Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is home to Scotland’s southernmost point.

Accommodation

We stayed in a beautiful Log Cabin, in Newton Stewart, just outside the market town, Dumfries. The Log Cabin was part of Bluebell Lodges. Our Log Cabin was very spacious, modern, and had a lovely hot tub. I highly recommend staying in one of these if you are visiting Dumfries and Galloway.

Thing To See and Do

Here my highlights from Dumfries and Galloway:

Mull of Galloway

The Mull of Galloway is Scotland’s southernmost point. You can climb to the top of the lighthouse, visit the exhibition, walk the short trail along the cliffs and see a lot of wildlife; from puffins to dolphins. If you visit on a Sunday, as Alex and I did, you may be lucky enough to hear the foghorn. Every Sunday afternoon, they test it to make sure it is working properly.

For more information on what there is to see and do in the Mull of Galloway. Please check out their website: Mull of Galloway.

Galloway Forest National Park

Galloway Forest National Park is famous for its dark skies. It is the 4th Dark Sky Park in the world and it’s the first Dark Sky Park in the UK. We went out one night to experience it for ourselves. We attempted to do to astrophotography but let’s just say, we’re still very beginners on that!

On our visit to Galloway Forest National Park, we only had chance to visit 2 different areas of the park. We visited Loch Clatteringshaws, seeing some amazing mirror imagines on the Loch and we did a lovely walk in Glen Trool around Loch Trool.

Loch Clatteringshaws is located more a less in the centre of Galloway Forest Park. It is meant to be one of the most picturesque areas in Galloway Forest National Park. It has a little visitor centre, which was closed when we visited.

The Glen Trool, a 5.25-mile walk, is a beautiful walk that leads you right around Loch Trool. The route should take you around 3 hours to complete and is easy to follow. There are green waymarkers along the whole route to follow. The car park for the route is free but small, so make sure you get there early to get a parking spot. It is one of the most popular walks to do in the area.

For a step-by-step route with a map, please check out this website: Glen Trool Trail.

Portpatrick

Portpatrick is a beautiful little fishing village, located on the west coast of Scotland. We arrived later in the day and debated about doing the walk up to Dunskey Castle. It was only a 1.25-mile walk, so in the end, we decided we would do, despite been absolutely shattered. We are so glad we did it! The walk takes you up and above the fishing village, providing great views as you walk along the cliff edge, towards the castle ruins of Dunskey Castle. This walk is a ‘must-do’ if you are in the area. It will take you around an hour to complete, including stops for photos and flying your drone (for the people who own a drone-like ourselves).

For a step-by-step route with a map, please check out this website: Dunskey Castle Walk.