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 Kirkcudbright High Street |
 Dundrennan Abbey |
 New Galloway |
Close to the A75 west of Dumfries is Castle Douglas, located at the north end of pretty Carlingwark Loch. It serves as an important regional centre for a large area of rural Galloway. There's been a settlement here for many centuries, although until the end of the 1700s it was known as Carlingwark. It owes much of its later growth on the arrival of the A75's predecessor in the early 1600s, the military road built to Portpatrick to support the plantation of Ulster.
On the outskirts of Castle Douglas is the National Trust for Scotland's Threave Gardens, while nearby and a little to the north of the A75 is the magnificent Threave Castle, the stronghold of Archibald the Grim built on an island in the River Dee
A few miles south east of Castle Douglas, is Dalbeattie, which gives access to a fascinating stretch of coast including the villages of Kippford and Rockcliffe. North of Dalbeattie is the tiny village of Haugh of Urr.
South of Castle Douglas, a diversion from the A75 brings you to Kirkcudbright. This is a detour well worth making, for Kirkcudbright is by some margin the most attractive and interesting town in south west Scotland.
Kirkcudbright featured on tourist maps from a very early date, making its name as a haven for artists. It is easy to see why: with a beautifully preserved and fascinating town centre, with MacLellan's Castle at its heart, and with a riverside location complete with a busy quayside, Kirkcudbright has something for everyone.
South from Kirkcudbright a loop of road takes you through Dundrennan, home to Dundrennan Abbey. There are many abbeys in Scotland with more complete remains, but few whose location manages to convey such a strong sense of the spirituality that first brought monks here in 1142 and kept them here for more than four centuries.
Close by is the attractive village of Auchencairn. A little further, near the village of Palnackie, is the remarkably complete Orchardton Tower. Scotland has thousands of free-standing tower houses, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. But only one of them is circular.
Beyond Castle Douglas the A75 bypasses Twynholm en route to Gatehouse of Fleet, one of Scotland's most attractive villages. Close to the latter is Cardoness Castle. Cardoness enjoys a remarkably strong defensive position, on a rocky bluff overlooking the northern end of Fleet Bay. It was even more daunting when built, with the base of the rock lapped by the sea until the surrounding land was reclaimed for agriculture in 1824.
Three miles south of Creetown and looking across Wigtown Bay to Wigtown is Carsluith Castle. The castle dates back to the 1400s and is unusual in having a later collection of outbuildings that show the way many castles formed the focus of small settlements. One of these is a private residence, while another provides a welcome and welcoming cafe and shop.
