Postcards From : Wigtown
In the middle of August 2021, I headed to the area of Wigtown for a five-day escape. It was bliss. It wasn’t an area of Scotland I’d ever been to before, and it was only 3 hours away from home. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, but I quickly fell in love with the quiet and peaceful area, the gorgeous coastline, and the quirky places.
You can find my guide to eating & must-visit places here, but in this post, I wanted to slow it down and give you a real insight into my travel journal. Whenever I go anywhere, I like to keep a diary to remember what I got up to. It’s nice to look back on later. I have it in front of me as I write and it’s amazing how much of the little details I’d forgotten!
So, grab a cuppa, sit back, and enjoy some postcards from Wigtownshire.
Day one : Glasserton
The first day of the holiday! And we’ve seen about 10 different weathers too.
Today was the 3-hour drive from home to Glasserton (where we stayed!), and I slept most of the way there because I had my Covid vaccine yesterday and I am feeling rough.
My first impression, as we drove through Castle Douglas towards Wigtown, was just how flat it seems! The sea was right next to us at times; big crashing waves, the water almost black, making me question why I’d bothered to pack my swimming costume.
As we drove into Wigtown, the rain was lashing and I’m excited to explore the town more. We stopped for coffee and cake at a place called Cobwebs; the service was quite rude at first, but I think she warmed to us. But the coffee was instant and wasn’t great. Cake okay.
Did a quick shop at the Co-op before trying to find the cottage we were staying at, about 15 minutes away. Once we found the lane, just outside Glasserton, we came to a single-story cottage, very cottage core vibes! It’s old-fashioned, shabby sheik, and I couldn’t wait to lie down on the comfy sofa – which I did for an hour!
>> Click here to take a look at where we stayed, and book yourself! <<
The evening sun shone through the windows and, as I had a little explore in the garden, I saw a gorgeous deer, stood in the golden field next to us, the pink sunset sky behind.
Day two : Isle of Whithorn, Wigtown & Stargazing
After breakfast this morning, we headed to The Isle of Whithorn, about 10mins away. It’s this quaint little village with a place called St Ninan’s Chapel (with a great campervan parking spot!). However, I missed the chapel because of the rugged and awe-inspiring sea views, the wild landscape, and the beacon at the top.
Had lunch at St Ninan’s cafe, which is in the village hall and overlooks the sea. Stunning views.
After lunch, Mum, Arthur & I headed to Garlieston. It wasn’t where we intended to go, but the road took us there, so it would be rude not to have a look. It actually has a really interesting history; the harbor/pier was a test to help plan d-day in Normandy. The museum was shut, but heading back tomorrow to have a nosy! The tide was out so I went and found some amazing shells on the beach, and also some kind of cow tooth??
Coffee and cake were needed, so headed to Wigtown and found Beltie Books. Turns out, they do cracking decaf coffee! Also had a lemon berry tart. It was a tad too sharp for me, but mum loved it!
This evening was magical though. The area is a dark skies area, so I went out to stargaze and try some night photography. The pics weren’t the best, but I had a lot of fun. I even saw shooting stars – it was so magical and quiet. It just makes you realise how BIG the universe is, and what a teeny tiny park we play.
Day three : Garliston & Port William
Day three, and only found one place that does good coffee. The only downside to this area is there are hardly any cafes.
After a lie-in (turns out, stargazing till 11:30 pm is very tiring!), we headed back to Garlieston to the museum which was sadly closed. No clue why but we wandered some more and found a gorgeous bit of beach. The sun was out so I took lots of pictures, had a photoshoot with Arthur, and took in the view.
Decided to try The Harbour Inn pub, the only thing open in the village! Well, this was a lovely find. I wasn’t expecting much as we walked into the dark and traditional pub, but the owners were absolutely lovely and I had my new favourite toastie – haggis and cheese. Absolutely genius!
This afternoon we headed further west to Port William (not to be confused with Fort William). However, 10 minutes into the drive we found Monreith & Blacksalt bay, and wow. With its roaring waves, long beaches, and sea salt flying everywhere, it was mother nature at her best. The sound was deafening, and it was beautiful. They even had toilets on the beach, which made me and my (removed) inflamed bowel very happy. Ended up spending a lot of time here.
Eventually headed on to Port William which was very bleak, made even bleaker by the wind and rain. There’s a cafe right on the front, but you can’t take your dog in and it was too cold to be outside.
Headed out for tea to The Pheasant Inn at Sorbie, which everyone raves about. I was a tad underwhelmed with my choices, however mum and dad loved it (and I tasted their choices and it was great, I just ordered wrong!)
Day four : Wigtown & St Ninan’s Cave
I can’t believe tomorrow is our last full day. I’ve come to the conclusion that I am not built for the quick break – there’s just so much left to explore!
As Wigtown has a market on a Saturday, we ventured back to have a morning exploring the bookshops. Wish we’d spent longer, to be honest!
After showing dad Beltie Books, I started my book tour. From The Wigtown Festival Book Shop, I bought Slow Adventures (the lovely lady who served me!) and then we headed to the bookshop – and it truly is a maze of books! It’s so easy to get lost in there, floor to ceiling books and it made me so happy. I bought a James Herriot book and a Lawrence Durrell book, and actually got served by Shaun Blyth himself (who wrote the book, confessions of a bookseller). I love how each bookshop in the town specialises in different genres, it’s brilliant!
For lunch, we went back to The Isle of Whithorn and managed to get a table at The Steampacket Inn, and wow, amazing. I can’t believe we got a seat to be honest! Ordered mussels and made the mistake of ordering the main-sized portion which was huge, but so tasty.
Had an afternoon walk at St Ninan’s Cave. We had a mile walk through some woodland, which was lovely, and I found a tree swing which was a lot of fun. The caves are sadly closed at the moment, but the coastline is truly breathtaking.
Day five : Newton Stewart & Maxwells Otter Memorial
Started the day with a bacon buttie at St Ninan’s Cafe. If we’d known they did breakfast earlier, we’d have been here daily I’m sure!
We decided to have a look at Newton Stewart and, to be honest, I don’t know if it was worth it. Hardly anything is open on a Sunday, but there wasn’t much to be open. We ended up at the Riverside which is a cafe come tourist information. Odd place, the food was okay and I got some shortbread to take home!
That afternoon we headed to Maxwells Memorial. Apparently, Maxwell, an author, grew up here and wrote a book about an otter he befriended. According to mum, the book and film are v sad so I may not watch it!
The otter statue is gorgeous though, and the views are stunning which seems to be a running theme. We were going to do a walk there, but there was a sign warning of Adder snakes (with the vet emergency number!!), so instead, we went back to the golf club where we parked and walked the other way.
And I’m so glad we did because we found some beautiful beaches – perfect for a picnic. We spent ages, taking pictures, walking over the rocky areas and then on the large sandy beaches. Arthur absolutely loved it!
And that was my five days in Wigtownshire. If you’re wanting a more travel guide, to the point, post with recommendations of where to eat, drink and explore, click here to that post. If you’re wanting to see some more travel guides, click here and you can hear more about my Scottish adventures here (I love exploring Scotland!). Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, where you can get more travel tips, especially on The Lake District, and come with me virtually on my next adventure.
