Who could resist a visit to the ancestral home of John Buchan’s hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, Richard Hannay? Not us, anyway. Sorbie Tower, near Wigtown is another sixteenth-century tower house, like the Castle of Park where we were staying. But in rather worse condition. The ancient seat of Clan Hannay, Sorbie Tower was built in the 1550s and inhabited until the 18th century, after which it fell into ruin. The Tower was donated to the Clan Hannay Society in the 1960s. The Society set about conserving the ruin, but after 35 years it became apparent that the only way to secure its long term future was a full restoration that would enable it to generate rental income, and a fundraising campaign was launched.

It was an eventful jourey. First it rained, then the rain turned lumpy, and then to hail. Eventually we couldn’t see the Galloway countryside at all. But when we finally reached the castle, the sun came out.

Buchan’s hero never lived there, nor even mentioned it, but that does not prevent an information board at the site claiming him as a member of the clan, along with actors John Hanna and Daryl Hannah.

We visited Galloway in February 2020