Dumfries, Scotland #FantasyTravel #BriFri

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Last week, I reviewed The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear. Tina enjoyed The Quiet Girl, the film adapted from the story Foster by Claire Keegan.

Lovers of literature visit Dumfries, Scotland to honor two famous authors: Robert Burns and J.M. Barrie.

Since Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759, I’m celebrating his 265th birthday with a fantasy visit to Dumfries, Scotland.

Transportation

Dumfries is easily accessed by train. From London Euston, the trip is a little more than four hours with one train change at Carlisle. The fastest train from Edinburgh is two hours, also with a change at Carlisle. There’s a direct route between Glasgow Central and Dumfries that takes less than two hours.

Accommodation

The Crichton is a 100-acre park-like campus in Dumfries, less than two miles from the train station. The Crichton was initially set up as a psychiatric hospital in the 19th century. Now, it is used for college classes but also has a hotel and conference center.

In a surprising twist, the hotel in The Crichton is currently run by Holiday Inn. For a hotel chain known for the sameness of its buildings around the world, this one is unique.

The Holiday Inn Dumfries, The Crichton, by Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Sites

Dumfries Museum. I love to start a visit to a town at the local museum. The Dumfries Museum begins the history of this place with fossil footprints and early tools. This museum will be a good place to learn about the activities of Robert the Bruce in this area that led to his ascension to the throne of Scotland from which he fought a war of independence from England in the 1300s.

Robert Burns Centre and House. The Robert Burns Centre is a modern museum housed in an 18th century mill. A 3D landscape model shows what Dumfries was like when Robert Burns lived there in the 1790s. We can also visit Robert Burns House where he died in 1796 at the age of 37. While living at this house, Burns collected and wrote songs.

Moat Brae. When J.M. Barrie attended Dumfries Academy as a teenager, he played in this Georgian townhouse and the surrounding gardens. He claimed, later in life, that they were inspiration for Neverland and Peter Pan. Until last year, it housed the Centre for Children’s Literature. Unfortunately, that institution closed due to financial difficulties, so we’ll have to admire the building from the outside and wish on some pixie dust that a way forward can be found.