Explore a thousand years of history with a superb ‘Walk n’ Talk’ Tour.
In the heart of Dumfries (a short drive from Moffat) is St Michael’s historic church – an A listed building and the oldest church in town no less.
Its churchyard is one of Scotland’s most historic burial grounds.
And it is the setting for a brilliant new guided tour.
If you like history and storytelling, you’ll love this walk n’ talk. We did.
Its famous ‘resident’: Robert Burns
St Michael’s churchyard is renowned for the impressive Burns Mausoleum (pictured) – an iconic landmark honouring Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns – which attracts huge numbers of visitors to the area.
Its white domed structure stands out in a sea of red sandstone gravestones – 3,500 of them.
Burns’s original simple resting place will be pointed out.
He was moved because the unmarked space was difficult to locate and his admirers felt he deserved a far grander setting to reflect his legacy.
History brought to life
On the tour, hear about Burns’s contemporaries, gaze at some immense gravestones and learn the local and world history surrounding some of the 80,000 souls buried here.
Our guide Fiona Lee (who led the fantastic Kirkcudbright Art Tours) will take you on a journey that saw Dumfries go through great change – socially and economically – particularly during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Some gravestones reference global events such as the French and American Revolutions.
Discover remarkable lives
Hear about the people who lived through it all including a barber who gave Bonnie Prince Charlie a shave.
There are graves of Covenanters and a mass grave arranged in layers 18ft deep of the victims of the cholera outbreak in 1832.
And inside the church…
Marvel at the beautiful stained-glass windows – modern and traditional.
There’s an artwork (in progress) to commemorate those who died in the cholera epidemic – you may have seen it on TV’s Who Do You Think You Are? with comedian Diane Morgan.
Here in the church you can sit in the very place that Robert Burns usually sat as he attended the services.
How much is the tour?
A very reasonable £6 and the proceeds go to the work of the church.
Want more on the Bard?
Read about the life and times of Robert Burns here. Find more things to do in Dumfries, which is just a short drive from Moffat.
Moffat also has a fascinating graveyard with towering gravestones which includes one for John Loudon McAdam of ‘tarmacadam’ fame who lived here in the town.
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