11The Scotsman Saturday 2 February 2008Dumfries and GallowayA warm welcome guaranteed8216Warmed by
the Gulf
Stream, it is
actually the
mil dest
region north
of the
B order8217M O N U M E N TA L
Dumfries and
Galloway is home to
numerous visitor
attractions, including
Threave Castle, main
picture, Burns House,
left, and the serene
Samye Ling Buddhist
monastery and
Tibetan centre in
EskdalemuirWith temperate
weather and
stunning scenery,
the south-west is a
must-see, writes
Angela DewarBLUE skiesand mildtempera-
tures8230 who would have
thought the biggest attraction
in Dumfries and Galloway
could be the weather?
The west of Scotland is notorious for
itsdark cloudsand endlessrain, yetthe
sunshines regularlyon thisbeautiful
corner of the south-west.
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, it is actu-
ally themildest regionnorth ofthe
Borderandthereason whythereareso
many colourful gardens to visit.
JustoutsideCastle Douglasisthe
home of the National Trust for Scot-
land8217s horticultural school at Threave
Garden andthe perfect place tostart a
tour of the area and its green places.
It8217s a riot of colour all year round, with
rose, heather,rock andwoodland gar-
dens,as wellasthehighlight ofspring,
the daffodil bank. By the time summer
comesaround, therhododendronsare
in full bloom, then the herbaceous bor-
ders burst into life all the way through to
autumn.
It8217s more like the Mediterranean than
the Mull of Galloway at Logan Botanic
Garden. Treeferns andpalms grow
alongside lily pondsand carefully
tendedbeds overflowwith plantsfrom
all over the world.
Spotting thedifferent speciesis likea
quick triparound theglobe withechi-
ums from Madeira, cabbage palms from
New Zealandand Himalayanblue pop-
pies. The woodlandgarden has plants
recently collected fromChile and the
rhubarb-like gunnerabog hasmade
itself at home even though it8217s normally
found in Brazil.
One ofthe best-knowngardens in
Scotlandhas tobeatCastle Kennedy,a
fewmiles eastofStranraer.Set onan
isthmus between two lochs and two cas-
tles, thegrounds wereovergrown until
the 19th century. Over the years, plants
havebeencollected fromabroadand
there8217seven aParisianthemeto someof
thebeds, laidoutinhomage tothe
grounds at the Palace of Versaille.
For a look at a truly unique garden, it8217s
worth the drive to Eskdalemuir to drop
into SamyeLing Buddhistmonastery
and Tibetan centre. The peace gardens
surround the gold and white stupa, clad
in prayerflags, andvisitors areallowed
into the beautifully ornate temple.
Meandering around pretty gardens
in a pleasant enough way to spend a day
or two,but to reallyget a blastof the
great outdoorsgo tothe ultimategreen
space here, Galloway Forest Park 8211 a vast
areawithlochs, pine-cladhills,wildlife
and great walking.
It8217snottootiring awalktoMerrick,
thehighest point,then takea detouron
one ofthe signpostedwalking trailson
the wayback andtry asection ofthe
Southern Upland Way.The entire route
is 212miles long, buta fewhours8217 walk
along a shortstretch is enough toget a
taste of the hills. Alternatively, keep your
eyes peeled for birds of prey as you
follow the Galloway Kite Trail around
Loch Ken.
To soak up some culture, go to
Broughton House in Kirkcudbright,
which features paintingsby EA Hornel,
one ofthe celebratedgroup ofartists
known asthe GlasgowBoys. Stillcalled
Artists8217 Town, a tribute to its heritage as a
cultural haven in the late1880s, it has a
number ofgalleries ifyou wantto buy
some artworkto takehome. Andstay
over at the local Fludha Guest House,
recently awarded five stars by Visit-
Scotland for its stylish surroundings.
There8217s plenty on offer in the other
towns of the area to keep visitors
occupied.Cross thepicturesquered
sandstonebridgesof Dumfriestojoin
the Rabbie Burns trail. Burns House is
where theBard livedfor thelast few
yearsofhislifeand it8217sbecomeabitofa
place of pilgrimage for fans.
Read original letters and
manuscripts,then goto theRobert
Burns Centre, in an old mill on the banks
of theRiver Nith, and walkto the
mausoleumin thegraveyard atSt
Michael8217s Kirk to look at the statue of the
poet on the High Street.
Burns wasa regularvisitor toKir-
roughtree House,now it8217sa hoteland
anyone can stay.
Have adrink inthe Major8217slounge,
relaxontheterrace andwalkupthe
staircasewhere theBard likedto sitand
recite his poems to the family.
Burns penned many a line about love,
and hewould surelyhave beenim-
pressedby thestory behindSweetheart
Abbey. It was founded by Devorgilla de
Bailliol inthe 13thcentury inhonour of
her deadhusband. Shehad hisheart
embalmed and, accordingto local
legend,carried itwithheruntil shedied
22 years later and was buried with it in
the presbytery.
Old romanticswill enjoythe tripto
Threave Castle after visiting the gardens.
A boattakes visitors tosee the ruinson a
tiny island in the River Dee to soak up the
atmosphere.
The historyof Scotlandisn8217t allabout
romance and the fortress at Motte of Ur,
oneofthe biggestNormanmotte-and-
bailey castles, shows how well protected
the country was from invaders. A few
miles furtheron isOrchadton Tower,
the onlycircular towerhouse inthe
countr y.
Allthatsightseeing isthirstywork
and it8217sno surprisethat Sulwath
Brewery in CastleDouglas is always
busy. After a look round the traditional
brewery, tastesome Gallowayreal ale.
Then, if you can still focus, set your sights
on a visit to Scotland8217s National Book
Town 8211 Wigtown.
Bookworms have more than 20 book-
shops to browse in with everything from
secondhandtitlesto thelatestblock-
busters filling the shelves. It8217s the perfect
taster for art festival Spring Fling.
Attheendof May,morethan100
artistsandlocal craftsmenopentheir
workshops and studios to the public.
Follow the studio trails to see painters,
jewellery designers, photographers,
sculptors, furniture makers and
printmakers all at work.
Set in six acres of private grounds,
Cavens countryhouse hotelis theper-
fect escape.Go walking,cycling or
bird-watching alongthe Solwaycoast,
then come back to chill out and relax.
There8217s a grand feel to the splendour
of the rooms, including the comfortable
sitting room andwonderful Green
Room, perfectfor privatedining inthe
colder months with a warm, real fire.
With morethan 20years8217 experience
in restaurantsin Parisand London,
owner andhead chefAngus Fordyceis a
real perfectionist andhas brought a
touch ofcity styleto theScottish
countr yside.
Silvercutlery,white linenandfine
china arethe perfectaccompaniments
to thefresh localproduce cookedwith-
out any pretensions. Galloway beef in a
creamand peppercornsauce isserved
simplywith tarragonandmushrooms
and a bowl offresh vegetables on the
side. Withjust twochoices foreach
course, Fordyce ensuresonly the finest
fish and game make it on to plates.
Themanorhouse hassevenrooms
and booking the entire hotel for a house
party could makea weekend to
remember. There8217s such a relaxing
atmosphere, pulling yourself away from
thecomfortingfireplace toleavecould
be a problem8230
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