Dumfriesshire

Scotland > South of Scotland > Dumfriesshire

For many visitors to Scotland, Dumfriesshire is the first county they come across. This is because the M6 from England enters Scotland through Dumfriesshire at Gretna, a name well known to elopers of the past! Dumfriesshire lies on the north shore of the Solway Firth and is, in a simplistic sense, is made up of three 'dales' - Nithsdale, Annandale and Eskdale to the east.

Nithsdale stretches from Dumfries northwards through Thornhill and Sanquhar and the passes of Dalveen, Mennock and Enterkin en route to the hills of South Lanarkshire. Annandale conveniently follows the A/M74 stretching from Annan on the Solway Coast up the to Lochmaben, Lockerbie and Moffat and past the Devil's Beef Tub, a famous local 'hollow'. Eskdale lies to the east and stretches from Longtown in Cumbria, just over the border through the ancient 'debatable land' to Langholm and beyond into the Ettrick Hills.

Dumfries is the main city and is closely associated with Robert Burns who was once a 'Customs and Exciseman' locally! He lived at Auldkirk (Ellisland Farmhouse) where he wrote 'Tam O'Shanter'. The town has a busy shopping centre and has the River Nith running right through it , very picturesque. Places of interest include Caerlaverock Castle, Burns House, Crichton Royal Museum, Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum, Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura, John Paul Jones Cottage Museum (founder of US navy), and Shambellie House Museum of Costume. Lochmaben is a strange village , not much by way of shopping and looks a bit grey but they do have a marvellous environment with pond and parks and a good golf course. This was, apparently, the birthplace of Robert the Bruce.

Lockerbie is now known across throughout the world for the Pan Am disaster but it is such an unassuming little town. There is a wildlife sanctuary nearby.

I must admit to liking Langholm , there is a butcher there who produces some of the best pies ever! If you really want peace, pay a visit to the Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery in Eskdalemuir , many of you will not want to leave.

Access to Dumfriesshire is via the A74/M6 and A75. Rail access is either by the west coastal route via Ayr or the main inter-city route from Glasgow to Lockerbie. Air transport is not really possible except to Glasgow, Prestwick or Edinburgh. Carlisle Airport near Longtown has limited domestic flights available.