Dumfries

Dumfries (Dùn Phris in Scottish Gaelic: pronounced dum-freece, not dum-fries) is a Royal Burgh and town of about 45,000 people on the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway in the south west of Scotland.

Dumfries for Visitors

Dumfries is firmly on the tourist map between Gretna and Belfast. The railway goes between Carlisle and Glasgow, but the town is convenient for Kilmarnock Kirkcudbright and the Machars by car.

Related Topics:
Kilmarnock - Kirkcudbright

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It has many associations with Robert Burns who lived here in the 1790s. The Robert Burns Centre is situated in an 18th century watermill on the west bank of the River Nith. It tells the story of Burns' last years in the town, shows films, and has a bar.

Related Topics:
Robert Burns - Watermill

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Above the mill there is an 18th century windmill tower which houses Dumfries Museum and the Camera Obscura Observatory. The Museum has exhibits about prehistoric times, the wildlife of the Solway saltmarshes, stone carvings of Scotland's early Christians, and the Victorian farm. The Camera Obscura, originally an astronomical instrument installed in 1836, has a table top screen with panoramic views of Dumfries and the surrounding countryside.

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Across the 15th century Devorgilla Bridge there is Old Bridge House, Dumfries' oldest house, dating from 1660 and built into the sandstone of the bridge itself.

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Dumfries has a large number of public houses.

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