Today’s post is 1600 words, 49 photos, an 7 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
This week I’ll take you from Edinburgh to southwestern Scotland to the seaside village of Troon. From there, we’ll travel thru the Galloway Forest Park to Newton Stuart, and Wigtown. If you missed the first three posts in this series, click here, here, and here.
Edinburgh to Troon
It was Sunday morning when we checked out of our lodging and took an Uber over to Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. There we’d pick up our rental car for the next leg of our trip. The line for cars was long but eventually we were seated comfortably in an almost new Nissan SUV. That’s when the anxiety began with me behind the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car. Oh, I’ve driven in Scotland before so knew enough to reserve a car with an automatic transmission and a navigation system. I also knew enough that the first couple of days of driving would be challenging as I relearned driving on the opposite side of the car and road from what I was used to back home.
Fortunately, traffic was light on Sunday morning, only once did I drive up a one-way street the wrong way. FYI, it was empty except for some road construction workers who motioned for me to turn around. This mistake made me more cautious and alert to the road signs, the nav isn’t alway correct. Soon we left the city behind us. Before departure, I selected the route less traveled even though it would take a little longer to reach Troon. We stopped for some lunch at a fish and chip shop in Bellshill, a small village near Glasgow. The food was good and the service excellent. We noticed that as we drove further west, the Scottish accent became stronger.
Troon with a population of about 15,000 is known for its golf courses, sporting culture, seaport, marinas, and the Troon Beach. We had plenty of time before we could check into our lodging so we headed to the beach. Even though the late April day was cool and breezy, there were lots of families out for a stroll or walking their dogs. A few people were wearing heavy coats and stocking caps while others were in their bathing suits!
We were intrigued by the sea and the Firth of Clyde (sometimes referred to as the Clyde Sea) with some of the deepest coastal waters in the UK. Off in the distance is the Isle of Arran, one of the largest of the Scottish islands.
As we walked along the seawall, we noticed the dementia friendly sunken garden. Since Alzheimers and Parkinson’s runs in my family, I gave it a try while I can negotiate on my own. I can see why families would bring their loved ones to enjoy this garden along the sea.
Across the street from the beach was Troon’s War Memorial with lots of names of those who perished during the Great War.
After our time at the beach, we drove to the end of the road to the Troon Park near the seaport. We walked along the top of the levee where the wind was blowing off the sea. There we saw the Glennon Brothers sawmill that processes timber into usable products for the export market.
Soon it was time to check into our lodging at the Anchorage Hotel. The entrance to the hotel was through the pub and restaurant which was quiet since it was Sunday. The building itself is quite old dating from 1812 but well maintained. Our room was comfortable and the traditional Scottish breakfast the next morning was delicious and filling.
That evening we had dinner at the Lido Troon. It was excellent. Our server noticed the wrist band I was wearing reminding me to keep to left. She asked us where we were from and we replied the United States. She said it wouldn’t matter if I drove on the wrong side because the drivers in Scotland are so bad they would think it’s normal! We had a good laugh at that comment.
Wigtown
After our breakfast at the Anchorage, we headed down the coast towards Ayr. I wanted to see if there were any Ayrshire cattle, a dairy breed that originated in the county of Ayrshire. I didn’t see any there, I later saw a herd in Wigtownshire.
It began to rain after we left Troon. I did stop a few times to snap a few photos of the scenery. There were plenty of sheep plus Holstein, Shorthorn, Angus, and Galloway cows. All but the Holsteins (Netherlands) originated in Britain. The pastures were a lush green from all the rain.
As we were driving down the road that hugged the sea, I saw a cemetery on the side of the road. I was attracted by the sign that said “Commonwealth War Graves.” This means that this cemetery contains the remains of Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom) military members and civilians who died of enemy action in World Wars I and II. The goal of the CWGC is that none are forgotten.
While our goal for the day was to spend some time hiking in the Galloway Forest Park, it would have to wait for another day due to the continuing rain. Fortunately, we had an indoor plan B – a visit to Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town. With a population of less than 1000 people, Wigtown is home to several (12 to be exact) new and used bookshops and a well-attended annual book festival that began in 1999.
Since it was around lunch time, we headed to the first bookshop. The ReadingLasses Bookshop and Cafe was warm and cozy with a lunch (beetroot soup and sausage rolls) that hit the spot on this cool, rainy day. I should mention that this is a feminist bookstore that features new and used books by women authors. 
Ducking the raindrops, we went from bookstore to bookstore. I bought a few books (a historical fiction, a book on walks in Galloway, and a book about writing on the road), always conscious of how much room books take up in my suitcase. Our last stop was at The Bookshop run by Shaun Bythell, the second largest used bookstore in Scotland. The place is huge, housing an estimated 100,000 books of all genres. It’s well-organized with books stashed in all the nooks and crannies in the many additions to the old building.
Shaun has quite the sense of humor as noted in the photo below.
I gravitated to the photography section and spent at least 15 minutes browsing through the collection. I knew my Traveling Partner and The Youngest were checking out the quilting, crafting, and English novel sections of the store.
As I wondered through the shop, I met Carol, one of the workers. When I asked her if they had a book on Ayrshire cattle, she pointed me to the section on Scottish agriculture in the back of the store. Here’s one I found but didn’t buy due to size and weight. I did page through the book and found it quite interesting for someone with animal science degree. Instead, I purchased for 4£ (about $5 USD) a little book titled “Scottish Farm Animals.” 
On the way to the check out, I noticed a book by Shaun, the shop owner titled “The Diary of a Bookseller.” In this book, he talks about his customers, employees, and the people he buys books from. It’s quite a funny, easy read. Of course, I bought it so I could read it. Carol also told me how she came to work in the bookstore. Shaun, the owner, put a notice on Facebook offering free lodging in the bothy (a small cottage) behind the store in exchange for working in the bookshop. She took the deal because she needed a place to live, loves books, and helping customers. What a fun afternoon in book town while it was raining outside.
Newton Stewart
It was late afternoon when we left Wigtown for Newton Stewart, a distance of only 7 miles. This town of about 4000 people is on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park and is popular with walkers, hikers, and bicyclists. We were lodged in the quaint Kirroughtree Lodge built in 1720 where we would spend two nights.
When we woke the next morning, we noted that it was still raining. It was about noon when it quit but the sky was still overcast. After a leisurely morning, we headed out to the Galloway Forest Park to do a bit of hiking. The nearest visitor center was Kirroughtree where we checked out the indoor exhibits and chatted with the ranger. He pointed out a couple of trails that weren’t too wet or muddy. We enjoyed the pleasant scenery and the quiet of the forest. We walked about two miles.
We did one of the forest drives through the park, The Queen’s Way, and stopped at Murray’s Monument. The 1.5 mile route to the monument was quite a climb but a good workout for our coming walk in the Yorkshire Dales. The view from the top was quite spectacular. Some of the area was undergoing logging and we spotted a lot of sheep.
The 80 foot monument was erected in 1835 to honor Alexander Murray, a local shepherd boy who later became a minister in the Church of Scotland and professor of languages at the University of Edinburgh. 
That will do it for this week. Join me next week for a visit to Kirkcudbright and a two-day stopover in Dumfries where we learned more about Robert Burns, the poet.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM