On our way back to Glasgow we spent some time in the Scottish border country. We visited Wigtown which is known as Scotland’s National book town. The fact that it is a booktown was planned as a way to regenerate the town after the demise of the creamery and distillery which closed in the 1990s. The distillery has since reopened.
The town has certainly been revived and we were lucky to visit just as the Wigtown Book Festival festival was about to begin. The festival is in its 21st year and it is held every Autumn.
The houses and shops are decorated with temporary art work and it adds to the festive feeling of the place.
There are many enticing bookshops in which to wander but our favourite was the Old Bank Bookshop, crammed to the rafters.
I loved the exterior columns of this shop.
Apart from being a booktown there was also some very interesting history to the town.
“This marks the traditional site of the martyrdom.”
We first read about the martyrs when we visited the churchyard in Wigtown and it prompted us to find out more.
I thought you would be able to read this if you clicked on the photo but that doesn’t work so I have done a screen shot so you get some of the story. (I have since been able to fix the click on the photo so you don’t need the screen shot.)
There were some truly awful punishments relating to religion.
Wigtown was well worth the visit and we then continued our journey to Newton Stewart where we stayed at Creebridge Lodge.
Gippsland Granny 