Southern Scotland
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-> Southern ScotlandSouthern Scotland divides neatly into three distinct regions: the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, and Ayrshire. Although none of the regions has the highest of tourist profiles, those visitors who whizz past on their way to Edinburgh, Glasgow or the Highlands are missing out on a huge swathe of Scotland that is in many ways the very heart of the country. Its inhabitants, particularly in the Borders, bore the brunt of long wars with the English, its farms have fed Scotland's cities since industrialization, and two of the country's literary icons, Sir Walter Scott and Robbie Burns, lived and died here.
Geographically, the region is dominated by the Southern Uplands, a chain of bulging round-topped hills and weather-beaten moorland, punctuated by narrow glens, fast-flowing rivers and blue-black lochs. This region is at its most dramatic in the Galloway Forest Park to the southwest, with peaks reaching to over 2000ft, criss-crossed by numerous popular walking trails. Back in the valleys, and down by the coast, the landscape is fairly lush - farming country for the most part, with tourism an important, but secondary industry. On the coast, you'll find enormous variety: the east coast is fairly bleak, with dramatic cliffs interspersed with tiny fishing villages; the Solway coast, in the southwest, is much gentler, indented by sandy coves and estuaries; while the Ayrshire coast, by contrast, is much more heavily populated, and in parts, an almost continuous stretch of seaside resorts and industrial centres.
Lying north of the inhospitable Cheviot Hills, which separate Scotland from England, the Borders region is dominated by the meanderings of the River Tweed. None of the towns along the Tweed is of any great size, yet they have provided inspiration for countless folkloric ballads telling of bloody battles with the English and clashes between the notorious warring families, the Border Reivers. The small but delightful town of Melrose, in the heart of the Borders, is the most obvious base for exploring the region, and has the most impressive of the four Border abbeys founded by the medieval Canmore kings, all of which are now reduced to romantic ruins.
Dumfries and Galloway, occupying the southwestern corner of Scotland, gets even more overlooked than the Borders, though the region remains popular with Lowland Scots and folk from the north of England. If you do make the effort to get off the main north-south highway to Glasgow, you'll find several more ruined abbeys, medieval castles, forested hills and dramatic tidal flats and seacliffs ideal for birdwatching. The key resort is the charming town of Kirkcudbright halfway along the marshy Solway coast, well-placed for exploring the rest of the county.
Ayrshire is rich farming country, and not an obvious destination for first-time visitors to Scotland. It has fewer sights than its neighbours, with almost everything of interest confined to the coast. However, the golf courses along its gentle coastline are among the finest links courses in the country, and golfers can buy three- and five-day passes from tourist offices allowing free or reduced-fee access to many of the region's golf courses. Fans of Robert Burns could happily spend several days exploring the author's old haunts, especially at Ayr, the handsome county town, and the nearby village of Alloway, the poet's birthplace.
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