Out and Aboot

We continue to explore the local area even as the weather has decided to return to more winter-like conditions. Wednesday we had a great, challenging hike near a lovely little village called New Abbey. It is located, as is Thornhill where we are staying, in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. The village is dominated by the ruins of the beautiful Sweetheart Abbey. An impressive structure, founded in 1273 by Lady Devorgila to commemorate her husband John Balliol. Their remains are said to be buried in the Abbey, and one of their sons became King John 1 of Scotland.

The village has a lovely square and corn mill and a number of scenic walks. Bob and I hiked up to the Waterloo Monument which was erected in 1816 to commemorate the British, Belgian, and Prussian soldiers who won the Battle of Waterloo. Once we reached the monument, we climbed the spiral staircase inside to the top before descending and hiking up to the top of Criffel Hill. From the top of the Hill, you can see Loch Kindar, the village of New Abbey, much of the local countryside, and a bit of the Solway Coast. Lots of heather on the way up — and lots of mud due to recent rains — it was a slow slog, but the views were worth it. (On the multi-photo sections below, you can access the captions by clicking on the photo.)

Pond along pedestrian path

Waterloo Monument

Meeting a friendly local on the way up Criffel

View of the Loch and Bay

Reaching the summit

Coming back down

Yesterday, we toured the Robert Burns Center in Dumfries. It provides a great overview of the life of the poet with a focus on the last years of his life which were lived in Dumfries and where some of his best work was written. Along with being an awesome poet and song writer, he was quite the philanderer and had a very forgiving wife! The home of J M Barrie, of Peter Pan fame, is currently being restored in Dumfries and is to open in 2018.

We have also stopped at 2 local farm stores which sell lovely home-grown meats and local cheeses as well as other specialty groceries and gifts.

The last few days have seen unseasonably low temps as well as snow and sleet. This continues to be the craziest weather we’ve experienced with what often feels like 3, if not 4 seasons, coming on the same day.

And from Thornhill-