Have you heard the one about the 13th century lady who carted her dead husband’s embalmed heart around with her and then when that wasn’t extreme enough, she built a gigantic abbey in memory of him? No? Well, welcome to Sweetheart Abbey in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
The beautiful ruin of Sweetheart Abbey lies in the pretty village of New Abbey and it’s well worth a visit even if you’re not into history.
Carrick Bay is an amazing and fairly ‘secret’ beach in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Here’s an introduction to its magic.
When I say ‘secret’, obviously it isn’t that secret if I’ve found it. But it’s hidden away and must be quite undiscovered because it’s empty every time we go. That’s secret enough for me. And given that my blog only has about four regular readers, including my mum, writing about it here is unlikely to change the ‘secret’ levels.
It lies about 10 miles from Kirkcudbright (where we always stay) and 6 miles from Gatehouse of Fleet, so it’s slap bang in the middle of the area. We’ve been going there since I was a child but only discovered Carrick a few years ago. Up until then, our favourite beaches were Rockcliffe and Kippford, but now Carrick is definitely up there with them.
I suppose we’d never found Carrick because it’s so off the proverbial beaten track. On this visit, we only saw two other people. Other than that, it was just us and the sea. Click through and look at it. What a beaut…
The best coastal walk in Scotland, or even just the best walk in Scotland, is going from Rockcliffe to Kippford – two pretty villages in the Dumfries & Galloway area.
Obviously I’ve not done every walk in Scotland, so this is a grand claim, but I’m going with it. It takes in some adorable cottages, beautiful rocky and shelly beaches, wild flowers and the potential of red squirrels.
Here’s how to do it.