caroline, Author at Queensberry House, Scotland

25 special things to do in Scotland for 2025

by caroline | Dec 30, 2024 | Eating out, Explore on foot, Explore on wheels, Food and drink, History and heritage, Open spaces, Shopping, Towns and villages

Need a few ideas for your next trip to Scotland?

Discover 25 things to do in the spectacular south.

Explore fascinating landmarks and scenic routes, discover unique history and heritage… away from the crowds and within easy reach of Queensberry House.

Here are just a few of our favourite things…

1 Stargaze under truly dark skies

Moffat is Europe’s first dark sky town and now has its own observatory where you can see stars, planets and much more.

Stargazing is free, fun and endlessly fascinating.

Join a dark sky walk here in Moffat.

2 Step to it at a walking festival

The Moffat Walking Weekend now in its fifth year runs in autumn.

Choose from easy-peasy walks alongside the River Annan or go all out on a day’s hike exploring ancient grounds and iconic landmarks with an expert guide.

Join our mailing list for updates on ticket sales and new walks.

3 Raise your glass to a local distillery

Moffat’s first (legal) distillery (above), from Dark Sky Spirits, is a ‘boutique blender’ of Scotch whisky.

We were lucky enough to see the distillery on a hard-hat tour.

It’s housed in a beautiful building on a green 17-acre site, worth exploring too.

We love the Moffat Liqueur Brammle made from blackberries and brambles.

Find more distilleries here.

4 Be wowed by the Artists’ Town

Follow the creative types to Kirkcudbright, the Artists’ Town, not least for the Kirkcudbright Galleries and Broughton House, once home to Glasgow Boy EA Hornel.

The high street makes for a pleasant wander too.

5 Hike across ancient grounds

The Devil’s Beef Tub in Moffat is a striking landmark with jaw-dropping views.

William Wallace was said to have arranged covert gatherings here in 1297.

Now it’s a tranquil spot popular for hiking and birdwatching.

6 Eat out at one of Scotland’s best Italian restaurants

Claudio’s in Moffat is a family-run establishment serving up consistently delicious authentic fare in a friendly atmosphere.

Try the antipasto: a mix of four tasty starters, for when you can’t decide.

Early-bird menu on offer.

7 Fly by the Moffat Spitfire

Where else would you find a full-size spitfire in a regular garden?

It’s the talk of the town.

8 Walk up a mighty waterfall

The Grey Mare’s Tail in the Scottish Borders is one of the highest waterfalls in the UK with Loch Skeen at the top, a superb place to go wild swimming.

9 Discover the ‘devil’s porridge’

Arthur Conan Doyle coined the term the ‘devil’s porridge’ when he visited the world’s largest munitions factory in Eastriggs where women played a key – and dangerous – role.

The Devil’s Porridge Museum is now a five-star attraction and winner of Best Visitor Attraction Experience (VisitScotland’s Scottish Thistle Awards).

10 Seek out Moffat’s heritage

The historic spa town has some fine architecture including its two oldest houses (1723 and 1751) and Scotland’s narrowest street.

A walk around will reveal some interesting finds…

11 Be enchanted by historic gardens

The Nearly Lost Gardens of Arbigland near Dumfries include a garden with a sundial dating back to 1815, Japanese gardens and many unusual trees and plants.

A must for gardeners.

Join the woodland walks that lead to the Solway Firth and panoramic views stretching across to the Lake District.

Read more about the South of Scotland’s gardens here.

12 Savour Scotland’s Chocolate Capital

Head to the genteel Borders town of Peebles for some choc therapy.

Cocoa Black was created by the UK World Chocolate Master herself Ruth Hinks and draws in Michelin-starred chefs, celebrities, locals – and us.

13 Join the Robert Burns trail

Scotland’s national bard wrote some of his more famous works here in Dumfries and Galloway – among the most important and well-known verse in the world.

Seek out his old haunts around Dumfries including the Burns Mausoleum.

14 Dine out at an award-winning restaurant

Winner of many accolades, the elegant Brodies in Moffat offers a relaxed fine dining experience from a Sunday roast to afternoon tea.

It also has a gin lounge with an exquisite and extensive menu.

15 Tour Scotland’s oldest inhabited house

Traquair House in Peebles dates back to 1107 and it’s here you can see the bed Mary Queen of Scots slept in.

There’s also a maze, brewery, walled garden, chapel and woodland walks.

16 Be enlightened by land art

See astonishing sculptures up close depicting space, cosmology and astronomy at the Crawick Multiverse in Sanquhar in this land art installation created by renowned designer Charles Jencks.

It’s now part of the Historic Environment Scotland group of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.

Pay a visit and you’ll see why.

17 Gaze in wonder at a Nepalese Garden

Tibetan prayer flags, mini waterfalls, woodland species… it’s all at Craigieburn Gardens and Nursery in Moffat.

It’s a special space full of Himalayan plants that thrive in the local climate and provide a relaxing environment for you to stroll about in.

18 Dare to do a haunted theatre tour?

Some say the Theatre Royal in Dumfries is one of Scotland’s most haunted theatres.

Time your visit during a tour by Dumfries and Galloway’s paranormal investigation team Mostly Ghostly.

19 Marvel at Scotland’s Tree of the Year

Carrifran Wildwood just outside Moffat is a magical place for a wander.

Its famous rowan stands proud in an inspiring project to plant a million trees.

How many so far?

Six hundred thousand and counting…

20 Drop by for a historic knitting pattern

The petite town of Sanquhar is home to a high-quality unique knitwear design which dates back to the 17th century.

Join a tour at the A’ the Airts Community Arts Centre to see how it’s made.

The town also has the world’s oldest post office (1712).

21 Make a splash at St Mary’s Loch

The largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders was once loved by literary figures such as Walter Scott and James Hogg.

It’s now a peaceful beauty spot for a gentle walk and water sports including paddle boarding, kayaking and wild swimming.

Discover more natural heritage here.

22 Wander in botanic gardens

Dawyck Botanic Garden in Peebles (part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh group) has a tree-mendous collection, from the oldest to the tallest, as well as species from all around the world.

23 Admire a castle with a difference

Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries was built in the 13th century and this impressive medieval stronghold with a twin-towered gatehouse and moat has a triangular shape – unusual in Britain.

24 Join a literary pilgrimage

Abbotsford House is famous for once being the home of a great Scot, Walter Scott, the 19th-century novelist and the ‘Father of Scottish Tourism’.

Scott wrote some of his best-known novels at this iconic mansion and designed the exquisite Regency garden.

See more literary hot spots here.

25 Seek out a ‘living museum’

Robert Smail’s Printing Works is a Victorian treasure trove dating back to 1866.

A tour of this, the oldest working commercial letterpress printers, is a must.

See how this family firm printed newspapers, tickets, posters and letterheads before the digital age.

Marvel at every print job undertaken in the carefully preserved archive.

Why not try your hand at typesetting here? It’s part of the tour.

And when you’re finished exploring, seek out Moffat’s independent shops. Start browsing here.

Ready to book? Check out our special offers.

Photograph: courtesy of Moffat Distillery

The Crawick Multiverse

by caroline | Nov 27, 2024 | Explore on foot, Explore on wheels, History and heritage, Open spaces, Towns and villages

Deep in the hills of Upper Nithsdale is an iconic attraction – one of the best in Dumfries and Galloway – which has to be seen to be believed… welcome to the Crawick Multiverse, just a short and very scenic drive from Moffat.

What is it?

Crawick (pronounced croyk) Multiverse is an astonishing landscape restoration on 55 acres with gigantic landforms showing the wonders of the universe.

A celebration of astronomical and cosmological forms and theories.

It’s the cosmos but not as you know it.

Who put this together?

The man behind it all is renowned land artist, cultural theorist and landscape designer Charles Jencks (1939-2019).

He transformed an open-cast coal mine into a place of natural and cosmic beauty using the materials found on site.

Look up, down and around

Join any path and find your own way to galaxies, comets and a 360-degree view of the whole valley.

Some of the walks are easy…

But some are a challenge and a bit hilly.

Whichever way you take, the views are immense and well worth it.

Make for the Milky Way

You can’t miss it.

It’s represented by two huge mounds of earth (25m and 15m high) topped by large boulders.

See the Supercluster

Dive into a distinctive group of triangles that represent the creation of the universe and its position in the cosmos.

Come for the Comet Walk

Stroll along the ridge to the tallest point of the site – and soak up the views.

Comet collisions and starry sights

Cosmology fans will be drawn to this place but also art lovers, adventurers and anyone who likes a quiet walk about with a unique outlook.

And at the heart of the Multiverse…

Seek out the Sun Amphitheatre which depicts a total eclipse with iconic shapes and forms.

The sun is represented by a circle of boulders and ridges.

As seen on TV

Scottish comedian Susan Calman paid a visit to the Crawick Multiverse for her programme Grand Day Out.

And it was!

Where do you start?

Begin at the Coalface for a welcome from the team at the visitors’ centre and a chance to freshen up or grab a cuppa.

What else is in the area?

And while you’re here seek out Sanquhar (pronounced Sanker) where you’ll find the world’s oldest working post office.

There’s also a fantastic art centre selling the famous Sanquhar knitting pattern and serving up delicious fare in its award-winning cafe.

Find more things to do in the Dumfries and Galloway here.

Robert Burns: his life & times

by caroline | May 29, 2024 | Explore on foot, History and heritage, Towns and villages

Burns Night – a time to remember Robert (Rabbie) Burns, Scotland’s national poet – is celebrated across Scotland and elsewhere every year on 25 January, the day of his birth in 1759.

But his spirit lives on all year round in the south of Scotland, especially Dumfries because of his extraordinary legacy.

21 July is the anniversary of his death (1796) – he was just 37 – and a new way to honour the man and his legend has been launched.

A new storytelling tour…

…or ‘haunting adventure’ is held at the Globe Inn in Dumfries led by Kathleen Cronie from the award-winning Mostly Ghostly team.

On this tour of chilling tales and astonishing facts, Kathleen brings Burns to life amid the Globe Inn’s atmospheric rooms.

We’ve had a sneak preview and… it’s utterly fascinating.

Famous as Burns’s favourite howff (drinking place), the Globe Inn is a characterful pub and restaurant where he held court and which still attracts his fans in their droves.

His favourite chair still stands

And you too can sit on it. It’s allowed.

But there’s a catch: you must recite some of his work.

Or buy a round of drinks for the entire inn.

Take the Burns trail…

A walk about town has much to explore.

There are many Burns connections from the museums and arts spaces dedicated to his life and work to the famous statue made of Carrara marble in the town centre.

A literary sensation in his own lifetime

His impressive legacy included poetry, books, songs and written chiefly in the Scottish dialect.

He wrote about the things that gave him pleasure: love, nature and friendship.

He left his mark in other ways too, often scratching his name on windows of bars he frequented.

See if you can find any of his etchings in Moffat.

He was prolific in more ways than one

He had 12 children.

His funeral procession walked past his house as his wife Jean Armour was inside giving birth to his last.

His last home

Robert Burns House (free entry) is a two-storey red sandstone property on Burns Street, a characterful cobbled roadway, where he lived from 1793 until his death.

It is now a museum manned by enthusiastic staff who will guide you through the wealth of material he left behind from every-day household items to original manuscripts making up a rich social history archive.

Famous visitors over the years have included the poets Keats, Coleridge and Wordsworth who were inspired by Burns.

His final resting place

Burns lay in state at Midsteeple in the centre of Dumfries even though he had courted controversy for not standing up for the national anthem.

But it’s the mighty Robert Burns Mausoleum (now open to the public twice a day, seasonal) which brings pilgrims from far and wide.

This is where the poet and his wife lie at St Michael’s Kirkyard, the oldest church in Dumfries.

Its historic graveyard is packed with many of Burns’s friends and colleagues and there is an incredible collection of monumental sculptures commemorating religious ministers, lawyers and merchant princes.

A tour of this churchyard is a must.

The farm Burns built

Another place of pilgrimage is Robert Burns Museum Ellisland near Dumfries where Burns produced a quarter of his work.

He wrote Auld Lang Syne here

He had his most creative period at the farm.

An impressive archive of artefacts, manuscripts and personal items remain.

He designed his office to have two windows so he could gaze out on the landscape, surrounded by riverside and woodland paths.

Little has changed here since the 18th century.

Burns said of it: “As sweet poetic ground as any I ever saw”.

He was a man of the people

He promoted literacy and read the daily papers to the public for those who were illiterate.

What a man, what a legend.

Discover more on a tour at the Globe Inn here.

Dumfries is just a short drive from Moffat. Find out more here.

A literary tour of Scotland

by caroline | Jun 29, 2023 | Explore on foot, History and heritage, Towns and villages

Robert Burns, JM Barrie, James Hogg, Walter Scott… Southwest Scotland has attracted plenty of literary names over the years.

Find out more on a literary tour – all within easy reach of Queensberry House.

Get close to Burns

Scotland’s national poet ‘Rabbie’ Burns famously wrote Auld Lang Syne.

Why not take the Burns tour or visit the Robert Burns Centre both in Dumfries?

Get to the great Scott

Known as the ‘Father of Scottish Tourism, Walter Scott wrote some of his best-known novels at his home: Abbotsford.

It’s now one of the most famous mansions in the world with a Regency garden designed by Scott himself.

A must-visit is the beauty spot St Mary’s Loch where you’ll see a monument to James Hogg.

But it’s not all about the giants in literature such as Burns and Barrie.

DE Stevenson deserves a place on Scotland’s literary map, too.

Did you know…

Southwest Scotland – Moffat in fact – was home for the Scottish author Dorothy Emily Stevenson, or DE Stevenson (DES) as she was known, for 30 years, where she was very much part of the community.

DE Stevenson: the top ten facts

How much do you know about the author?

1. Her fans are known as ‘Dessies’.

They’re a faithful lot and consider her a goddess.

2. She was related to Robert Louis Stevenson.

The author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island was her father’s cousin.

3. She made Moffat her home.

She was born in Edinburgh on 18 November 1892 and lived in Scotland her whole life.

She moved to Moffat in 1940, where she wrote most of her bestseller novels, one a year between 1952 and 1969.

Here, she also sang in the church choir and worked with the Girl Guides.

6. Find her house.

She lived in one of Moffat’s grandest houses (pictured above) until her death in 1973 aged 81.

Some fans make a pilgrimage to see it.

She is buried in Moffat Cemetery on the A701.

7. She didn’t just write…

She was also a successful golfer.

8. And she had a personal life.

In 1916 she married James Reid Peploe, a young army officer, and they had four children.

9 Her art imitated her life.

Her first novel Peter West was published in 1923.

But her success started with Mrs Tim of the Regiment (1932) which was said to be based on her own diary as a British Army wife.

She went on to publish more than 40 novels described – depending on your point of view – as ‘light romantic’, ‘domestic fiction’ or a ‘comfort read’.

They sold in their millions, were translated in many languages worldwide and are still sought after in the secondhand market.

Perhaps you’ll find one in the Moffat Bookshop…

Her characters were known to make a second appearance as a cameo or secondary character in a sequel.

After her death, five more books were found in a family attic and published to much excitement.

10. Join the pilgrimage to Moffat.

Want to make a pilgrimage – just like the diedhard Dessies – to DE Stevenson’s former home?

We can show you where to find it.

Discover more gems of Moffat’s history during the Moffat Walking Weekend (26-28 September).

Tour Southwest Scotland’s distilleries

by caroline | Apr 26, 2023 | Explore on foot, Food and drink, Towns and villages

One of Scotland’s big draws is its national tipple.

The country has the greatest concentration of whisky production globally.

And everyone loves a distillery tour.

Get the measure of Southwest Scotland’s unique distillery map – all the distilleries are within easy distance of Moffat – and meet the people who’ve made spirits their passion.

Moffat’s first legal distillery

Finally open, the Moffat Distillery is almost on our doorstep… within walking distance of Queensberry House.

What’s so special about it?

It’s run by independent producer Dark Sky Spirits (named after Moffat’s dark sky status), boutique blenders of Scotch whisky
The only wood-fired still in Scotland for whisky and gin. And the wood is collected from a sustainable source.
The smallest whisky producer in Scotland with a visitor centre.
There is an otter in its pond.
In its grounds is the darkest spot in the dark sky town of Moffat.

Get the five star experience

The award-winning Annandale Distillery is located on a historic site.

It was one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland: established in 1836 and then reborn in 2014.

Its tours include an ‘Annandale snifter’ and five tastings plus one to take home for the driver.

It’s a joy to visit even for those who are not whisky connoisseurs.

Look around the grounds for quirky artwork while the on-site Maltings Coffee Shop is a relaxing stop for lunch and afternoon tea.

And it’s not just whisky…

Take a shot at rum at the Ninefold Distillery, the first and only rum distillery in Southwest Scotland.

Located in two converted cattle byres, the award-winning rum is made from scratch in Scottish-made copper pot stills.

Choose from unaged, cask aged and spiced rum.

The perfect rum to create a magical cocktail – recipes on Ninefold’s website.

Of all the gin joints…

Opened in 2021, the Dark Arts Distillery is located in the Artists’ Town of Kirkcudbright, next to the Galloway Park, the first dark sky park in the UK and western Europe.

It crafts a luxurious spirit using a custom-built still 450l Carl – which is called Peggy.

Sky Garden Gin is a classic to delight the purists: fresh and crisp notes, balanced with juniper with a hint of citrus.

And if whisky isn’t your cup of tea, seek out the best tea rooms in Southwest Scotland here.

Find out more about Moffat here.

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