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Along the southern tip of Scotland and bordering the Irish Sea, lies the county of Wigtownshire. Avid readers and book collectors marvel at Booktown, which consists of over two dozen shops dedicated to the business of books. The shops located in Bladnoch, Kirkinner and Wigtown, contain English, Irish and Scottish literature in various genres for child to adult readers.
Nature enthusiasts find no lack of trails and botanical gardens throughout Wigtownshire. Paths for all levels of fitness are located in the picturesque 300 square mile Galloway Forest Park, where guests are welcome to bike, drive or walk. The Castle Kennedy ruins, in Stranraer, is surrounded on three sides by water, which makes the climate ideal for vegetation. The castle grounds harbour a 30 acre garden with avenues, mounds and terraces containing many species of flowering plants and trees. Likewise, Port Logan has a 24 acre Logan Botanic Garden.
As recently as the last century, archaeologists discovered that Whithorn was the first Christian settlement in Scotland. St. Ninian, a British holy man, arrived to the area during the latter part of the 4th century and began to preach the gospel. By journeying through Physgill Glen and onto the Solway shore, south of Whithorn, visitors come face to face with St. Ninian's Cave. Artefacts found at the destination lead researchers to believe that the evangelist lived here until the first church was established. The Whithorn Story Visitor Centre exhibits stone carvings and crosses found in the cave. For four hundred years, many travelled to the Witness Cairn, St. Ninian Cave and St. Ninian Chapel in search of miracles.
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