Monday 18 December 2023

GALLOWAY ...



Neil Oliver, who presented the BBC series 'Coast', knows a lot about the coast of Britain.

Oliver wrote in the magazine DGB Life, February 2008, that "there is no more beautiful part of the world than the Galloway Coast."

If it was an independent state, like Lichtenstein, Dumfries and Galloway could be rich. 



If you cycle off the beaten track in Dumfries and Galloway, you will come across an Enid Blyton - John Buchan - Peter Pan - Rupert Bear - Gavin Maxwell sort of world. Think of mysterious castles, rounded hills and enchanted bays.

J M Barrie went to school in Dumfries, chief town of Dumfries and Galloway, and there he spent the happiest days of his life (Victoria Terrace).

Robert Burns had a house in Dumfries (Burns Street).

Part of John Buchan's Thirty Nine Steps was filmed in the Dumfries and Galloway hills and valleys.



The gentle hills of Galloway are like the ones in the Rupert Bear or Enid Blyton books: gently rounded, with clumps of trees, rocky outcrops, fluffy little clouds and sometimes deep blue sky.

When it's not raining, the light is incredibly bright and the air so very clear, hence the attraction to artists.

This is not sunny Spain, but the climate tends to be mild; a possibly drier version of Cornwall or the Lake District.

Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water, was born in Dumfries and Galloway.



Near Thornhill is exotic, multi-turreted 17th century Drumlanrig Castle, which has paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.

This is one of Britain's sexiest castles. It is home to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. It was a Queensberry who was the father of Lord Arthur Douglas.

Look out for the decorative cupolas, Renaissance-style colonnade, Baroque horseshoe stairway and gorgeous gardens.

Coastal Kirkcudbright is an attractive and aristocratic "artist's town", associated with the Glasgow Boys.



Kirkcudbright's Broughton House is where the artist Edward Hornel used to live. For part of the year, you can tour the beautiful house and see Hornel's Japanese-style pictures of little girls, some naked, and his magical garden, which is probably the very best garden in the world.

Kirkcudbright has a wild life park and a fabulous jazz festival each June.

Weapons testing at Dundrennan has led to certain worries. "Although 27 tonnes of depleted uranium have been fired into the sea at the Kircudbright range none of the shells has been recovered despite extensive searches....the controversial shells ...blamed for causing...Gulf War Syndrome..." according to The Galloway News.

Wigtown, which looks rather French, is Dumfries and Galloway's book town and it has at least 20 book businesses.

Gatehouse of Fleet has a large second hand book shop, run by poet Robin Munro. Gatehouse's Cally Palace Hotel has AA one rosette food and a super golf course; Georgian buildings; bonny views of hills.

New Abbey is associated with John Balliol, the founder of Balliol College, Oxford. This pretty village has an abbey, a museum of costume and a tearoom.



Castle Douglas has the best shopping in the area, a caravan park, a cycle shop, golf, a boating loch, a little art gallery, a theatre, and the tiny Sulwath brewery which produces the world's tastiest real ales (Knockendoch is a dark copper coloured brew tasting of deeply roasted malts) and which provides tours. 

Castle Douglas is close to Threave Gardens and Threave Castle.

Dalbeattie has some of the friendliest people in Britain. It has the fabulous little Dalbeattie Museum of Victoriana (restricted opening hours). The officer on the deck of the Titanic, when it sank, was a man from Dalbeattie. The Dalbeattie area is famous for off-road cycling.

The National Trust's hilly Threave Gardens, near the town of Castle Douglas, has a magical walled garden, glasshouses, an eastern style pond, rock plants, tall trees, rhododendrons and heavenly views on a clear day.

Logan Botanic Garden, 14 miles South of Stranraer, at Port Logan, open March-October, has water, walled, terrace, woodland and other small gardens, with tree ferns, palm trees, climbers... and there's a nice licensed restaurant.

Crossmichael, near Castle Douglas, used to have a Michelin starred restaurant, but it moved to Leith in Edinburgh, which is where the money and the power lie.

Buddhists, and others, will enjoy the Samye-Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir. Here you will find a magnificent golden-roofed temple, and the oldest Tibeten centre in the West.



Rockcliffe is an Enid Blyton sort of coastal village with mystery islands, beaches, rock pools and (according to the local papers) smugglers not too far away. Great for walks. Nice tearoom. Yachts and pubs at nearby Kipford. (Wash your hands after building castles on the beach. Watch out for incoming tides).



Dumfries is a small town which straddles the River Nith.

Dumfries has some superbly attractive Victorian and medieval buildings' 



Dumfries has a number of attractions:

1. The Gracefield Arts Centre 

2. The house where J M Barrie once spent time.

"It was the original Never Land, the inspiration for Peter Pan. Moat Brae - It was in the Enchanted Garden of this house, chasing, climbing, and prowling through the undergrowth, that the young Barrie met Captain Hook, Tinkerbell and the other characters..." -Glasgow Herald.

3. Dumfries has the fantastic, world-class, Victorian, Chrichton buildings and gardens at Bankend Rd. http://www.chrichton.org.uk/

Formerly this was one of the biggest mental institutions in the world - world famous and set up by a rich philanthropist; now it is university and other buildings, a decent hotel, museum, gardens ...

4. Dumfries also has one of Britain's best looking churches - St Michaels. Robert Burns is buried outside.

5. Dumfries has a theatre linked to J M Barrie.

6. There is a Camera Obscura and a museum.



7. Osama bin Laden's Mujahedin received training from the British SAS in mountains surrounding the Criffel near Dumfries in Scotland.(Sunday Mail, Sept 2001)
Former SAS member, Ken Connor, said that training camps were set up in a remote mountain area in 1983. (BBC News SCOTLAND Scots link to US terror suspect / PEN-L message, SAS trained Mujahedin fighters in Scotland)

Loch Ken, near Castle Douglas, is for windsurfers. The Galloway Sailing Centre at Loch Ken can tell you about Dinghy Courses, powerboating courses, canoeing courses, gorge scrambling and quad bikes.

Family fun can be had at the award winning Cream o' Galloway, Rainton, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas. Open Easter until October. This place has an adventure playground and nature trail as well as a restaurant selling the best ice cream in the UK.

Cycling was invented in Dumfries and galloway. Cyclists might enjoy the route from Rhonehouse to Kirkcudbright ( 7 miles, deserted road, flowers, sheep, rabbits, little hills like babies' buttocks, country cottages).... or Palnackie to Castle Douglas taking the route over the hills. The Dalbeattie area is famous for having off-road trails and miles and miles of quiet country roads.

www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/achs-5rnffw

This area has traditionally been used by the armed forces for hush hush training of special forces (and 'Moslem terrorists', according to newspapers). Expect to see the occasional Hawk fighter, tank, or men dressed as trees.

Military aircraft have crashed into local farms. "The latest crash was only seconds away from Lockerbie, in one direction, and Dumfries in the other..." according to The Dumfries Courier.

Lockerbie is famous because of Major Charles McKee - Pan Am Flight 103 hit Lockerbie on 21 December 1988.




On that flight "were at least 2 US Intelligence agents and a Mr Khalid Nazir Jafaar." The Dumfries and Galloway police began to investigate. But for two days it was "difficult" for them to collect evidence as "CIA agents combed the countryside for the luggage of the dead American intelligence agents and a suitcase full of heroin.... 59 bodies were left lying around Lockerbie until 24 December...but by then there were only 58 bodies..." according to Lester Coleman.




TRANSPORT

Much of the rail network is gone. The road network is poor. The nearest airport is at Newcastle in England. As transport is the key to the success of an area, Dumfries and galloway has its problems!

National Express coaches will take you from London, Birmingham, Manchester etc to Dumfries and beyond.

A grotty little train will transport you, amid much litter, from Carlisle to Dumfries. The train used to go to Stranraer, but not any more.

Bus services are poor. Many local buses travel too fast. Stagecoach buses have little leg room and usually no toilets even on the longest journeys.

"MacEwans Coaches boss is ready to defend his company after it was branded unreliable this week... Members of the environment and infrastructure committee were told that while Stagecoach Western - which has also attracted a significant number of complaints - had improved, MacEwans had failed to and in some cases had become worse..." Dumfries Courier Oct 13, 2000.



Dumfries by William Miller

WHERE TO STAY?

Brighouse Bay leisure park takes caravans and tents and has lodges and cottages. It "boasts a vast range of on-site facilities that appeal to everyone, from small boats on the pond for the younger generation to Quad Bikes for the thrillseekers. The indoor pool complex offers swimming for all ages with a jacuzzi and steam room for a spot of relaxation after all that work.The 18 hole Golf Course is championship length and has glorious views across the Irish Sea. There is also a 9 hole par 3 for all the family."

Similar to Brighouse Bay is Sandyhills Bay, sitting at the foot of wooded hills and close to a sheltered sandy beach.

There are many other caravan and camp sites.

You could stay in DUMFRIES which has at least one good Bed and Breakfast.

CASTLE DOUGLAS has a number of Bed and Breakfast places.

GATEHOUSE's Cally Palace Hotel has AA one rosette food and a super golf course; Georgian buildings; bonny views of hills.

NEWTON STEWART, a quiet contry town in the middle of John Buchan style countryside, has the excellent KIRROUGHTREE HOUSE hotel which has an AA 2 Rosette restaurant! The hotel is AA 3 stars. Lovely, posh country house interior.

PORTPATRICK, on the coast, somewhat remote, has the wonderful KNOCKINAAM LODGE HOTEL, the restaurant of which has AA 3 Rosettes! (same as London's River Cafe, Bibendum....)

Hotels & Accommodations

“First Class accomodation in a beautiful location”

“fell at a few hurdles”

“A Home from Home”

“Take an overcoat”

“WOW Factor in the new rooms”

“Mostly Good, but?”

Views In Galloway !!

THE PEOPLE?

The people of Dumfries and Galloway are the people who ran Hong Kong (Jardines and Flemings...) and ran a large part of the Empire! You'll bump into Galloway people in Africa, South America and Australasia.

Strangely, this area has quite a few millionaires. Lots of big houses. They must like the scenery.

"Scotland puts a smile on your face" according to the Glasgow Herald. "The Scots are the happiest people in Britain, according to a new study of the nation's mood....In Scotland the LifeIndex score was 6.6 out of ten. London had the lowest score 5.4 ....."

Dumfries and Galloway has a lower crime rate than Glasgow, London, Rwanda..... It has the best crime clear-up rate in Britain.

TO SUM UP - THIS IS BETTER THAN the Lake District or Cornwall if you have a romantic sort of mind and a car or a bike.

Dumfries and Galloway will appeal to -
CYCLISTS, fishermen, WALKERS, foodies, CARAVANERS, booklovers, JOHN BUCHAN/JM BARRIE/GAVIN MAXWELL FANS, Bird watchers, WALKERS, Enid Blyton children..........

Threave Garden
Robert Burns House
Drumlanrig Castle
The Stewartry Museum
World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop Museum
Cardoness Castle
Cream 'o Galloway
Threave Castle
Broughton House
Globe Inn
Michael Portillo reaches Stranraer and the Mull of Galloway, where in a lighthouse built by railway engineer Robert Stevenson, he discovers a magnificent machine, installed at the turn of the 20th century.

Michael arrives in Dumfries, where he seeks out an enchanted land and a boy who would never grow up. Peter Pan and Neverland were the creations of author JM Barrie, who played at Moat Brae as a child. With assistance from Peter, Tinkerbell, and Wendy, Michael helps the Moat Brae trust with the restoration of its garden.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002jsz

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DALBEATTIE PARADE 2017



DUMFRIES SHOW 2017 



Douglas Day, Castle Douglas, August 2016.

CASTLE DOUGLAS; DOUGLAS DAY; STEWARTRY SHOW



Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day


Dumfries Agricultural Show, August 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.


 
Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

Dalbeattie has some of the friendliest people in Britain.


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

Dalbeattie has the fabulous little Dalbeattie Museum of Victoriana.

The officer on the deck of the Titanic, when it sank, was a man from Dalbeattie.


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

The Dalbeattie area is famous for off-road cycling.

7stanes - mountain biking heaven .



Dalbeattie is a relatively undiscovered gem.



Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

You can get a Traditional Thai Massage in Dalbeattie.


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

The Dalbeattie area is famous for its wildlife.

The RSPB: Mersehead. / Bainloch Deer Park

Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

Dalbeattie Bed and Breakfasts include: Kerr Cottage and Craignair Cottage.


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

Campsites in the area include: Gorsebank Camping Village and Glenearly Caravan Park.

...

Dalbeattie is known as the Granite Town of South West Scotland.

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Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.

The cycling TOUR OF BRITAIN, 2016, features Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.

CASTLE DOUGLAS TO WELCOME 'TOUR OF BRITAIN' / Tour of Britain 2016 to start with Glasgow to Castle Douglas route


Dumfries and Galloway. Douglas day 2015 Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco. All the photos were found on the web.

Dumfries and Galloway is cycling country.

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Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco. All the photos were found on the web.

Dumfries and Galloway is the place to become active.


Dumfries and Galloway. Stewartry Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco. All the photos were found on the web.

Dumfries and Galloway is famous for its food.

Try dinner at Neuro's in Dumfries, or buy some rib-eye steak at Kilnford Barns Farm Shop, near Dumfries.

Dumfries and Galloway. Stewartry Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

There are horses everywhere in Dumfries and Galloway.


Dumfries and Galloway. Threave Garden. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

The mild climate in Dumfries and Galloway means exotic plants.

 Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

There are all year round Entertainments and Events in Dumfries and Galloway.

Dumfries and Galloway. Stewartry Show, 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

"Dumfries and Galloway's gentle coast offers sandy estuaries and quaint, picturesque towns such as Kirkudbright, Rockcliffe and Portpatrick." - The Daily Telegraph

...
PETER PAN AND MOAT BRAE.

Dumfries and Galloway means Peter Pan.


Dumfries and Galloway. Kids of Creetown. Creetown Heritage Museum.

Many things were invented in Dumfries and Galloway.

Think of Henry Duncan,  James Clerk Maxwell,  Thomas TelfordKirkpatrick Macmillan ...

Dumfries and Galloway. Douglas Day 2015. Non copyrighted photo.

Castle Douglas is famous for its beer, its bread and its biscuits.

Try the Earth's Crust Bakery in Castle Douglas.

There are world-class beers from the Sulwath Brewers in Castle Douglas.

For Homestyle Baking buy Irvings biscuits, tray bakes, loaves and sponges.



For world-class fish go to Dingwalls in Castle Douglas.

King Scallops from Orkney, Cod and Salmon skewers with mixed pepper and onions in a tropical mango, lime and chilli sauce, Langoustines, Oysters, homemade Monkfish Curry...

Dingwall's Fish Market.

Dumfries and Galloway. Douglas Day 2015.  Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

Castle Douglas is a Food Town.


Castle Douglas. Douglas Day 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.

Dumfries and Galloway is home to the original Scots.

Guid Nychburris Day 2016 in DumfriesNon copyrighted photo by K Clark.

In Dumfries and Galloway people still travel by horse.


Kirkcudbright. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway is home to the Scottish Riviera.

Broughton House GardenNon copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway is said to have world's best gardens.


Dumfries Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway is just across the border from England.


Dumfries Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Agriculture accounts for 70% of the area of Dumfries and Galloway.


Stewartry Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Famous names associated with Dumfries and Galloway include Robert the Bruce, Merlin the Wizard, Robert Burns, Gavin Maxwell, J M Barrie, James Clerk Maxwell, David Coulthard, John Buchan, the Douglases, the Maxwells, the Jardines, the Keswicks...

And the Putins


Stewartry Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway has 31 golf courses and is 'mountain biking heaven.'


Stewartry Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway has a population of approximately 148,000.

 
Stewartry Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway (above) has been named as the best holiday destination in Britain.

The region earned the award from fans of the flagship BBC programme Countryfile .


Loch Arthur 


Annandale Distillery has a shop, cafe and tours of the distillery.


Dumfries and Galloway. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

In September we headed up North to Dumfries and Galloway for some cycling.


www.queensberrybay.co.uk.

The TV star Neil Oliver says that "there is no more beautiful part of the world than the Galloway Coast."


Castle Douglas. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

The best things in Dumfries and Galloway:


Balcary Bay. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Balcary Bay Country House Hotel - best hotel and best food (Two AA rosettes)

Cream of Galloway

Cream O' Galloway and Laggan Outdoor centres - best activities for children of all ages.



Drumlanrig Castle - best castle.

Kirkcudbright. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Kipford, and, Carrick Shore - best beaches

Threave Gardens. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Threave Gardens - world class gardens.

Castle Douglas. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Castle Douglas - best town for cyclists (three bicycle shops)

There are also lots of golf courses in the area.

The King's Arms Hotel in Castle Douglas welcomes cyclists and golfers.

Dumfries. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries - best town to visit on a wet day (shops, museums, galleries...)

The artist Hornel's house in Kirkcudbright. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Kirkcudbright - prettiest town.

Gatehouse. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Gatehouse - John Buchan country



The worst things:

Stagecoach's uncomfortable and horrid old buses. The seats are squashed together. (Avoid them)

The general neglect of the area's transport infrastructure by successive governments, including the current one in Edinburgh.

War Games begin.

The worst things:

The use of this area by the military.


Stewartry Show. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries and Galloway is a neglected part of the world, particularly when it comes to transport links.

If it was an independent state, like Lichtenstein, Dumfries and Galloway could be rich.

But Dumfries and Galloway is not an independent state and it lacks the power to make the big decisions.

The really big decisions are made in London and in Edinburgh.

The talented people tend to leave Dumfries and Galloway and head south.


Cairnsmore in the distance. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

If you cycle off the beaten track in Dumfries and Galloway, you will come across an Enid Blyton - John Buchan - Peter Pan - Rupert Bear - Gavin Maxwell sort of world.

Think of mysterious castles, rounded hills and enchanted bays.

J M Barrie went to school in Dumfries, chief town of Dumfries and Galloway, and there he spent the happiest days of his life (Victoria Terrace).

Robert Burns had a house in Dumfries (Burns Street).

Part of John Buchan's Thirty Nine Steps was filmed in the Dumfries and Galloway hills and valleys.

The gentle hills of Galloway are like the ones in the Rupert Bear or Enid Blyton books: gently rounded, with clumps of trees, rocky outcrops, fluffy little clouds and sometimes deep blue sky.


Carlingwark Loch. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

When it's not raining, the light is incredibly bright, and the air so very clear; hence the attraction to artists.

This is not sunny Spain, but the climate tends to be mild; a possibly drier version of Cornwall or the Lake District.

Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water, was born in Dumfries and Galloway.


Drumlanrig Castle

Near Thornhill is exotic, multi-turreted 17th century Drumlanrig Castle, which has paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.

This is one of Britain's sexiest castles. It is home to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry.

It was a Queensberry who was the father of Lord Arthur Douglas.

Look out for the decorative cupolas, Renaissance-style colonnade, Baroque horseshoe stairway and gorgeous gardens.

There is a large adventure playground for children.


Hornel. EDWARD HORNEL AND HIS GIRLS

Coastal Kirkcudbright is an attractive and aristocratic "artist's town", associated with the Glasgow Boys.

Kirkcudbright's Broughton House is where the artist Edward Hornel used to live. For part of the year, you can tour the beautiful house and see Hornel's Japanese-style pictures of little girls, some naked, and his magical garden, which is probably the very best garden in the world.

Kirkcudbright has a wild life park and a fabulous jazz festival each June.


Wigtown

Wigtown, which looks rather French, is Dumfries and Galloway's book town and it has at least 20 book businesses.

"Wigtown Book Festival offers more than 200 events for adults, children and young people including literature, music, film, theatre, arts and crafts.

"The festival takes place for 10 days each autumn - 23rd September to 2nd October 2016 - and has welcomed speakers such as:

"Malcolm Rifkind, Douglas Hurd, John Simpson and Anne Applebaum."

Depleted-uranium shells were fired at Dundrennan near Kirkcudbright. MoD

Weapons testing at Dundrennan has led to certain worries.

"Although 27 tonnes of depleted uranium have been fired into the sea at the Kircudbright range none of the shells has been recovered despite extensive searches....the controversial shells ...blamed for causing...Gulf War Syndrome..." according to The Galloway News.

...

Gatehouse of Fleet has a large second hand book shop, run by poet Robin Munro.

Gatehouse's Cally Palace Hotel has AA one rosette food and a super golf course.

Georgian buildings; bonny views of hills.

Gatehouse has the Laggan Outdoor centre.


Laggan Outdoor centre

New Abbey is associated with John Balliol, the founder of Balliol College, Oxford. This pretty village has an abbey and a tearoom.

Castle Douglas has the best shopping in the area, a caravan park, three cycle shops, golf, a boating loch, a little art gallery, a theatre, one of the best second hand book shops in Scotland and the tiny Sulwath brewery which produces the world's tastiest real ales (Knockendoch is a dark copper coloured brew tasting of deeply roasted malts) and which provides tours.

Castle Douglas is close to Threave Gardens and Threave Castle.


Creetown - well worth a visit. It has a gem museum. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Creetown has a gem museum and a fair number of holiday makers.


From the Dalbeattie Museum. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

The National Trust's hilly Threave Gardens, near the town of Castle Douglas, has a magical walled garden, glasshouses, an eastern style pond, rock plants, tall trees, rhododendrons and heavenly views on a clear day.

Logan Botanic Garden, 14 miles South of Stranraer, at Port Logan, open March-October, has water, walled, terrace, woodland and other small gardens, with tree ferns, palm trees, climbers... and there's a nice licensed restaurant.

Crossmichael, near Castle Douglas, used to have a Michelin starred restaurant, but it moved to Leith in Edinburgh, which is where the money and the power lie.

Buddhists, and others, will enjoy the Samye-Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir. Here you will find a magnificent golden-roofed temple, and the oldest Tibeten centre in the West.

..
Port Patrick

Rockcliffe is an Enid Blyton sort of coastal village with mystery islands, beaches, rock pools and (according to the local papers) smugglers not too far away. Great for walks. Nice tearoom. Yachts and pubs at nearby Kipford.

(Wash your hands after building castles on the beach. Watch out for incoming tides).

Dumfries straddles the River Nith.

Dumfries has some superbly attractive Victorian and medieval buildings which are now right next to some truly hideous 60's buildings and various carparks.

You will see lots of children who look seriously malnourished.

You begin to think you are in the Third World.

Some of the school kids from JM Barrie's old school will politely offer directions.


Dumfries. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Dumfries has a number of attractions, including:

1. The Gracefield Arts Centre.

2.  The Dumfries townhouse Moat Brae which is destined to become a shrine to J M Barrie... "It was in the Enchanted Garden of this house, chasing, climbing, and prowling through the undergrowth, that the young Barrie met Captain Hook, Tinkerbell and the other characters..." -Glasgow Herald.

Chrichton Church. The Crichton

3. Dumfries has the fantastic, world-class, Victorian, Chrichton buildings and gardens at Bankend Rd.

http://www.chrichton.org.uk/

Formerly this was one of the biggest mental institutions in the world - world famous and set up by a rich philanthropist; now it is university buildings, a decent hotel, museum, gardens, and a smaller mental institution.

4. Dumfries also has one of Britain's best looking churches - St Michaels.

Robert Burns is buried outside.

5. Dumfries has a theatre linked to J M Barrie.

6. There is a Camera Obscura and a museum.

7. There are lots of charity shops.


Stewartry Show, Castle Douglas. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Loch Ken, near Castle Douglas, is for windsurfers. The Galloway Sailing Centre at Loch Ken can tell you about Dinghy Courses, powerboating courses, canoeing courses, gorge scrambling and quad bikes.

Family fun can be had at the award winning Cream o' Galloway, Rainton, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas. Open Easter until October. This place has an adventure playground and nature trail as well as a restaurant selling the best ice cream in the UK.


Castle Douglas. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

Cycling was invented in Dumfries and Galloway.

Cyclists might enjoy the route from Rhonehouse to Kirkcudbright ( 7 miles, deserted road, flowers, sheep, rabbits, little hills like babies' buttocks, country cottages)....

Or Palnackie to Castle Douglas taking the route over the hills.

The Dalbeattie area is famous for having off-road trails and miles and miles of quiet country roads.


www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/achs-5rnffw

Dumfries and Galloway has traditionally been used by the armed forces for hush hush training of special forces (and training of 'Moslem terrorists', according to newspapers).

Expect to see the occasional Hawk fighter, tank, or men dressed as trees.

Military aircraft have crashed into local farms. "The latest crash was only seconds away from Lockerbie, in one direction, and Dumfries in the other..." according to The Dumfries Courier.


Salem bin Laden and his first wife.

The Duke of Buccleuch's Drumlanrig Castle is in Dumfries and Galloway.

The subsidiary titles associated with the Dukedom of Buccleuch include: Queensberry, Drumlanrig and Douglas.

Marquess of Queensberry.

Ambrose Carey is the son of the12th Marquess of Queensberry.

His half-sister Caroline Carey (b. 1959) married the late Salem bin Laden [3][4].

....

Caroline Carey married two of Osama Bin Laden's brothers - Salem Bin Laden, and after Salem died in an air crash in 1988, Khaled bin Laden.

Salem bin Laden reportedly helped the CIA during Iran-Contra.

PBS Frontline, 2001New Yorker, 11/5/2001 /BIN LADEN AND BUCCLEUCH /
THE BIN LADEN FAMILY - VERY JEWISH / Lord Milo Douglas, the Bin Ladens and Gay Affairs....



Ambrose Carey, "operational director of Armor Holdings, has met many members of the bin Laden family, some of whom have properties in Britain."

Telegraph.

"Ambrose Carey was the executive in charge of the Saddam hunt, and is now running Alaco, an investigation firm based in London."

The National.


The Criffel - Kirkbean.

Osama bin Laden's Mujahideen received training from the British SAS in mountains surrounding the Criffel near Dumfries in Scotland. (Sunday Mail, Sept 2001)

Former SAS member, Ken Connor, said that training camps were set up in a remote mountain area in 1983.

(BBC News SCOTLAND Scots link to US terror suspect / PEN-L message, SAS trained Mujahedin fighters in Scotland)


Lockerbie

Lockerbie is famous because of Major Charles McKee.

Pan Am Flight 103 hit Lockerbie on 21 December 1988.

On that flight "were at least 2 US Intelligence agents and a Mr Khalid Nazir Jafaar."

The Dumfries and Galloway police began to investigate.

But for two days it was "difficult" for them to collect evidence as "CIA agents combed the countryside for the luggage of the dead American intelligence agents and a suitcase full of heroin....

"59 bodies were left lying around Lockerbie until 24 December... then there were only 58 bodies..." according to Lester Coleman.


Sir Malcolm Ross

The Lord Lieutenant of Kirkcudbright is Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Malcolm Ross, a member of the Royal Household[2], and a Non-Executive Chairman[4][5] of the International Security and Defence group, Westminster Group plc


Kirkcudbright. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

TRANSPORT

Much of the rail network is gone.

The road network is poor.

The nearest airport is at Newcastle in England.

As transport is the key to the success of an area, Dumfries and Galloway has its problems!

National Express coaches will take you from London, Birmingham, Manchester etc to Dumfries and beyond.

A grotty little train will transport you from Carlisle to Dumfries. The train used to go to Stranraer, but not any more.

Bus services are poor.

Many local buses travel too fast. Stagecoach buses have little leg room and usually no toilets even on the longest journeys.


Dumfries by William Miller

WHERE TO STAY?

Balcary Bay Country House Hotel - best hotel and best food (Two AA rosettes)

Knockinaam Lodge.

Glenholme - Kirkcudbright Luxury Guest House.

The King's Arms Hotel in Castle Douglas welcomes cyclists and golfers.

Brighouse Bay leisure park takes caravans and tents and has lodges and cottages.

It "boasts a vast range of on-site facilities that appeal to everyone, from small boats on the pond for the younger generation to Quad Bikes for the thrillseekers. The indoor pool complex offers swimming for all ages with a jacuzzi and steam room for a spot of relaxation after all that work.The 18 hole Golf Course is championship length and has glorious views across the Irish Sea. There is also a 9 hole par 3 for all the family."

Similar to Brighouse Bay is Sandyhills Bay, sitting at the foot of wooded hills and close to a sheltered sandy beach.

There are many other caravan and camp sites.

You could stay in DUMFRIES which has at least one good Bed and Breakfast.

CASTLE DOUGLAS has a number of Bed and Breakfast places.

GATEHOUSE's Cally Palace Hotel has one AA rosette food and a super golf course; Georgian buildings; bonny views of hills.

NEWTON STEWART, a quiet country town in the middle of John Buchan style countryside, has the KIRROUGHTREE HOUSE hotel which has an AA 2 Rosette restaurant. The hotel is AA 3 stars. Posh country house interior.

PORTPATRICK, on the coast, somewhat remote, has the wonderful KNOCKINAAM LODGE HOTEL, the restaurant of which has AA 3 Rosettes! (same as London's River Cafe, Bibendum....)

“First Class accomodation in a beautiful location”

“A Home from Home”

“WOW Factor in the new rooms”

Views In Galloway !!

William Jardine. The Keswick family still has farms and properties in Dumfries and Galloway.

THE PEOPLE

The people of Dumfries and Galloway are the people who ran Hong Kong (Jardines and Flemings...) and ran a large part of the Empire!

You'll bump into Galloway people in Africa, South America and Australasia.

Strangely, this area has quite a few millionaires. Lots of big houses. They must like the scenery.

Dumfries and Galloway has a low crime rate...... It has the best crime clear-up rate in Britain.


Dumfries. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.

TO SUM UP - THIS IS BETTER THAN the Lake District or Cornwall - if you have a romantic sort of mind and a car or a bike.

Dumfries and Galloway will appeal to -

CYCLISTS, golfers, fishermen, WALKERS, foodies, CARAVANERS, booklovers, JOHN BUCHAN/JM BARRIE/GAVIN MAXWELL FANS, Bird watchers, Enid Blyton children..........

~~~

Threave Garden
Robert Burns House
Drumlanrig Castle
The Stewartry Museum
World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop Museum
Cardoness Castle
Cream 'o Galloway
Threave Castle
Broughton House
Globe Inn

~~



.




STEWARTRY SHOW 2017.



Above we see children at the school in New Abbey, in Dumfries and Galloway, in 1911.

Note the poverty of some of the children.



Above we see more children at the school in New Abbey, in Dumfries and Galloway, in 1911.



Young people in Dumfries today.


Above we see Sweetheart Abbey, in New Abbey in the early 1900s.

Sweetheart Abbey was founded in 1275 by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband, Baron John de Balliol.

After his death, she kept his embalmed heart, contained in a casket of ivory and silver, with her for the rest of her life



Above we see Kirkconnel House, built by the Maxwells of Kirkconnel, in Dumfries and Galloway.

In 2000 we read that "Scotland's first brick-built house is going on sale for less than a three-bedroomed terraced house in Islington.

"Kirkconnell House, the oldest continuously inhabited tower house in Scotland, dates from the 12th century..."


Adored by otters, cursed by women.

The author Gavin Maxwell was raised in the small village of Elrig, near Port William, in Dumfries and Galloway.


The House of Elrig.

Maxwell's relatives still live in the area and the family's ancient estate and grounds are in nearby Monreith.


Randolph Algernon Ronald Stewart, 12th Earl of Galloway.

The 1st Earl of Galloway was a 'favourite' of the gay King James VI (James I of England).

Randolph Algernon Ronald Stewart, 1892 - 1978, was the 12th Earl of Galloway.

He was at one time the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.



Randolph Keith Reginald Stewart is the 13th Earl of Galloway, Lord of Garlies, and Baronet of Corsewell and Burray.

Randolph is shy but friendly.

"As a child he was subjected to insulin coma therapy.

"It is possible that had he been born today his behaviour would have been recognised as autistic.

"In 1952, at the age of twenty-three, his parents had him lobotomised.

"After this surgery, he spent the next 15 years in the Crichton mental hospital in Dumfries.

"In 1970 his parents placed him in the Monastery of the Transfiguration, in Roslin, Midlothian.[1]

"He currently lives in sheltered housing

"He was written him out of his father's will."


Galloway House, the family seat of the Earls of Galloway from the 1740s until 1908

"The House of Stewart not only provided all of Scotland's monarchs from 1371 to 1603, and of the United Crowns of Scotland and England from 1603 to 1714, but held through time, 13 Dukedoms and 17 Earldoms in Great Britain.

"Stewarts also provided two British Prime Ministers, and the House of Stewart held Dukedoms in Italy, France and Spain.

"Although the Royal Stewart tartan is worn by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, the Chief of the Stewarts is Sir Randolph Stewart, 13th Earl of Galloway."

Earls of Galloway .



When Eisenhower and Churchill wanted a quiet place for a secret meeting, where did they come?

They came to Knockinaam Lodge (above) in Dumfries and Galloway.

And that was where they planned the D-Day landings.



The lodge (above) "has all the trappings of a 40s bolt-hole."

This is where Michael Palin wrote 'From Pole to Pole'.



Sam Heughan, star of Outlander, is from Dumfries and Galloway.


The Galloway Hills Rally, September 2016.

When you do not want to drive all the time on dual carriageways, where do you come?

Only about 6% of Dumfries and Galloway's roads are dual carriageway.



You don't want to travel all the way to San Gimignano?

Come to Dumfries (above) instead.



You like exotic landscapes?

Try Dumfries and Galloway (above).



Camelot may be in Dumfries and Galloway (above)

Loch Arthur, in Beeswing in Dumfries and Galloway, is a possible location for the Lady of the Lake.



The Tour of Britain arrived in Castle Douglas on 4 September 2016.

The tour of Britain began with the Glasgow to Castle Douglas stage.


In 1799 an Act was passed declaring that all mine workers in Scotland were "to be free from their servitude".

First, a little history of the area:

Slavery existed in the coal mines in the Sanquhar and Kirkconnel area of Dumfries and Galloway until 1799.

The Duke, The Mines.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, coal miners in Scotland, and their families, were slaves, owned by the bosses of the mines.

This slavery was set into law by an Act of Parliament in 1606.

A further Act of 1641 forced the colliers to work six days a week.

Scottish Mining Website


Cairnholy

The Cairnholy tombs are situated on a hillside overlooking Wigtown Bay in Dumfries and Galloway.

There is evidence of ancient settlements at Luce Bay, in Dumfries and Galloway.

Some flint tools found in Scotland may date back to 12,000 BC

..

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a sculpture garden created by landscape architect and theorist Charles Jencks at his home, Portrack House, near Dumfries.

The garden is inspired by modern cosmology.

The garden is private and usually opens only a few days each year.


Crawick Multiverse.

However, the nearby Crawick Multiverse is open all year.


Crawick Multiverse near Sanquhar is a land art project by Charles Jencks

...

Dumfries and Galloway promotes fitness.

Dumfries and Galloway is for holidays.


Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway, by David Sassoon.

The artist David Sassoon came to live in Kirkcudbright in 1926.

The Sassoon family are known as the Rothschilds of the East due to the great wealth they made from the opium trade [1].

The Sassoons are of Baghdadi Jewish descent.


Galloway landscape by George Henry.

The painter George Henry (1858–1943) portrayed the beauty of Dumfries and Galloway.

Kirkcudbright Artists' Colony.


Poster of Galloway's Solway Coast - by Charles Oppenheimer.

Charles Oppenheimer was a Kirkcudbright artist.


The artist E A Hornel and one of his models.

E A Hornel was a rich and famous Kirkcudbright artist.



Above, are some of Hornel's girls at Brighouse Bay.

Kirkcudbright was famous for its artists between 1880 and 1980.


Glen holme

Glenholme - Kirkcudbright Luxury Guest House.


Stranraer c1900

Stranraer harbour has bid farewell to ferries .



There are lots of Ghost Stations and Disused Railway Stations in Dumfries and Galloway.

Dumfries and Galloway has lost:

Most of its railways

Its town councils.



The county of Dumfries and Galloway has no motorways.

A major transport firm is considering moving its base from Dumfries to a site closer to the main A74(M) motorway.

Dumfries transport firm Currie European considers base move.


Arrol-Johnson motor works 1913 - 'Little Detroit' in Dumfries - now closed.

Dumfries used to have a number of manufacturing industries, but most of them are now closed.


The Troqueer and Rosefield Mills in Dumfries, c1911.

The Troqueer and Rosefield Mills in Dumfries are now closed.


The factory of the Drummond car firm.

The Drummond car firm is now closed.


Dumfries 1910

Dumfries has always had its poor and malnourished kids, and it seems to be getting worse.

Nearly a quarter of children in the Stewartry live in poverty .

Philip Day's business is worth over one billion pounds.

Philip Day is the owner of the 'Dumfries and Galloway-based' clothing firm the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Philip Day has closed his store in Dumfries.

Scotland has a number of billionaires, including the owners of Stagecoach buses.


Dumfries Bus 1921.

Currently, the worst bus service in the world is said to be Stagecoach's 501 bus service from Dumfries to Dalbeattie and Kirkcudbright


Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day

More photos here: DALBEATTIE; DALBEATTIE PARADE


Dumfries 1945.

There is a big gap between the rich and poor in Dumfries.

...

Calvin Harris, the Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer, is from Dumfries and Galloway.

..
Gatehouse.

In 1795 gatehouse had four cotton mills, a brass foundry, brewery, brickworks, soap factory, tanneries - and double its present day population.

Gatehouse, like most of the towns in this area, has been neglected.

..
Cally Palace Hotel, Gatehouse.

Sarah, Duchess of York, is one of the people who have stayed at the Cally Palace Hotel, in Gatehouse.

..
Drumlanrig Castle.

In the kitchens of his house in Edinburgh, the Earl of Drumlanrig is said to have roasted a servant boy on a spit.  

(Cached Cached)


Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright is the best looking town in Dumfries and Galloway.

But, now, it has no town council and no railway.


Kirkcudbright

"A 4,700-acre (19 km2) area to the southeast of Kirkcudbright and extending to the coast of the Solway Firth, was acquired by the Army in 1942, as a training area for the D Day invasion.[12][13]

"The area remains in active use for live-firing exercises to this day. Part of the training area is the Dundrennan Range, a weapons development and testing range.

"The use of this range for the testing of depleted uranium shells has been controversial."[14][15]

...

Samuel Peploe and Francis Cadell were part of the Kirkcudbright artists' colony.

Stewartry Show, Castle Douglas.

The farms in Dumfries and Galloway make money thanks to subsidies.

Some large landowners receive very large subsidies.


Castle Douglas.

More photos here: CASTLE DOUGLAS; DOUGLAS DAY; STEWARTRY SHOW.



Above we see Hornell's house in Kirkcudbright.

Strangely, it is only open in the afternoons.


Kirkcudbright

The whodunit Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers involves the artistic community of Kirkcudbright.[30]


The Kelpies at Kirkcudbright.

"Kirkcudbright Tolbooth was built between 1625 and 1629 and served not only as the tolbooth, but also the council offices, the burg and sheriff courts, the criminal prison and the debtors' prison. 

"One of the most famous prisoners was John Paul Jones, hero of the American navy, who was born in nearby Kirkbean." [8][9]


Dumfries

More photos here: DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

...

More photos here:

DUMFRIES; SHOW; GUID NYCHBURRIS; PETER PAN; ROBERT BURNS


Castle Douglas

More photos here: CASTLE DOUGLAS; DOUGLAS DAY; STEWARTRY SHOW


Dumfries

Dumfries does not have its own town council.

..
Castle Douglas.

Castle Douglas no longer has a railway or a town council.

Douglas Day, Castle Douglas, August 2016.

CASTLE DOUGLAS; DOUGLAS DAY; STEWARTRY SHOW



Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway. Dalbeattie Civic Daze : Parade Day


Dumfries Agricultural Show, August 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark.


 
Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries Show 2016. Non copyrighted photo by K Clark, Monaco.






















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