📌 Town in Dumfries & Galloway
★★★
Wigtown is the largest settlement on the rolling Machars peninsula south of Newton Stewart. Perched on a small hill above the tidal River Bladnoch where it joins the Cree estuary, this was once an important port and one end of a ferry to Creetown. For centuries Wigtown was also a Royal Burgh and capital of wider Wigtownshire, and legal whisky distilling arrived in 1817 with the establishment of Bladnoch Distillery. None of the above survived the passing of time: the harbour silted up, the ferry and railway ceased to operate, Wigtownshire was subsumed into Dumfries and Galloway in 1975, and the distillery closed in 1993.
Since then, the town has undergone a remarkable reinvention as Scotland’s “National Book Town”; there are over a dozen bookshops, and an annual festival. The Book Shop is Scotland’s largest second hand bookshop and a real treasure trove, while others are hidden away down alleyways with tiny signs – how do they all stay in business? Wigtown still has a tangible air of importance despite a population of under a thousand, with the county buildings standing proud beyond a smart bowling green. A new harbour has replaced the old one; it too is steadily becoming encased in mud, but features a wildlife hide with good birdwatching opportunities (including egrets and shelducks on our brief visit). The distillery has reopened (and closed, and reopened again). The future seems bright…
🌍 Location
📌 Dumfries & Galloway
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NX 433553
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 54.867677,-4.443865
🚶 As well as the central museum and many bookshops, the new harbour and Covenanter’s Monument are both within walking distance. Bladnoch Distillery is a tedious mile away via a pavement along the A714.
🚌 Buses connect Wigtown with Newton Stewart and other villages around The Machars.
Explore nearby
<1 mi away
>> Bladnoch Distillery (not yet featured)
>> Wigtown Museum ★
