Scotland: Haste ye back!
Written: Aug 02 '04 (Updated Apr 08 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Staggering rural beauty, superb smoked salmon, friendly people
Cons: Definitely one of the pricier parts of Europe. Rain?
The Bottom Line: Scotland now tops the list of places we'd most like to visit again before we move back to the States.
|
|
|
| lyagushka's Full Review: Scotland |
We only intended to spend one night and two half-days in the Dumfries & Galloway region during our late June visit to the UK. But our first visit to this part of Scotland's Southern Uplands so impressed us that we immediately decided to shave some time off our planned four days in England's Lake District to see more of this place. Dumfries & Galloway is, to put it simply, a rural paradise. With an economy based primarily on agriculture, this region is largely ignored by travelers. We just could not fathom why tourists weren't flocking there in droves. As best we can tell, it's regarded as a little blank space between the popular Highlands to the north and even more popular Lake District to the south. However, the tourism board of Dumfries & Galloway is apparently trying hard to remedy this. We seemed to have arrived in the wake of a pamphletting blizzard. Absolutely everywhere we went in this region we found free pamphlets advertising all kinds of sights, businesses and attractions. We certainly didn't need persuasion though; the staggering beauty of this place alone convinced us to spend three and a half days there - far too short a time in our opinion.
There's something about the subdued yet appealing Scottish aesthetic. Driving around we saw so many examples of interesting modest architecture. My Scottish readers will pardon me, I trust, but I have to mention the numerous snug little stone cottages so unbearably cute that I could scarcely contain the urge to wrap them up with a ribbon, or pop them in my mouth to see if they'd melt. I thought the pinkish limestone commonly used in construction in Dumfries & Galloway was especially attractive. Scotland has beautiful clothes too, if your taste runs to the traditional in woolen knits and tweeds.
We were also delighted with the remarkable friendliness of the people who live in this area. We found the willingness of locals to strike up a conversation with us very refreshing, and markedly different from the habits of many other Europeans or even other Britons. Living in Belgium, it's always a pleasure for us to speak English on our travels. True, the thick Scots accent sometimes entirely defeated our comprehension on the first try, but we grew to love the lilting speech unaffectedly sprinkled with "aye," "wee" and other delicious colloquialisms.
Those wishing to visit this area will certainly need to rent a car or arrange for some sort of private transportation. The roads in Dumfries & Galloway are very well maintained, but they are also quite narrow and twisty. This will present an additional level of challenge for those unaccustomed to driving on the left-hand side. Fortunately the roads in general are not highly trafficked at most hours of the day, and this makes it easier to take in the astonishing beauty of this area as you drive through it.
A Little History
This region of Scotland has old associations with The Covenanters and with Charles I & II of England. The Covenanters were an extremely strict Presbyterian sect which was persecuted by the English authorities and those loyal to the Stuart monarchy of England for about 50 years, beginning in 1638. The Covenanters refused to acknowledge the Stuart king as the head of the church, instead insisting that Christ is the head of the church. For such adherence they could be summarily shot, their homes burned and their possessions seized. This violent period in Scotland's history is remembered and its victims commemorated in large and small ways in this area. We saw several Covenanter sites on our hikes in Dumfries & Galloway, including a monument to the Nithsdale martyrs in a Covenanter graveyard. You will easily be able to find information and sites to visit if this period of history interests you.
Towns & Attractions
We had tried to stay in the coastal village of Kirkcudbright, (pronounced ker-KOO-bree) but couldn't get a room there. We visited it anyway and quickly decided that we'd been fortunate to stay elsewhere. Styling itself the "Artists' Town," Kirkcudbright is really nothing very special, but calculatedly twee in order to attract the tourist custom. I thought the village had been just a tad oversold by the resources I was able to find online. The Tollbooth Art Centre in the old Tollbooth was free, but offered very little to hold the interest. I did at least learn that John Paul Jones, of American Revolutionary fame, hailed from this area. The town has a central attraction, MacClellan's Castle, which charges an admission fee. Frankly, we took one look at the ruin and judged it best to simply enjoy the lovely flower beds on the grounds rather than cough up for the rather unimpressive looking late-16th century town house. Unless there's something of particular interest to you in Kirkcudbright, I couldn't strongly recommend a visit here.
Moniaive is an uncelebrated and unassumingly quaint little town. An important site in the history of the Covenanters, Moniaive is now an arts and crafts village. We were so charmed by it as we drove through that we came back for a brief look. Along one of the extremely picturesque and quiet streets in the village we saw a window display of the ceramics work of a pair of local artists. We tracked them down in the nearby village of Kirkland. Internet access (and beer) is available at The George pub. Even if you don't want to stop, this little town would be worth driving through if your route brings you close to it. We enjoyed looking around for a little while in the Kirkland ceramicists' studio. We also learned that the artistic community in this area holds a large open studio event, called "Spring Fling," in late May each year.
The Wood of Cree provided us with a short and moderately challenging woodland hike. For 2½
miles we wound our way along a series of small but dramatic waterfalls that had carved their way through a ravine over millennia. Filled with birdsong, wildflowers, enormous ferns, and a chance to spot an endangered red squirrel, this fantastic trail was easily one of the highlights of this region. The southwest part of Scotland is the red squirrel's last preserve. Supposedly this area is a butterfly stronghold in mid-summer, but we saw few butterflies in late June. Otters are sometimes visible at dusk from a platform near the parking area. I highly recommend a hike here, even if you have only an hour or so to spare.
The Southern Upland Way is a challenging hiking trail that stretches 212 miles from coast to coast, starting in Portpatrick on the southwest coast and ending in Cockburnspath on the eastern seaboard. Such a lengthy trail is obviously beyond the abilities, inclinations and schedules of most visitors. But many smaller trails join with the Way, and there are individual guides and pamphlets for different sections of it. For instance, the western section of the Way lies almost entirely within Dumfries and Galloway, and there is a useful pamphlet outlining dozens of short walks on or near this part of the Southern Upland Way. We walked some of these trails and found them very beautiful.
The tourist board of Scotland has come up with a clever idea to encourage hiking along this trail: waymerks. These small tokens are named for the obsolete Scottish merk coin, which continued in circulation until the 18th century. Thirteen different merks were minted in lead or copper, one for each stage of the Southern Upland Way. Hoards of these coins were placed along the Way in thirteen unique kists created by local artists. As you hike along the Way, pay attention and keep your eyes open. If you discover a kist, you may take a waymerk to keep in memory of your hike. If you're ambitious and hardy enough to hike the entire Way, you could collect all thirteen varieties. Unfortunately, we were only able to hike a short section of the Way and, sadly, we didn't find one of the kists. But we intend to try again on our next visit to this region.
I think the best part of Dumfries & Galloway, and the hardest part to describe, is the astonishingly lovely countryside. Walking is a very popular and rewarding activity in this area. The rural beauty of this place is perhaps sweetest in fields where the scent of chamomile overwhelms you before you even reach the enormous patches of dew-covered, yellow bud-blossoms. Wild roses, purple foxglove, exuberant clover patches and workaday ferns, emblematic thistles and Peter Cottontail flashes of tan and white all conspire to woo the city-dweller into reveries of rustic simplicity. Everywhere we went in Dumfries and Galloway we found well established trails and plenty of information on where to walk and what to expect on each trail. It certainly helps to burn off a few of the calorie-laden full Scottish breakfasts so popular in this region. Whatever your level of fitness, you will easily find a trail to match your ambition and experience level.
Eating
Marrbury Smokehouse in the remote town of Bargrennan near Glentrool is a small-scale family business which supplies high-end restaurants with a variety of smoked foods, most notably smoked Scottish salmon. Their hot-smoked salmon simply beggars description. Prepared from freshly caught wild salmon from the River Cree, their fish is without any doubt the finest I've ever had anywhere, bar none. I would go so far as to say it is a gastronomic national treasure of Scotland. They also offer other smoked meats and fish, as well as cheeses from their small retail shop at this site. Their lunchroom was closed at the time of our visit as we arrived just ahead of the modest tourist season. But we snapped up several vacuum packages of hot- and cold-smoked salmon as supplies for our picnic. The proprietress kindly directed us to a good picnic spot at nearby Bruce's Memorial above Loch Trool, in the middle of the Galloway Forrest Park reserve. We feasted there on the unparalleled salmon while enjoying the wild heathers and a spectacular lake view from our perch on the hill near this memorial to Robert the Bruce. Marrbury smokehouse sometimes offers tours to visitors, but availability depends on factors which can change from moment to moment; so the tours can not be arranged or guaranteed in advance.
We were directed to the Craigadam hotel/restaurant in Castle Douglas by that kindly owner of the Marrbury Smokehouse. Although we weren't staying at the Craigadam, we decided, based on the high praises from Marrbury, to eat there one night. It was an experience I would very highly recommend to anyone visiting this area. Our meal there was the closest I have ever come to feeling like a member of the wealthy British upper class. We started with a drink in the billiards room where we met the three other diners who were staying at the Craigadam. A servant then summoned us to the dining room where we arranged ourselves at one end of a table large enough to accommodate 16 people. Our meal was absolutely superb, in the best tradition of simple but perfectly executed British cuisine. We had a light salad of greens and smoked salmon followed by exquisite venison tenderloin. As we attacked the pudding with gusto, our orders for after dinner drinks were taken. When we had finished we moved into the parlour for tea or coffee and some infused grappa. The company was congenial, the service was impeccable without being unctuous and, believe it or not, the prices were eminently reasonable.
Cream o' Galloway is an organic ice-creamery and an all-around family attraction near Castle Douglas. It would be easy to spend the better part of a day here, especially in fair weather if you have young children. Aside from the obvious attractions of organic ice cream, there are miles of nature trails, a modest café and an "adventure playground" for the kids. Children can see the workings of a real dairy farm here. You can even hire (rent) a bicycle here. Our visit happened to coincide with a poorly timed Scottish downpour, so we contented ourselves with a light lunch and some ice cream after a quick tour of the grounds. Although there is a £1.50 charge for admission to the playground, we obtained a free pass to this area by purchasing two single-sized servings of Cream o' Galloway ice cream at the tourist information center in Kirkcudbright. This offer may be available elsewhere too. The nature trails are free to use, as are the dog walks where dogs are permitted off the leash. The ice-creamery is open daily from April to October, weekends only for the remainder of the year. I would highly recommend this place to those traveling with children. Other travelers may find less to interest them here. Cream o' Galloway ice cream is worth trying but can be had elsewhere.
I cannot end my discussion of eating in Scotland without mentioning that curiously ill-reputed Scottish delicacy, haggis. Haggis was traditionally made in a sheep's stomach from a mixture of liberally seasoned ground meat, tripe, onions and oats. These days the dish is more commonly made in ordinary large sausage casings, and served at breakfast. We hesitated to try it, only because we'd never heard a kind word for this dish. Our bravery was amply rewarded. Haggis soon became a fixture of our morning repast during our visit. I'm told that haggis can be excellent or awful depending on the quality of ingredients, and this is not at all difficult to believe. However, in my limited experience with the dish, it seems its poor reputation is quite undeserved. I would strongly urge any visitor to Scotland to put aside their prejudices and give this dish a fair shake. You may well be surprised by how much you like the dish, and at any rate you'll secure bragging rights on your return home.
My beersnob husband insists that I make some mention here of the fine Scottish ales he quaffed during our visit. I'm not a beer drinker, so I can't pass judgment. He believes the best ales in the world are currently being produced in the UK - and we live in Belgium, not too far from the German border. He was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the beers he sampled in Scotland and especially singled out Deuchars for his adoring praise.
General Advice
Anyone visiting Scotland at any time of year must pack for foul weather. A good wind-proof rain jacket with a hood that you can hike in would be my single most recommended item to bring along with you, closely followed by sturdy hiking shoes or boots, depending on the level of activity you anticipate. Our late June visit at times saw us bundled up in multiple layers and even a scarf in the evenings. The weather was frequently windy, especially near the coast. Pack at least one heavy sweater (jumper); you'll almost certainly need it at some point, no matter when you visit.
One problem with tracking businesses and locations down in Scotland is that there really aren't any street addresses in many small towns. An address might just be something like "The Old Smithy, Kirkland." Nor is it uncommon to find that many small towns don't bother to identify most or any of their streets with posted signs. This sounds more challenging than it actually turns out to be. As little as we often had to go on, by using common sense, aiming ourselves in the right direction and keeping our eyes peeled we always found what we were looking for. And there are always the friendly locals to ask if you need help.
Final Thoughts
I'm a picky person with a decent amount of travel under my belt, so I have a fairly wide experience by which to judge various destinations. You can check my other destination reviews: out of 25 locations, only three have previously earned five stars from me. I'm happy to give my highest possible recommendation for the Dumfries and Galloway area to anyone who likes getting away from it all on their travels. The area is not totally undeveloped; you will be able to enjoy comfortable lodgings and decent meals there. But the best reason to go is to enjoy the rural and wild areas. This is a destination that will offer more to those who like to go out walking and taking pictures than to those who like to go out shopping and seeing the big sights. I can say without any hesitation that Scotland appears to me, out of all the many places I've visited in this part of the world, the most underrated destination in Europe. Scotland is now at the very top of my list of places to return to before leaving Europe to return to the States. We have every intention of heeding the signs posted on the border, admonishing us: "Haste ye back!"
Still need more information on Scotland?
• The West Highlands - another gorgeous part of Scotland with quite different terrain
• Mansefield - lovely hospitality at a family B&B in the Borders region
• Ben Doran Guesthouse - nice rooms, moderate rates in Edinburgh
• Moulin Hotel - an old-fashioned lodging + a brewery in Pitlochry
• Corriemar House - lodging in Oban, West Highlands
• Trigony House - I cannot recommend this beautiful hotel highly enough; it made our D&G trip an especially memorable one.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.