A wee guide to wonderful Wigtown, Scotland’s book town

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If you fancy visiting Wigtown, Scotland, to experience this wonderful book town, you might like this guide I’ve put together. I’ve covered some of my favourite Wigtown book shops, walks, cafés and more. It should give you a good introduction to the place and help you to plan a day out there or perhaps a weekend away.

As book lovers will know, Wigtown is Scotland’s official National Book Town. It’s located in the Dumfries and Galloway region of South West Scotland, an area I know really well and love very much. Wigtown is about 7 miles from the nearest large town, Newton Stewart, but you could also visit as a day trip if you’re staying in other popular towns in the area like Kirkcudbright or Castle Douglas. Most visitors to Wigtown are (naturally!) book lovers, many of whom flock to its annual book festival. But Wigtown is also known for being the gateway to The Machars, a peninsula full of pretty villages and excellent coastal scenery, and is worth a visit even when the festival isn’t on. 

If this all sounds up your street, read on for my guide to visiting the town, featuring lots of lovely things to do in Wigtown, Scotland, that I personally recommend…

Visiting for the annual Wigtown Book Festival

It only feels right to start my blog post with this, the town’s main event of the year.

The Wigtown Book Festival is one of the most well known literary events in the UK and attracts thousands of book lovers from all over the place. It runs for 10 days every autumn, often towards the end of September going into October. The festival is actually now also registered as a charity, and it hosts other literary activities throughout the year.

Book stuff well in advance if you’re planning on going. That goes for tickets to events during the festival as well as accommodation (more on that later). There are often appearances and talks with big-name authors so those will sell out first. Think household names like Clare Balding, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.

But make sure you also look out for anything from all the local Dumfries and Galloway authors, of which there are many. Local authors always tend to get involved with the festival and it’s a good way of finding some new reads. This leads me nicely onto my next tip…

A few local authors to look up before you visit Wigtown, Scotland

Before I visit somewhere new, I really like reading something set in the area to get me into the mood. I don’t know whether this is a thing other people do but I heartily recommend it. I read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles before travelling around Russia a couple of years ago and it made seeing Moscow in real life even more spectacular.

So if you like doing a bit of pre-visit reading too, here are some contemporary authors living around the Dumfries and Galloway area, whose books are set locally. 

• If you enjoy nature/conservation books, read Native: Life in a Vanishing Landscape by Patrick Laurie, a local farmer.
• For something uplifting and set in Wigtown its very self, Devorgilla Days by Kathleen Hart is a very moving one that will have you browsing RightMove with the intention of starting a new life in the town.
• If you’re into crime (well, reading about it anyway), the Dead Man’s Prayer series by Jackie Baldwin is set in Dumfries.
• You’ve almost definitely already heard of it if you’re reading this but I have to mention the amusing Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, who owns The Book Shop in Wigtown. It doesn’t get any more relevant than that! 
• Kirsty Wark (the BBC presenter) lives in Dumfries and wrote The House by the Loch, set in Galloway. I’ll be honest, I found this slow going plot-wise. But the description of the scenery is brilliant.
• Finally, I should mention the modern gothic Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe. I can’t tell you whether it’s any good as I’ve only just started it. But it ticks all the boxes for what I like to read: a beautiful but wild setting, an interesting female protagonist, and spooky witchcraft vibes. Lovely stuff.

Some of the best book shops in Wigtown, Scotland  

Right, the most important thing in any guide to Wigtown: what book shops to visit! There are over a dozen of them around the town. And I’ve not been into all of them, even though I’ve visited so many times. One is always shut or I run out of time or something. So I’m not going to attempt to list every single one in this post. I’ll just mention a few and you can explore and find the rest yourself. Happy browsing…

ReadingLasses

If I could choose a favourite book shop to transport home with me, it would be the brilliant and quirky ReadingLasses. And not just because it’s so pretty and pink, although that does help. It’s the only women’s book shop in Britain: run by women, for women.

The front room of ReadingLasses is wholly dedicated to books ‘by and about women’. If you’re wanting to delve into some unusual women’s literature, you’re going to be in heaven here. They stock books from Persephone Books, a publisher based in Bath that focuses on reprinting forgotten and neglected books by mid-twentieth-century women authors. This is everything I love. I’ve always wanted to bring my Book Club here. We almost always read books by women and joke about occasionally choosing a niche book by a man for token representation.

Oh and ReadingLasses has a great café, serving homemade soup and bread but also a dangerously good selection of cakes. There’s a log-burning stove so visiting in autumn or winter is extra cosy, but if you visit in summer there’s also a lovely garden area. I’ll properly address book cafés and where to have tea and cake in Wigtown further down this post…

Byre Books

Byre Books is tucked away at the end of a magical wee garden and is a real treasure trove for anyone looking for some folklore/mythology reads, a genre I really enjoy. They also do plenty of Scottish books.

The Book Shop

If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably heard of The Book Shop. Not only is it Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop, with over a mile of shelving and around 100,000 books in stock, it’s also an internet sensation. The owner, Shaun Bythell, who I mentioned further up this post, has a rather famous Facebook page and several books about the amusing interactions he has with customers (and staff). 

There are so many books in The Book Shop that you’re bound to find something that interests you here. Regular readers will know that I’m an equestrian and lifelong horse person, so I always head straight to the horsey section. Last time I was there, I picked up a nearly new and pristine copy of ‘Perfect Partners’ by the brilliant trainer Kelly Marks, among a few other non-horsey bargains. Lovely stuff.

Speaking of furry friends, you may be lucky enough to get to stroke Captain. He’s the very welcoming and beautiful black-and-white cat who patrols the shop and can often be found snoozing in a chair.

Well-Read Books of Wigtown

After searching all over the place one year for a copy of the little pocketbook ‘Galloway: 40 Coast and Country Walks’, I finally found it in Well-Read Books of Wigtown. I love this shop. It’s really nicely laid out and there’s always a good display of new books (including those by local authors) that may catch your eye. 

Number 11

Number 11 is run by the Wigtown Festival charity. It sells new books, both fiction and non-fiction, including signed editions sometimes, as well as literary-themed and arty bits and bobs like tote bags, homewares and notebooks that would make good presents for friends. Although I really enjoy rummaging through second-hand books, it is nice that there’s a shop selling new ones. It’s especially handy for finding new authors who you may not have not heard of before. This is where I discovered the aforementioned ‘Devorgilla Days’.

Beltie Books

Beltie Books is another excellent Wigtown book shop that’s also a café. They have a great choice of books on Scotland and ever-changing selections of art from local artists. It sadly doesn’t sell actual Belties though (Belted Galloway cows, the local and very cute and hairy breed of bovine).

The Old Bank Book Shop

The Old Bank Book Shop is another favourite of mine. It has a huge selection of second-hand and new books; the shop goes back a lot further than it looks. I always seem to pick something up that I wouldn’t usually. Last time, I got a beautiful copy of ‘A Poem for Every Night of the Year’, something I’d probably not go looking for but it caught my eye propped up on one of their displays. You should also follow their page on Facebook as they regularly post good book recommendations.

Faodail Antiques

Faodail is mainly an antique shop but it also sells books: antique ones of course. I always enjoy coming in for a look through the lovely antique jewellery as well as the books, many of which are first editions and about Scotland and the local area specifically. 

Cafés (and of course book cafés) in Wigtown, Scotland

When I was visiting Wigtown recently for blog research, which involves a lot of making notes while eating cake, these were my top picks for lunch:

• ReadingLasses – Come for the women’s books, stay even longer for the cakes. They also do delicious savoury things but the cakes are the BEST. And the setting is wonderful.
• Beltie Books – Good for a nice soup with a roll, followed by a scone.
• Café Rendezvous – Not a book shop; shock horror. Just a café! And a very nice one at that. They do lovely panini but look out for the daily specials too. 

Non-book-related things to do in Wigtown, Scotland

Walk to the Wigtown Martyrs’ stone and learn about its history

Books aside, Wigtown is known for its two martyrs who were executed in 1685 by being tied to a stake on the mudflats behind the town and left to drown in the rising tide. How horrible is that?

These poor unfortunate women were Margaret Maclauchlan and Margaret Wilson, two Scottish Covenanters. Covenanters were part of a 17th-century religious movement, which was at odds with the Episcopal Church. The latter was the king’s thing, hence the execution of those who didn’t agree. I won’t attempt to give you a history lesson but some of the book shops in Wigtown have plenty of material on this period of Scottish history if you’re interested. 

Today, Wigtown commemorates the two Margarets with the Martyrs’ Stake. You can find it by going to the end of Wigtown and following the short, signposted walk. Their graves are in the old graveyard of Wigtown Parish Church, which you’ll pass on the way back. Despite this depressing tale, the walk is nice, with views across the lush green landscape to the hills. 

Go to the Wigtown Market

Much like a few other towns in the area (Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas to name a couple), Wigtown has its own street market that’s definitely worth visiting. It runs on Saturdays, starting at Easter and finishing for the year in September. It has lots of really good stalls selling local produce, cakes and bakes, arts and crafts, and nice homewares.

Pop into the County Buildings 

It’s hard to miss the County Buildings in Wigtown: this imposing red-brick building overlooks the square and you’ll probably end up parking near it. You’d think it was the town hall, but the Google fairies inform me that it only served that purpose very briefly, hence it being the County Buildings and not the town hall.

Anyway, there’s a very small museum of local history on the ground floor, which is worth a pop into if you’re in the town. You can also see the remains of an old prison cell, known as the Martyrs’ Cell, as it’s assumed the poor Margarets were chucked in there at some point.

See some beautiful local art

Literature and art (and cake) go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that Wigtown has some wonderful local art. You should make time to visit the brilliant Craigard Gallery while you’re there. I adore this shop. It sells paintings, ceramics, prints, postcards, art equipment… and a few books of course.

I can never leave empty-handed and quite a few of my friends have had mugs, cards and other bits from here for their birthdays now. The art is beautifully laid out and it’s a very calm place to browse. Their Instagram is also a joy.

Places to visit very close to Wigtown, Scotland

Garlieston

Garlieston is a tiny, planned village with a small but picturesque harbour, a pretty garden along its waterfront, and a cosy pub to hunker down in with a pint. The village is very small and will only take you 10 minutes to wander through, but it’s a nice place to stop off if you’re in the area. 

I know absolutely nothing about military history and war stuff, but I should mention for anyone who’s interested in that kind of thing that Garlieston has a bit of interesting history. The village was picked as a secret location for a project in the Second World War. It was used to test parts of the Mulberry Harbours, which were floating ‘trial’ harbours used to test things out before doing them in an actual war scenario. These harbours were then used off Normandy after D-Day. Garlieston was picked for the project because it has a big rise and fall in its tide, as well as an exposed coast, similar to Normandy’s conditions. From the harbour today, you can still see two wrecked pontoons from this time.

Oh and very close to Garlieston is the lovely Rigg Bay. This is a tree-lined sandy beach that you can get to via the rather hidden-away Galloway House Gardens. It’s one of many nice beaches to visit in the area to sit and relax. Take a flask and a good book (of course).

The Isle of Whithorn

The Isle of Whithorn is a little village with a pretty harbour where you can see some fantastic sunsets. I only discovered it in recent years, despite visiting the Dumfries and Galloway area all my life. But now I love calling in, especially as the local pub is a solid 10/10. 

The harbour in the village is surrounded by colourful Georgian houses. Just around the corner on the headland, you’ll find the small white chapel of St Ninian. This dates back to the 1300s and was built for all the pilgrims who used to land in the village on their way to St Ninian’s shrine at Whithorn. Continuing with the St Ninian theme, there’s also a cave you can walk to, which is maintained by Historic Scotland (see their page on it for how to get there). St N had quite the property portfolio.

My favourite thing in the Isle of Whithorn is visiting the Steam Packet Inn. This is a lovely old pub that brews its own beer, which is very decent indeed. It also serves tasty local food, which is more elevated than the usual pub grub most places do in the area. They specialise in seafood but there are also good veggie options. Get the table in the window so you can look out on the harbour (and have a nosy at everyone walking past, of course).

Practical information for your trip to Wigtown, Scotland

Where to stay in and around Wigtown, Scotland

Whenever I visit the Dumfries and Galloway area, I tend to stay in Kirkcudbright: try The Selkirk Arms or the Kirkcudbright Bay Hotel if you want a nice room in a cosy hotel there. It’s a good base for exploring the whole region.

There is a handful of places to stay in Wigtown itself, bearing in mind that it’s very small so isn’t going to have huge choice within walking distance of the centre. I’ve done a bit of research and found some suggestions.

• For a hotel/guesthouse, Hillcrest House (around £100 a night) looks really lovely, with sea views.
• For a B&B, have a look at the very tastefully decorated Craigmount (around £100 a night).
• If you’re after self-catering, the aptly named Readers Retreat (around £60 a night but minimum two-night stay) looks good.

All prices are correct at the time of writing. 

How to get around Wigtown, Scotland

Wigtown is very walkable, only being tiny. If you need to get out and about in the surrounding area (and I definitely recommend that you do, as it’s so nice), you’re best off with a car. However, there is a local bus service too.

When to go to Wigtown, Scotland

Obviously, if you want to go to the book festival, you’ll be planning your trip around that. The festival happens every September/October, which is a nice time of year to visit weather-wise as it’s not got too cold yet (hopefully). But Wigtown is a good place to visit at other times, especially if you want to browse without the crowds. I always recommend doing anywhere in Scotland in late summer when the school holidays are over so it’s quieter to explore and cheaper to stay.

Save and share: A wee guide to Wigtown, Scotland’s book town

If you enjoyed this blog post on the lovely Wigtown, Scotland’s book town, why not pin it to your Pinterest board? 

You might also like my Dumfries and Galloway collection, which covers the following areas:

• Kirkcudbright
• Castle Douglas
• Gatehouse of Fleet
• Rockcliffe and Kippford
• Carrick Bay
• Sweetheart Abbey in New Abbey
• Portpatrick.

I also have plenty of posts about other areas in Scotland:

• 35 things to do in Pitlochry: a highland escape
• The best day trips from Edinburgh by train or bus
• 20 things to do in North Berwick, Scotland
• A guide to Circus Lane, Edinburgh’s prettiest photo spot.

And if you’ve used one of my travel guides and enjoyed it, you can also buy me a drink. Cheers. 

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