Touring routes
Sandyhills Bay
Kirkcudbright, on the Galloway Tourist Route
the Globe Inn, Dumfries, on the Burns Heritage Trail
Tour Dumfries & Galloway by signposted routes. Choose from the scenic Solway Coast Heritage Trail, the Burns Heritage Trail which includes the homes of the national bard lived or enjoy a trip across the region on the Galloway Heritage Route.
Burns Heritage Trail
See the landscape that inspired Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, who spent most of his short life in the area. Along the way you'll find stories and scenery that inspired romantic verse, from big skies and stunning coastlines to mountains and lochs.
The Burns Heritage Trail is a circular route which takes in Ayrshire as well as Dumfries & Galloway, and features important landmarks from Burns’ life and works. Travel from his birthplace in Alloway to his final home, Burns House, in Dumfries and view the memorials and museums erected in his honour along the way. Raise a toast to the bard at his favourite pub, The Globe Inn in Dumfries, visit Ellisland Farm, now an exhibition, where Burns lived and farmed, and the Murray Arms in Gatehouse of Fleet where he is said to have written ‘Scots Wha Hae’.
All the stop-off points on this tour help to build up a clear impression of the life that Robert Burns lived, from museums and well preserved homes to the monuments and drinking dens which dot this land, they all indicate his lasting legacy.
Galloway Tourist Route
The Galloway Tourist Route is an excellent guide to the area which suggests a scenic route around the best landscapes that the region has to offer and picks out plenty of great places to visit.
Leave the M74 motorway at Gretna Green to discover the beautiful variety of Galloway’s coast and countryside, allowing plenty of time to stop off at excellent attractions and great view points along the way. Travel along the Solway Coast, through picturesque villages and market towns before the driving alongside Galloway Forest Park which boasts majestic mountains, lochs and ancient castles.
Find out about each local area at museums along the trail, including the Blacksmith’s Shop Visitor Centre, which looks at the famous amount of marriages take place in Gretna Green, and Dalbeattie Museum which charts the area’s industrial past. Depending on your interests, you can tailor your tour by picking out historic sites such as Threave Castle or choose to take a closer look at nature at Ken-Dee Marshes Nature Reserve.
Solway Coast Heritage Trail
To admire Dumfries & Galloway’s rugged southern coastline, take the Solway Coast Heritage Trail which runs between the vast tidal flats of the Solway Firth and the towering sea cliffs of the Rhinns, taking in Scotland’s most southerly point at the Mull of Galloway. This way-marked route between Annan and Stranraer describes the flora and fauna of the coastline will inspire families to take a closer look in rock pools and maybe even encourage anglers to charter a boat.
With National Scenic Areas, conservation and protection areas as well as a local and National Nature Reserve, the Area of Outstanding Beauty is clearly well recognised and the route suggests plenty of places to stop off to enjoy it. You can also learn how the coast interacts with marine life and find out more about local catches such as salmon, oysters, lobster and herring by downloading the Sea Life Sea Food booklet.
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