7 Days exploring Arts & Culture on the SWC300

It was in this simple sandstone house in a quiet Dumfries street that Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet, spent the last years of his life. He died here in 1796 at the age of just thirty seven. The house shows us how the poet and his family lived in the late eighteenth century and is now a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts from around the world.

The Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre (RBCFT) is a 69-seat cinema in a converted 18th century mill on the banks of the River Nith. The RBCFT screens a mixture of contemporary independent cinema as well as foreign language and arthouse films, documentaries, Live Events and classic films. The Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre shares the Robert Burns Centre with a museum which tells the story of Robert Burns’ last years spent in the bustling streets and lively atmosphere of Dumfries in the late eighteenth century.

From 1788-1791, Ellisland Farm was the rural home of National Bard Robert Burns. He built the house for his family. Its fabulous location by the river Nith inspired him to write some of his most famous poems. Today visitors can explore Burns’ farmhouse; the kitchen where meals were shared, his spence where genius was ignited. Then discover more about his life, work, and the setting that brought us Tam o’ Shanter, Banks O’ Doon and Auld Lang Syne.

The oldest theatre in Scotland, the Theatre Royal is in the heart of Dumfries and first opened its doors in 1792. It has strong associations with the renowned Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote several pieces specifically for its stage.

Gracefield Arts Centre is home to a collection of over 600 paintings and drawings by Scottish artists, most with links to Dumfries and Galloway. We have a packed programme of collection and contemporary exhibitions featuring regional, national and international artists and craft makers.

Clience Studio – , is a friendly artist’s gallery and working studio owned by Angela Lawrence, Artist, showing Original Oil paintings (mainly of Galloway and some Scottish Highlands and Isles as well as mountains of Lake District), signed giclee prints, commissions, water colours, art gifts from Galloway paintings (calendars, mugs, coasters, placemats, notebooks).

Visit our nationally important art collection and learn the story of the Kirkcudbright ‘Art Colony’ through an audio-visual show “The Artists’ Town” and a permanent display of some of the best Kirkcudbright paintings in our collection.

Right in the heart of Kirkcudbright, a pretty artists’ colony on the Solway Firth, Broughton House is an 18th-century Georgian house and the former home of Scottish painter E A Hornel, one of the Glasgow Boys. The house holds Hornel’s pictures, vast collection of artefacts and furniture and has an beautiful garden.

The Wee Pottery is a new paint it yourself studio based at the Johnston Centre in Kirkcudbright, at the former Johnston School. The studio itself can seat up to 16 people and is an ideal idea for children’s parties, groups, get together or to simply drop by and paint something unique as a keepsake or a gift to give to someone else.

The Ronald Rae Sculpture Exhibition comprises twelve large granite sculptures and is located on the outskirts of Creetown. This is an outdoor exhibition on a derelict industrial site.

The sculptor felt that art can be enjoyed anywhere, by everyone including children. One of the sculptures “Boy with Calf”; is hewn from Creetown granite and dates to almost 500 million years ago.

Second hand books. Coffee, tea & chocolate. Cake. Snacks. Art. What more could you want? In Scotland’s National Book Town – Wigtown

This ‘little gem’ of a venue offers an intimate setting for professional theatre, live music, and other events. The rural 48-seat auditorium is situated in the beautiful Galloway countryside 3 from miles from Whithorn, 9 miles from Wigtown and just 15 miles from Newton Stewart.

The Mull of Galloway is Scotland’s most Southerly Point. At the end of a narrow peninsula with stunning views in every direction, the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, the Lighthouse Exhibition, the RSPB Visitor Centre and Reserve and the stunning Gallie Craig Coffee House comprise the Mull of Galloway Experience

With a dramatic clifftop setting, Robert Adam architecture, fascinating history & beautiful surrounds, Culzean Castle and Country Park is one of Scotland’s best days out. This glorious 260 ha estate was once the playground of David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassillis. The park is planted with conifers and beech, sculpted around miles of sandy coastline dotted with caves, and finished off with a Swan Pond, an ice house, flamboyant formal gardens and fruit-filled glasshouses.

The Dick Institute houses the largest museum and gallery spaces in Ayrshire and East Ayrshire’s central library.

A recent refurbishment and the addition of a cafe has breathed new life into this stunning building ensuring it will continue to be enjoyed by a new generation of visitors.

Featuring a programme of nationally important exhibitions, permanent displays of the museum’s diverse collections and innovative work by contemporary artists, film makers and young people from the area, the Dick Institute is well worth a visit.

Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Bard, lived in Mauchline in one of his most productive periods and composed many of his much loved poems here. Whilst preparing for their move to Ellisland Farm in Dumfriesshire, Burns and his wife Jean Armour lodged in a room at what is now Burns House Museum.

Crawick Multiverse, a spectacular Artland. Transformed by globally-renowned landscape artist Charles Jencks. The site which opened in summer 2015 links the themes of space, astronomy and cosmology, creating a truly inspiring landmark that will appeal to everyone from art enthusiasts and scientists to walkers and the wider community.

A’ The Airts in the Royal Burgh of Sanquhar is a Community Arts and Crafts centre nestled in the heart of Upper Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Our fully accessible building is a hub where individuals can meet and express their creativity. Our varied groups who use the centre also love the warm and welcoming atmosphere here. Locals and tourists alike can enjoy great refreshments and free wi-fi in our café.

If you like delving deep into history, soaking up the finest culture, exploring beautiful countryside – or adrenaline-fuelled mountain biking – you’ll love a day at Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate. From activities for kids to salmon fishing, you’ll find a raft of activity awaiting you. The Castle has 120 rooms, 17 turrets and four towers and from your very first glance you’ll know you’re entering a special place. Special enough, in fact, that the producers of Outlander recently used the Castle for filming their second series! Please check opening times ahead of your visit, for much of the year, castle visits must be booked in advance.

The Striding Arches are a series of iconic red sandstone arches in an area of Dumfries & Galloway known as Cairnhead. The Striding Arches have been created by local artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Childhood home of one of Britain’s most influential thinkers, Thomas Carlyle. Little did anyone know that the boy born here in 1795 would go on to become one of the most prolific writers and social commentators of the 19th century. The unassuming exterior of this wee house in Ecclefechan, near Lockerbie, belies its significance in Scottish history.