Immerse Yourself in The Literary Landscapes of the South of Scotland

Have you ever dreamed of staying at the homes or hotels where your favourite author found inspiration? Or searched for the scenery so eloquently described in a novel? The South of Scotland has amazing connections to the world of literature with some of Scotland’s most famous writers living and visiting here, setting their works in the towns and villages and among the incredible scenery. Choose an author- inspired destination for your next literary escape – bring your favourite book or perhaps your latest manuscript and immerse yourself in our literary landscapes.

Sir Walter Scott – Melrose

Stay in the Hope Scott Wing of Abbotsford, the place famed Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott referred to as a ‘flibbertigibbet of a house’. Once home to Sir Walter Scott’s granddaughter, Charlotte Hope Scott, the Hope Scott Wing retains the intimacy and integrity of a family home, and is the perfect luxury accommodation for groups of up to 16 guests. Up to three dogs are also welcome and the extensive grounds and woodland provide plenty of space for them to play. Next door you can take inspiration visiting Abbotsford itself, marvelling at Sir Walter Scott’s writing room and library with its stunning views over the River Tweed.

Sir Walter Scott’s influence stretches across the entirety of the South of Scotland. Close to his home in Melrose he sat as Sheriff of Selkirkshire at the courthouse in Selkirk. Just south of Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway, the crumbling remains of Baldoon Castle provided the historical basis for the Bride of Lammermoor – Scott changed the name and location of the drama to protect his friends who were the real life inspirations.

Robert Burns – Auldgirth, nr Dumfries

Recently cited as the most authentic Robert Burns location, Robert Burns Ellisland Museum and Farm is nestled in the countryside along the River Nith to the north of Dumfries. It was here that Burns moved with his wife Jean Armour and their young family in 1788. Today you can stay at the recently renovated Auld Acquaintance Cottage on site. Take a walk along the river and you will reach the edge of the estate once belonging to Burns’ great friend Captain Robert Riddell. In Burns’ time it was known as Glenriddell, but today a modern country house hotel Friar’s Carse Hotel welcomes guests to enjoy the estate Burns would have known so well.

John Buchan – Portpatrick & Peebles

Knockinaam Lodge is a wonderful boutique hotel with a fascinating past – in real life it was the meeting place for Sir Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower to plan D-Day. But much earlier, the Victorian hunting lodge featured in John Buchan’s adventure espionage novel The Thirty-Nine Steps.

Sitting near Portpatrick on the western edge of Dumfries & Galloway, the hotel has a reputation for excellent food and there is the option of staying in Shingle Lodge, a self-catering cottage with stunning sea views.

‘I fixed on Galloway as the best place to go to.’

John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps

While Buchan set his famous novel in Galloway, as a child he holidayed in Broughton near Peebles, home of his grandparents. Visit today and you can follow in his steps through the Tweed Valley along the John Buchan Way. Stay at Peebles Hydro Hotel or consider exploring even more of the area in your own rental from Zoom Motorhome.

Dorothy L Sayers – Gatehouse of Fleet & Kirkcudbright

Dorothy L Sayers was a frequent visitor to Galloway and she stayed at the Anwoth Hotel, which is now The Ship Inn in Gatehouse of Fleet. Her vintage Rolls Royce parked outside, Sayers had a regular room – today you need to ask for Room 8! The region inspired her to set her novel The Five Red Herrings, in Kirkcudbright. Published in 1931 it was the seventh in her detective Lord Peter Wimsey series. The mystery was set amongst the artists’ colony of the town and it is understood she modelled several characters in the book on members of the real-life artists’ colony. Were stained-glass artist EA Taylor and his wife, illustrator Jessie M King two of her inspirations? Who knows, but you can stay in the historic quarter where they had their home at Yellow Door Holidays or around the corner at Providence Cottage. Sayers was a precise writer and many of her descriptions are so accurate, the modern day visitor and keen reader can follow the same paths and locations of the novel. Don’t trip over the stairs outside Broughton House as Lord Peter does on his exit of its fictional version!

Edgar Allan Poe – Newton Stewart

If you are a fan of writer Edgar Allan Poe then you must head to Newton Stewart in the Heart of Galloway. Orphaned at just two-years old, Poe was adopted by John Allan, a Scottish tobacco merchant who would regularly return to his home soil from his plantation in Virginia. It is believed the Allans took Poe to Flowerbank House on the bank of the River Cree in Newton Stewart for a summer holiday. This market town is an excellent base to explore the mountain bike trails of Kirroughtree 7Stanes, the glorious coastlines along the Machars Peninsula and the Galloway Forest Park – keep an eye out for the ravens! Stay at Appletree Cottage in the town or head into the countryside at Barnharrow Holiday Pods.

John McNeillie – Wigtown

John McNeillie loosely based his first novel Wigtown Ploughman on the town which is today Scotland’s National Book Town and hosts the annual 10-day Wigtown Book Festival in the autumn. McNeillie’s exposition of the horrendous living and working conditions of those living in rural poverty was so impactful that legislative reform was hot on the heels of its publication in 1939. This classic book attracted worldwide attention and continues to thrill and repel its readers and critics. Today, a warm welcome awaits those heading to Wigtown, especially for those staying at the Open Book, a self-catering experience with a decidely unique twist – you get to be a bookseller for the week! The brainchild of author Jessica Fox (Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets,) the Open Book was based on her own experience of wanting to take a holiday from her job at NASA and work in a bookshop in rural Scotland! Ten years on and this volunteer run charity contributes to the work of the Wigtown Book Festival and is booked up two years in advance, so start planning your visit now!

J.M. Barrie – Dumfries

The author J.M. Barrie credits a garden in Dumfries as the inspiration for his Neverland in the tale of Peter Pan. Visitors staying at the Cairndale Hotel & Spa are just a 12 minute walk from the house on George Street where Barrie spent his time.

Robert Louis Stevenson – Stranraer

It is believed Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Kidnapped may have been inspired by his visits to coastal areas and islands of Scotland as he and his family visited the many lighthouses his grandfather, uncle and father were instrumental in engineering. The Rhins peninsula along the southwest coast of Scotland has four examples and Corsewall Lighthouse, built by Stevenson’s grandfather, Robert, is now the upmarket Corsewall Lighthouse Hotel with self catering cottages on site, overlooking the Irish Sea.

Daniel Defoe – Eyemouth

Daniel Defoe’s A Tour Thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain is a collection of memories and impressions of journeys he made during his professional career and is not strictly speaking an accurate travel journal. Indeed in some cases he drew on the travel writing of others! Notwithstanding, his first comments on the Scottish town of Eyemouth are favourable and he notes it is ‘a good fishing town’ with a ‘good harbour’. He then records with great detail the tale of St Ebbe, daughter of King Edelfrid of Northumberland and notes the promontory where it is said she landed, St Ebba’s Head. This is known today as St Abbs. Defoe’s route took him over Coldingham Moor, but today’s visitors can opt for a walk along the section of the Berwickshire Coastal Path from Eyemouth to St Abbs for stunning views of the sea, coastal birds and marine mammals on the shores below. For a stay in Eyemouth opt for Nisbet’s Tower for its great views over Defoe’s ‘good harbour’ or stay in the home of former tea smuggler John Nisbet at Merchant House. Further along in Coldstream, book into Fisher’s Brae Cottage or try one of the pods at Braeview Glamping – Defoe’s ‘visit’ cites wintery conditions and he would no doubt have been grateful for one of the hot tubs with soothing bubbles available at this glamping site!

Gavin Maxwell – Monreith

Gavin Maxwell grew up near the coast running along Luce Bay on the Machars Peninsula. His novel Ring of Bright Water is memorialised in the village of Monreith, where a statue of an otter overlooking the harbour and golf course of St Medan’s is tribute to the book’s river otter Mijbil. Explore the coast so familar to Maxwell while staying at Burrowhead Holiday Village with stunning views and plenty of walks available. A short drive from Maxwell’s former home, the House of Elrig, is the West Barr Holiday Park on the beautiful coast line overlooking Luce Bay across to the Mull of Galloway.