Holiday cottages in Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright — say it kur-KOO-bree — has been called the Artists’ Town since the late nineteenth century, when a colony of painters settled here for the quality of the light coming off the Dee estuary. They never really left. The town is still full of galleries, studios and independent shops, with Broughton House, Kirkcudbright Galleries and the Tolbooth Art Centre all within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

It is a working harbour town rather than a museum piece. Boats still land scallops and shellfish, the streets are lined with pastel-painted houses, and MacLellan’s Castle sits in the middle of it all, roofless since the 1700s. There is a riverside walk along the Dee, a beach at Dhoon a few minutes out of town, and a summer programme of art trails, festivals and the floodlit tattoo.

Most people heading for the Highlands drive straight past the turn-off. That is rather the point.

Things to do in Kirkcudbright

The town is the attraction. Broughton House on the High Street was the home of the artist E A Hornel and has a Japanese-inspired garden running down to the Dee — worth an hour on its own. Kirkcudbright Galleries, in the converted town hall, holds the town’s art collection and changes its exhibitions through the year, and the Tolbooth Art Centre sits in a seventeenth-century building that was once the jail. MacLellan’s Castle is roofless and free to wander when it’s open.

Beyond the galleries, walk the riverside path along the Dee, or drive ten minutes to Dhoon Bay for the beach. The harbour still lands shellfish, and the town’s summer programme runs from the art and crafts trail in the spring through to the floodlit tattoo.

Cream o’ Galloway is twenty minutes west if you have children with you, and Threave and Castle Douglas are fifteen minutes the other way.

Getting to Kirkcudbright

• Kirkcudbright is about 28 miles west of Dumfries, a few minutes south off the A75. From the border at Gretna it is roughly an hour and a quarter, straight along the A75 the whole way. Carlisle adds about fifteen minutes to that, Glasgow is around two hours, and Edinburgh a little over two.
• There is no railway station in the town. The nearest is Dumfries, about 45 minutes away by road, with connections to Carlisle and Glasgow. Buses run from Dumfries and Castle Douglas.
• Most people arrive by car, and you will want one — the beaches, the forest and the neighbouring towns are all short drives rather than walks.

Common questions about staying in Kirkcudbright

Is Kirkcudbright a good base for exploring Dumfries & Galloway?

It is one of the best. Castle Douglas is fifteen minutes, Gatehouse of Fleet twenty, Dalbeattie half an hour, and the Galloway Forest Park about forty-five minutes. Everything in the east of the region is within an hour.

Are there dog friendly cottages in Kirkcudbright?

Yes — look for the paw symbol on a listing. The beaches and the forest walks nearby make it a good spot for a dog.

How do you pronounce Kirkcudbright?

Kur-KOO-bree. The middle is swallowed. Nobody local will mind if you get it wrong, but you will hear it said properly within about a minute of arriving.

Is there a beach?

Dhoon Bay is a few minutes out of town. Brighouse Bay and Sandgreen are within twenty minutes, and Rockcliffe and Sandyhills are about forty.

What is there to do if it rains?

Kirkcudbright Galleries, Broughton House and the Tolbooth Art Centre are all in the town, with cafés and independent shops between them. It is a better wet-day town than most of the region.