, swimming pool and gym, several licensed bars, Bistro and a well-stocked Convenience Store. You can enjoy dramatic views overlooking beautiful Wigtown Bay and panoramas of miles of unspoilt landscape, award-winning Auchenlarie Holiday Park is committed to continuously improving and developing with the sole goal of providing you with a fant

Bladnoch Distillery & Visitor Centre

Bladnoch Distillery & Visitor Centre

Man-made Structures- Other

Bladnoch Distillery is one of the oldest Scotch Whisky distilleries in Scotland. It was their 203 year old home where our finest Single Malts are crafted. The visitor centre is excellent and one of the best ways to see how whisky was made in the past. In relation to the Scottish Single Malts the distillery produces they are mostly famous for the Bladnoch 10 Year Old and Bladnoch 15 Year Old.

Broughton House & Garden

Broughton House & Garden

Iconic Buildings

Botanical Gardens

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.

Bruce’s Stone

Bruce’s Stone

Outdoors- Other

Bruce’s Stone is a large granite boulder commemorating King Robert’s victory over the English. It sits at the top of the hill on the north side of Loch Trool. It also serves as a starting spot for the challenging walk up Merrick (2764 feet), the highest mountain in southern Scotland

Buittle Castle

Buittle Castle

Iconic Buildings

Buittle Castle, also known historically as Botle or Botel Castle, is a ruined castle in Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is located in the valley of the River Urr, 1 kilometre west of Dalbeattie. The castle is within the parish of Buittle, in the traditional county of Kirkcudbrightshire and is a scheduled ancient monument. The ruins remained in the possession of the Maxwells of Munches until 1984 when they were gifted to Balliol College, Oxford by Peter Maxwell QC of Munches himself a Balliol

Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock Castle

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland. With its moat, twin towered gatehouse and imposing battlements, this awe-inspiring castle is the epitome of the medieval stronghold and one of the finest castles in Scotland. The castle, which is protected as a scheduled monument, is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, and is a popular tourist attraction.

Cairn Holy Chambered Cairn

Cairn Holy I is the more elaborate of the two tombs. Its curving façade of standing stones once formed a backdrop to a forecourt in front of the tomb. Excavations show fires were lit here, possibly for ritual ceremonies. The tomb itself consisted of an outer and an inner compartment. The inner compartment was built as a closed box, and was probably originally roofed by a great stone slab. The outer compartment was entered through the façade.

Cairnsmore of Fleet

Cairnsmore of Fleet

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve is one of the wildest places in south-west Scotland – but is still surprisingly accessible. It’s a paradise for walkers, with panoramic views over a patchwork landscape of muted colours. It is home to the most extensive area of open moorland in Galloway, and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The summit and eastern flanks of the mountain are designated as a national nature reserve, which is managed by NatureScot

Cardoness Castle

Cardoness Castle

Iconic Buildings

Cardoness Castle was built in the later 1400s as the fortified residence of the McCullochs and is a fine example of a Scottish tower house castle. It was originally owned by the MacCullochs of Myreton. They abandoned the castle in the late 17th century, following the execution of Sir Godfrey McCulloch for the murder of a Clan Gordon neighbour. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, and is a scheduled monumen

Carrick bay

Carrick bay

Outdoors- Other

Carrick Shore enjoys a unique rural setting and provides a romantic hideaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This delightful group of shingle and sand beaches is well off the beaten track. At low tide you can walk out from here to Ardwall Isle with its chapel and cemetery dating from around 700. Further offshore are Murray's Isles, two small uninhabited islands, home in the summer months to several thousand herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls plus 90 pairs of cormorants, th

Carrick Beach

A beautiful and small sandy beach separated from the rest of the much larger Fleet Bay to the north by a rocky headland which is about 200 meters long. It offers excellent views of the surrounding wild and mountainous headlands and coastline.The sheltered bay, about 100 meters wide, can be used for bathing and water sports such as canoeing. However, most visitors come to the area for the fantastic walking opportunities.

Carsluith Castle

Carsluith Castle

Iconic Buildings

Carsluith Castle was built by James Lindsay of Fairgirth but later passed into the hands of the Brown (Broun) family who owned it for two hundred years. Explore the well-preserved ruins of a delightful 16th-century tower house and take a look into the life of Scotland’s landed gentry after the Protestant Reformation of 1560.

Castle Kennedy Gardens

Castle Kennedy Gardens

Iconic Buildings

Botanical Gardens

75 acres of spectacularly designed loch-side landscape, create a romantic garden paradise with quite literally something for everyone to enjoy – regardless of age. The gardens are the main reason for a visit and the ruins of Castle Kennedy really just serve as an impressively large ornament around which the gardens are sculptured.

Castle Loch

Castle Loch

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Castle Loch is a shallow eutrophic loch covering an area of around 100 hectares in the town of Lochmaben in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies to the west of Mochrum Loch and has 2 islets. The ruined Lochmaben Castle lies at the southern end of the loch. Castle Loch is an important over-wintering location for the pink-footed goose and the goosander. It has been recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, and has been designated a Site of Special Scienti

Castle of St. John

Castle of St. John

Iconic Buildings

The Castle of St John sits in a prominent position in the centre of Stranraer. Built in the sixteenth century this is a particularly fine example of the type of tower house built and used by Scottish Lairds in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has been used as a home, a court, a police station and as a military garrison during the "Killing Times" of Covenanter persecution in the 1680s. During the Victorian era, the castle was modified to serve as a prison, and it was used as an ARP bas

Map of attractions in Dumfries and Galloway

Comments

For more information about Dumfries and Galloway, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumfries_and_Galloway