Return to Dumfries and Galloway

Having explored the eastern section of Dumfries and Galloway on an earlier visit, travel writer Robin McKelvie returns to explore the western side of Dumfries and Galloway and finds plenty to be positive about.

I don’t need to be asked twice to come back to Dumfries and Galloway. This seriously underrated region is an utter joy to visit and I’m delighted to report that this time I found it alive with a life-affirming collage of great projects, fantastic things to do and a sweep of the type of can-do locals that really make a trip a sheer joy.

Stepping off the train in Stranraer I had feared it would be a slow start as I knew the ferry port had moved out of town further down Loch Ryan. I needn’t have worried – Allan Jenkins met me brimming with stories of the rejuvenation of the town.

Allan works for the Stranraer Development Trust and also the local oyster festival, which celebrates the Loch Ryan oysters, Scotland’s only native wild oyster bed. Over lunch at the super welcoming Fig & Olive, Alan talked of a new watersports centre and the impending revamp of the local marina. The landmark George Hotel is being brought back and Allan talks of a lively community hub and plans for the local heritage museum.

On the waterfront, Alan pointed out the old visitor information centre, now controlled by the Trust. It is full of information on the town and its gorgeous surrounds. I learned more about the Kirkpatrick C2C, the coast-to-coast cycling route across southern Scotland, which kicks off on the pier.

Tom Henry, a local walking ranger, also joined me on the pier to chat about the Southern Upland Way and an exciting new walk – the Rhins of Galloway Coastal Path, which starts and ends right here in Stranraer. It sweeps off for 83 miles around this wild and wildly beautiful corner of Dumfries and Galloway. This very welcome new route is slated to take around six days to complete, or you can just sample one or two sections.

Setting off from Portpatrick, Tom and I walked a section of the new Coastal Path northwards. It is a great introduction as it edges along the cliffs opening up the coastal scenery, and offering prime viewing of local seabirds and seals. Handily this section also marks the first section of the coast-to-coast Southern Upland Way. This is now being divided into three parts. The ‘Western March’ heads from Portpatrick all the way east to Sanquhar. Tom also told me with passion about a lot of ongoing route work to make the walk as a whole work even better for hikers and cyclists too.

My first night was spent in good company with Churchill and Roosevelt. They met in Knockinaam Lodge in secret during World War Two to discuss their plans for D-Day. Today it is plush coastal hotel hidden away from the world. I peered out at the sea from my window, before descending to savour a tasting menu that showcased its AA 3 Rosette restaurant. Highlights included a slow roast fillet of Galloway beef and a local mushroom velouté.

The next morning I met Mark Donald of Dumfries Tours. I work with a lot of guides as a travel writer and a great one immediately stands out. And Mark is a great guide – full of local knowledge and passion for the area. “Dumfries and Galloway is a very special place that it is a privilege to show people. I really get a buzz from sharing it with them,” he smiled as we worked our way around the Rhins stopping off to check out sights en route.

Mark is adept at tailoring his tours to what guests want and with me being a history buff, he ensured our explorations opened up a land awash with myths and legends, from Robert the Bruce’s heart, through to the Wigtown Martyrs and on to the Torhouse Stone Circle, where we swirled off back through the centuries, Outlander-style. Well, Sam Heughan does hail from Dumfries and Galloway.

Our next focus was the old market town of Newton Stewart. The local heritage museum was a brilliant introduction. It’s open by appointment in winter thanks to its lovely volunteers who led me through the centuries in a massive collection dramatically housed in an old church. I loved the old military uniforms and the pulpit you can still stand at. The local newspaper archives upstairs are fascinating too.

I felt positivity wherever I went in Dumfries and Galloway. Nicky Docherty at the innovative Crafty Distillery was brimming with it. Not content with buying in base spirit like many of Scotland’s gin ‘distilleries’, Crafty does everything from scratch. The distillery looks amazing too, with its live-edge wood and huge windows peering from the tasting room into the bijou distillery. The signature Hills & Harbour Gin is a crisp, clean wonder.

On the northern outskirts of Newton Stewart is another fascinating business in Penninghame Estate. It boasts layers of history and impressive grounds, but it’s not just an old country house museum. It looks the part with all the grand future, sculptures and oil paintings, but they’ve also branched into offering self-catering accommodation and the Penninghame Cookery School in the old stables.

From Newton Stewart it is an easy drive to the Galloway Forest Park to meet the inspiring community in Glentrool. Their hub is the Glentrool Hive. This old school has been reinvented as a welcoming community hub, where they run a whole range of projects from their multi-purpose space and offer bike hire. I popped in for a coffee and a deliciously moist brownie in their cafe, chatting to the team before visiting their shop and the superb value two-bedroom self-catering accommodation on site.

Guide Mark then steered us deep into the park to the spot where Robert the Bruce famously defeated his English foes using guerilla tactics, setting up a chain of events that ultimately led to the landmark Battle of Bannockburn.

Back in Newton Stewart I’d heard good things about the Vault Art Centre. I was not disappointed. Nathon Jones – brother of the equally dynamic Billie Jones back at the Glentrool Hive – does amazing work here. This community-run enterprise has somehow transformed an old bank into a brilliant live music venue with a bar alive with local gin and beers.

Not content with staging an eclectic sweep of live gigs, The Vault also stages a multitude of festivals including a traditional music and dance festival, one for bluegrass, as well as a Blues weekend and a jazz, funk and soul festival with Nathan busily planning more!

East from Newton Stewart along the A75, lunch was at the Oak Hill Café, which offered a delicious pesto linguine topped with locally smoked salmon, followed by a melt-in-the-mouth Belgian chocolate brownie. The café sits right next to Carlsluith Castle – in Dumfries and Galloway even the cafes come with castles.

After the food, it was time to get active and Dumfries and Galloway is brilliant for that. Super helpful Sam Hill at the ace Breakpad Bike Shop in Kirroughtree Forest set me up with an e-bike. This is the perfect way to explore the multitude of local mountain bike trails. I plotted my route in the visitor centre next door and grabbed a coffee in their handy café. Then it was off on two wheels bashing around the blue trail, with more testing sections on the red trail too – all of which was an adrenaline pumping joy of berms, jumps and single track through the life-affirming forest. Wow!

My last stop was Gatehouse of Fleet where I met up with John Thompson, the chair of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, and Antoine Lemaire, a Biosphere Recovery Officer. They both enthused me about a remarkable natural reserve that simultaneously has people at its heart. It was inspiring to hear all about how they push both for protection of the land and for sustainable development, explaining how the two go hand in hand.

Dinner was at The Ship Inn, where I tucked into locally smoked salmon to start, before a local steak. Over my four days in Dumfries and Galloway I didn’t have a bad meal. It’s refreshing to be in a region where fresh local produce is so widely available. The range of beers and spirits coming from the region is impressive too.

I finished off my trip over dessert chatting to Dark Sky Ranger Elizabeth Tindall. I love stargazing, so she was brilliant company, telling me how remarkable the region’s night skies really are. Dumfries and Galloway is home to Europe’s first Dark Sky Park and the night skies here really are world-class. I’ve been lucky to get out within the park a few times and been overjoyed to see shooting stars, the planets and satellites too.

After this most recent foray to Dumfries and Galloway, I come away with the local can-do, positive attitude and urge folks to come here and experience for themselves.

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