What could be a more romantic way to celebrate a wedding anniversary than a weekend in a castle?  Not much. But Scotland, in February?   With my record for accidentally ending up in an unheated hotel in sub-zero temperatures, a 16^th-century tower house in Galloway might not be such a good idea. 

Fortunately, Castle of Park had extremely efficient heating and solid doors to shut out the draughts.  It was the first time we had stayed in a Landmark Trust property and we will definitely do so again.   A well-equipped kitchen, comfy sofas, plenty of books – we could easily have stayed in all weekend.  But then we would have missed out on what Galloway has to offer. Three of my favourite things are food, books and art. Dumfries and Galloway has helpfully designated towns for each.

Castle Douglas: the Food Town

Our castle had a log book in which visitors write comments about their visit.  Leafing through it, we saw lots of references to stopping off at Castle Douglas to stock up on chocolate, sausages and pies. Clearly that had to be our first port of call. It didn’t take us long to locate the chocolate shop in question:  In House, where you can enjoy a tea, coffee or hot chocolate whilst sampling their wares. Delicious! Then on to Ballards Butchers where we bought a Scotch pie and a game pie to have for later.   

Kircudbright: the Artists’ Town

I have been wanting to visit Dumfries and Galloway ever since I read Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L Sayers, so I was already aware that Kircudbright was famous as an artists’ town.  The excellent Kircudbright Galleries, in the former town hall is an excellent place to start.  The ground gallery is devoted to the story of the development of the town and surrounding area as an artistic colony from the mid-18^th century to the present.  Artists whose works can be seen include John Faed, E A Hornel, Jessie M King, Charles Oppenheimer, S J Peploe, Robert Sivell and Phyllis Bone. The first floor is a temporary exhibition space.  When we visited there was an  exhibition on the subject of Utopia – which included some very different interpretations of the theme from the Brexit-angst of EU-topia to matchbox paintings of Norway.

The Stewartry Museum was purpose-built in Victorian times. With old-fashioned mahogany and glass cabinets as much as a period piece as the exhibits, but is no less interesting for all that. Its eclectic mix of exhibits include a Covenanters’ banner and the lens of the Ross lighthouse.

Wigtown: the Book Town

I will admit it: the real reason I have been desperate to visit Dumfries and Galloway is to explore Scotland’s National Book town.  Having read Shaun Bythell’s Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller I felt I already knew the place.  The Book Shop was just as I imagined it, although Captain, the cat, was rather bigger in the flesh.  There really is a Kindle, shot by Shaun Bythell mounted on a plaque like a hunting trophy. There are of course many other bookshops in the town, some of which double as cafes.  Readinglasses, a bookshop which also serves an incredible range of delicious cake is my idea of heaven.

So Scotland in February was not a bad idea at all.  We left several pounds heavier from cake, and quite a few pounds poorer and weighed down with books, but we will be back.