Wigtown and Cream o’ Galloway: Day 37 – Scotland 2017

This page contains affiliate links, and we may receive compensation if you click on a link. You can read our full advertising disclosure here.

12 May 2017

A sunny morning greeted us as we woke in Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town. We hastily ate, and then I shuffled Billy out the door so that we could hit the bookshops bright and early. Unfortunately, in my eagerness, I didn’t take many photos. We went into every open bookshop, but the one that I remember the most was The Book Shop. It holds the title of the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, and it did not disappoint.

Every inch of available space is filled with books. Shelves line the walls of every room. Books are stacked in the hallways. Books, books, books. There are comfy old leather chairs throughout the shop, and fun displays surprise you around every corner.

After hitting up every bookshop we could find, we decided that it was time for lunch. I’d already picked out where I wanted to eat, a cafe that also sells used books. We ate, we bought more books, we admired the adorable window planters out front.

After a complete run of the town, I’m proud to say we only bought nine books—six for me, two for Billy, and one as a present for my mom.

Cream o’ Galloway

After unexpectedly flying through all of the bookshops in record time, we headed out for a sweet treat earlier than we’d planned. There were zero complaints about this. We’re both suckers for ice cream.

Cream o’ Galloway is more than just ice cream, though. It is a fully functioning dairy farm that happens to make some of the most delicious ice cream we’ve ever eaten. They also offer farm tours, a cheese-making course, nature trails, and crazy golf, a farm-themed putt-putt range. I wish we’d have explored a bit more when we visited, but we didn’t realize there were so many other offerings. Instead, we just ate ice cream. Unfortunately, I discovered my favorite ice cream of all time, sticky toffee pudding ice cream. It is mind-blowingly good, and there is nothing like it here in the US. Absolute heartbreak. But the memories of it are sweet, at least!

Castles Galore

One of my absolute favorite things about visiting Scotland, and Ireland as well, is the insane amount of castles that you randomly pass on the road. With time to spare, we stopped at two castles on our way back to Wigtown.

The first was Cardoness Castle, a six-story 15th-century tower house with one of the best surviving pit prisons in the country. The tower house belonged to the McCulloch family, a not-so-nice group of folks. After having to mortgage the castle in the 1600s, a man named John Gordon took over Cardoness. The McCullochs couldn’t swallow their current fall from grace and took matters into their own hands. Two McCulloch family members, Alexander and his son Godfrey, murdered John Gordon. Godfrey, having actually pulled the trigger, was executed for the crime.

Cardoness Castle is incredible to visit for the views alone. You can still climb to the very top floor and look out at the beautiful surroundings. While it may be a ruin, Cardoness still displays some beautiful features that were built for the very wealthy McCulloch family. I love being able to look up at the walls and see all of the fireplaces, doorways, and windows. It’s a fascinating sight. And of course, who can pass up on seeing a pit prison?

Carsluith Castle

A little further down the road, we spotted another castle and pulled over. This one was just behind a little cafe and is known as Carsluith Castle. The castle is a 16th-century L-shaped tower house. The shell of it, just like Cardoness Castle, is incredible. Windows and fireplaces line the walls, and you can also climb the stairs to the top of the castle.

You can take in this castle quite quickly, so if you’re passing by, go ahead and take the 20 minutes. An added bonus, you can grab a bite to eat after your visit!

Wigtown For The Night

We enjoyed a leisurely drive back to Wigtown and then ventured out on the town for dinner. Afterward, we enjoyed a relaxing night in at our B&B, Hillcrest House. What did you do for the night? Crack open a good book, of course.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy