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Dumfries and Galloway (Gaelic: Dłn Phris agus an Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. To the north, it borders onto South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire

South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire

East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
 and South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire is one of 32 council area of Scotland, covering the southern part of the Counties of Scotland of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
; in the east the Borders
Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders , often referred to simply as the Borders, is one of 32 local government Council areas of Scotland of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the Metropolitan and non-metropolit...
; and to the south the county of Cumbria
Cumbria

Cumbria is a non-metropolitan county in the North West England of England. Cumbria came into existence as a county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
 in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It lies to the north of the Solway Firth
Solway Firth

The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the Anglo-Scottish border, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway....
 and to the east of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea

The Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean by St George's Channel between Republic of Ireland and Wales, and to the north by the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland which forms part of...
. The region is well-known for its many artists and writers.

Dumfries and Galloway region is composed of several sub areas and former counties.






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Dumfries and Galloway (Gaelic: Dłn Phris agus an Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, ) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. To the north, it borders onto South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire

South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire

East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
 and South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire is one of 32 council area of Scotland, covering the southern part of the Counties of Scotland of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
; in the east the Borders
Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders , often referred to simply as the Borders, is one of 32 local government Council areas of Scotland of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the Metropolitan and non-metropolit...
; and to the south the county of Cumbria
Cumbria

Cumbria is a non-metropolitan county in the North West England of England. Cumbria came into existence as a county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
 in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. It lies to the north of the Solway Firth
Solway Firth

The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the Anglo-Scottish border, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway....
 and to the east of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea

The Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean by St George's Channel between Republic of Ireland and Wales, and to the north by the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland which forms part of...
. The region is well-known for its many artists and writers.

Geography

The Dumfries and Galloway region is composed of several sub areas and former counties.
From west to east:
  • Wigtownshire
    Wigtownshire

    The County of Wigtown, or Wigtownshire is a registration county in the south west of Scotland. It borders Ayrshire to the north, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to the east....
    • Rhins of Galloway
      Rhins of Galloway

      The Rhins of Galloway is a hammer-head peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Stretching more than from north to south, its southern tip is the Mull of Galloway, the southernmost point of Scotland....
        Machars
      Machars

      The Machars is a peninsula in Galloway in the south-west of Scotland. The word is derived from the Goidelic languages word Machair meaning low lying or level land, known as "links" on the east coast of Scotland....
  • Kirkcudbrightshire
    Kirkcudbrightshire

    The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire , was formerly a Counties of Scotland of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
    • Stewartry
      Stewartry

      Stewartry is a committee area in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.It was formerly one of four Local government in Scotland districts in the Dumfries and Galloway Region of Scotland....
  • Dumfriesshire
    Dumfriesshire

    Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland of Dumfries has similar boundaries....
    • Nithsdale
      Nithsdale

      Nithsdale , also known by its anglicised gaelic name Strathnith or Stranit. It is possible that Strath Nid actually represents the Cumbric Ystrad Nidd as Cumbric was the dominant language in this area from before Roman times until the 11th or 12th Century whereas Gaelic influence here was late and transient....
        Annandale Eskdale
      Eskdale

      The following places have the name Eskdale:*Eskdale, Cumbria, the valley in Cumbria, England*Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland...


The term 'Dumfries and Galloway' has been used since at latest the 19th century - by 1911 the three counties had a united Sheriffdom
Sheriffdom

A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland.Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms. Previously sheriffdoms were composed of groupings of counties of Scotland....
 under that name. Dumfries and Galloway covers the majority of the Western area of the Southern Uplands
Southern Uplands

The Southern Uplands is the southernmost of Scotland's three major geographic areas . They lie South of the Southern Uplands fault line that runs from Girvan on the Ayrshire coast in the West to Dunbar in East Lothian on the North Sea coast....
 , it also hosts Scotland's most Southerly point, at the Mull of Galloway
Mull of Galloway

The Mull of Galloway is the Extreme points of the United Kingdom of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point ....
 in the west of the region.

Governance

The region was created in 1975, by merging the former counties of Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire

The County of Wigtown, or Wigtownshire is a registration county in the south west of Scotland. It borders Ayrshire to the north, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright to the east....
, Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire , was formerly a Counties of Scotland of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
 and Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire

Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland of Dumfries has similar boundaries....
 as a two-tier region with the districts of Wigtownshire, Stewartry, Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale within it. In 1996 the region became a unitary authority area and the districts were wound up. After 1996 the unitary authority became known as Dumfries and Galloway Council, instead of Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council.

Transport

Local transport strategy is co-ordinated on behalf of the council and Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland

Transport Scotland was created on 1 January 2006 as the national Transport in Scotland Government agency of Scotland. It is an List of Scottish Executive agencies of the Scottish Government's Scottish Government's Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and accountable to Scottish Ministers....
 by SWESTRANS
SWESTRANS

SWESTRANS is a group set up by Transport Scotland to determine and deliver better transport solutions, both locally and nationally, and to act as a catalyst for regeneration of the region?s economy....
 (The South West of Scotland Transport Partnership).

Rail

The region has 6 working railway stations. All are on the Glasgow South Western Line
Glasgow South Western Line

The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either Carlisle via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride....
, except Lockerbie
Lockerbie

Lockerbie is a burgh in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 70 miles south of Glasgow, 70 miles south east of Edinburgh, and north of the border with England....
 which is on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It is central to the provision of fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands , the North West England, North Wales and southern Scotland....
  • Stranraer railway station
  • Kirkconnel railway station
    Kirkconnel railway station

    Kirkconnel railway station is a train station in the town of Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The station is unstaffed, is managed by First ScotRail and is situated on the former Glasgow and South Western Railway main line between Kilmarnock railway station and Carlisle Citadel railway station....
  • Sanquhar railway station
    Sanquhar railway station

    Sanquhar railway station is a train station in the village of Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Glasgow South Western Line....
  • Dumfries railway station
    Dumfries railway station

    Dumfries railway station serves the town of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line and is managed by First ScotRail who provide all passenger train services....
  • Annan railway station
    Annan railway station

    Annan railway station serves the town of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line 28 km north west of Carlisle railway station and is managed by First ScotRail who provide all passenger train services....
  • Gretna Green railway station
    Gretna Green railway station

    Gretna Green railway station serves the village of Gretna Green and the town of Gretna in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line and is managed by First ScotRail who provide all passenger train services....
  • Lockerbie railway station
    Lockerbie railway station

    Lockerbie railway station lies on the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Carstairs in the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland....


Bus and coach

The area is served by buses which connect the main population centres. Express bus services link the main towns with Glasgow, Ayr, Edinburgh and Carlisle. Local bus services are also operated across the region.

Sea

Stenavoyager
Dumfries and Galloway is home to two ports which have services to Northern Ireland, both are in the West of the region. Stena Line
Stena Line

Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Poland....
 have a port in the town of Stranraer
Stranraer

Stranraer is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland....
, and P&O Irish Sea
P&O Irish Sea

P&O Irish Sea is a constituent company of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company . This sector of P&O is registered as based in Dover, Kent....
 in the village of Cairnryan
Cairnryan

Cairnryan is a small Scotland village overlooking Loch Ryan and is notable today for its large modern ferry port which opened in 1973, originally operated by Townsend Thoresen and now by P&O Ferries, which links Scotland with Larne in Northern Ireland....
.

Air

The region also has no commercial airports; the nearest are Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Carlisle Airport
Carlisle Airport

Carlisle Airport is located east northeast of Carlisle, Cumbria, England.Carlisle has a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction, up to an MTWA of 12.5 tonnes....
. The region does host a number of private airfields. The town of Lockerbie
Lockerbie

Lockerbie is a burgh in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 70 miles south of Glasgow, 70 miles south east of Edinburgh, and north of the border with England....
 was the scene of the Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103

Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London's Heathrow International Airport to New York's John F....
 terrorist attack on December 21 1988.

Roads

The main roads to and from the region are:
  • M74
  • A75
    A75 road

    The A75 is a major road in Scotland, heading west along the south coast of Scotland from its junction with the A74 motorway at Gretna, Scotland....
  • A76
    A76 road

    The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland.Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Cumnock, Pathhead, Ayrshire and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Galloway and continuing through Sanquhar, Mennock, Enterkinfoot, Carronbridge, Thornhill, Dumfries and Gallo...
  • A77
    A77 road

    The A77 road is a major road in Scotland. It runs in a southwesternly direction from the city of Glasgow, past the towns of Newton Mearns, Kilmarnock, Prestwick, Ayr, Maybole, Girvan and Stranraer to the town of Portpatrick on the Irish Sea....
  • A701
    A701 road

    The A701 is a major road in Scotland, that runs from Dumfries to Edinburgh....


Emergency services

The Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is the police service for the subdivisions of Scotland of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. It is the smallest Police Force in the United Kingdom....
 is the police force for the region, and is the smallest in the United Kingdom. Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service
Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service

Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory Fire services in Scotland for the area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland....
 provide firefighting services across the region. The Coastguard, Lifeboats, Moffat mountain rescue and Galloway Mountain Rescue also offer emergency services across Dumfries and Galloway.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway
NHS Dumfries and Galloway

NHS Dumfries and Galloway is the health board serving the Dumfries and Galloway region. It is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland. NHS Dumfries & Galloway provides health care and promotes healthy living for the people of Dumfries & Galloway....
 provide healthcare services across the region, the two main hospitals are the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary

Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary is the main hospital in Dumfries. The hospital serves both the town of Dumfries and the entire catchment area of South West Scotland with the population of at least 147,000....
 in Dumfries and Galloway Community Hospital
Galloway Community Hospital

The Galloway Community Hospital is a NHS hospital in the town of Stranraer. Opened on a partial basis in September 2006 , being fully opened by October 2007....
 in Stranraer.

Education

Dumfries & Galloway Council provides nursery, primary and secondary education across the region.

Nurseries and primary schools

For a list of nurseries and primary schools see this page
List of state schools in Scotland/Council Areas A-D (excluding cities)

The following is a partial list of currently operating state schools in the unitary Subdivisions of Scotlands of Aberdeenshire , Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire and Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, United Kingdom....
.

Secondary schools

  • Annan Academy
    Annan Academy

    Annan Academy is a secondary school in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, in Dumfries and Galloway, formerly Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The present school is the result of an amalgamation in 1921 of the original Annan Academy and Greenknowe Public School, although its history goes back to the 17th century....
  • Castle Douglas High School
    Castle Douglas High School

    Castle Douglas High School is a comprehensive school state school situated in south west Scotland, in the town of Castle Douglas. It has approximately 556 students....
  • Dalbeattie High School
  • Douglas Ewart High School, Newton Stewart
    Newton Stewart

    Newton Stewart is a burgh town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire....
  • Dalry Secondary School
  • Dumfries Academy
    Dumfries Academy

    Dumfries Academy is one of four secondary schools in the town of Dumfries in South West Scotland....
  • Dumfries High School
    Dumfries High School

    Dumfries High School is a secondary school in Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland. It has a roll of approximately 1000 heroes in six year groups from ages 12 to 18....
  • Kirkcudbright Academy
  • Langholm Academy
    Langholm Academy

    Langholm Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational six year comprehensive secondary school Langholm, Scotland.First created in March 1876 with Mr John Howie as head....
  • Lockerbie Academy
  • Maxwelltown High School
    Maxwelltown High School

    Maxwelltown High School is one of four secondary schools in the town of Dumfries in South West Scotland....
    , Dumfries
    Dumfries

    Dumfries is a town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland and is situated close to the Solway Firth, near the mouth of the River Nith....
  • Moffat Academy
  • Sanquhar Academy
  • St Joseph's College
  • Stranraer Academy
    Stranraer Academy

    Stranraer Academy is a secondary school in the town of Stranraer in South West Scotland, it serves the area of Stranraer, the Rhins, and parts of the Machars....
  • Wallace Hall Academy
    Wallace Hall Academy

    Wallace Hall Academy is a secondary school located in Thornhill, Dumfries in the South West of Scotland, currently with a roll of over 580 pupils aged from 11 to 18....
    , Thornhill
    Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway

    Thornhill is a town in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries.It has a population of roughly 2,000 people and was formally founded in 1664 as a burgh of barony, although the town itself is considerably older....


Wildlife

The region is known as a stronghold for several rare and protected species of amphibian, such as the Natterjack toad
Natterjack Toad

The Natterjack Toad is a toad native to sandy and heath areas of Northern Europe. Adults are 60 - 70 mm in length and are distinguished from the common toad by a yellow line down the middle of the back....
 and the Great crested newt
Great Crested Newt

The great crested newt, northern crested newt or warty newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia....
. There are also RSPB Nature Reserves
List of RSPB reserves

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is Europe's largest wildlife Conservation ecology Charitable organization.This is a list of RSPB reserves....
 at the Mull of Galloway
Mull of Galloway

The Mull of Galloway is the Extreme points of the United Kingdom of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point ....
, Wood of Cree (Galloway Forest Park
Galloway Forest Park

Galloway Forest Park is a woodland park operated by the Scottish Forestry Commission, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway....
), Ken Dee Marshes (near Loch Ken
Loch Ken

Loch Ken is 9-mile long freshwater loch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens valley, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the River Dee, Galloway....
) and Mereshead (near Dalbeattie
Dalbeattie

Dalbeattie is a town in Dumfries and Galloway , Scotland.Dalbeattie is situated in a wooded valley on the Urr Water east of Castle Douglas and south west of Dumfries....
 on the Solway Firth
Solway Firth

The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the Anglo-Scottish border, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway....
).

Towns and villages

Main settlements in bold text.

  • Ae
    Ae, Dumfries and Galloway

    Ae is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland.It is between the Water of Ae and the Goukstane Burn after they have flowed out of the Forest of Ae....
    , Airieland
    Airieland

    Airieland is a village in the Scotland council area of Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Airds of Kells
    Airds of Kells

    Airds of Kells is a village in the Scotland council area of Dumfries and Galloway.Airds of Kells Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1983....
    , Annan
    Annan

    Annan may refer to:...
    , Anwoth
    Anwoth

    Anwoth is a settlement near the Solway Firth in the Kirkcudbrightshire, in South West Scotland, within a parish of the same name in the Vale of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Ardwell
    Ardwell

    Ardwell is a village in the Scottish unitary council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It lies on the shores of Luce Bay in the southern part of the Rhins of Galloway....
  • Beattock
    Beattock

    The village of Beattock is located in the southern lowlands of Scotland, and lies within the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was an important stabling point for horses in the olden days with a coach house at one end of the village....
    , Beeswing
    Beeswing, Dumfriesshire

    Beeswing is a small village with a church in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Formerly known as Lochend, it was renamed to honor the great racing Mare , Beeswing....
    , Borgue
    Borgue, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright

    Borgue is a village in the Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies 5 miles south-west of Kirkcudbright and 6 miles south of Gatehouse of Fleet....
    , Brydekirk
    Brydekirk

    Brydekirk is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom located near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway....
  • Caerlaverock
    Caerlaverock

    Caerlaverock is an area to the south of Dumfries and to the west of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.Caerlaverock NNR is a National Nature Reserve in the care of Scottish Natural Heritage....
    , Cairngaan
    Cairngaan

    Cairngaan, Dumfries and Galloway, is the southmost settlement in Scotland. The hamlet of Cairngaan lies just north of the Mull of Galloway on the B7041, after a turn-off from the B7065 road....
    , Cairnryan
    Cairnryan

    Cairnryan is a small Scotland village overlooking Loch Ryan and is notable today for its large modern ferry port which opened in 1973, originally operated by Townsend Thoresen and now by P&O Ferries, which links Scotland with Larne in Northern Ireland....
    , Cargenbridge
    Cargenbridge

    Cargenbridge is a hamlet located in Dumfries and Galloway, United Kingdom southwest of Dumfries....
    , Carsphairn
    Carsphairn

    Carsphairn is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located about half way between Dalmellington and St. John's Town of Dalry, next to the A713 road....
    , Castle Douglas
    Castle Douglas

    Castle Douglas , a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, lies in the eastern part of Galloway known as the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, between the towns of Dalbeattie and Gatehouse of Fleet....
    , Castle Kennedy, Clarencefield, Corsock
    Corsock

    Corsock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is located north of Castle Douglas, and the same distance east of New Galloway, on the Urr Water....
    , Creetown
    Creetown

    Creetown, originally Ferrytown of Cree , is a small seaport town of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Its population is about 750 people. It is situated near the head of Wigtown Bay, 18 mi....
  • Dalbeattie
    Dalbeattie

    Dalbeattie is a town in Dumfries and Galloway , Scotland.Dalbeattie is situated in a wooded valley on the Urr Water east of Castle Douglas and south west of Dumfries....
    , Dalton
    Dalton, Dumfries and Galloway

    The Village of Dalton is a small settlement about 10 miles south east of Dumfries and 4 miles south of Lockerbie. The main feature of this village is the 18th century church, one of its past ministers being The Rev....
    , Dornock
    Dornock

    Dornock is a small Scotland village in Dumfries and Galloway, situated about one mile west of Eastriggs and two miles east of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Drumlanrig, Drummore
    Drummore

    Not to be confused with Drummuir, north east ScotlandDrummore is a village at the southern end of the Rhins of Galloway in Scotland. It lies where the Kildonan Burn runs out to the sea, a few miles north of Mull of Galloway....
    , Dumfries
    Dumfries

    Dumfries is a town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland and is situated close to the Solway Firth, near the mouth of the River Nith....
    , Dundrennan
    Dundrennan

    Dundrennan is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about five miles east of Kirkcudbright. Its population is around 230. It is most notable for the ruins of Dundrennan Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian monastery....
    , Dunscore
    Dunscore

    Dunscore is a small village which lies northwest of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It has a population of about 150 people....
  • Eastriggs
    Eastriggs

    Eastriggs is a village in the south of Dumfries and Galloway. It has a small number of shops, a restaurant, post office, public house, working men's club and a church....
    , Ecclefechan
    Ecclefechan

    Ecclefechan is a small village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway.Ecclefechan, known as "Fechan" to the local residents, has two shops, one of which is also a Post Office, a hairdresser, a church, a doctors surgery and a primary school "Hoddom Primary School"....
    , Eskdalemuir
    Eskdalemuir

    File:Eskdalemuir.jpgEskdalemuir is a rural district and small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The area consists of high wet moorlands chiefly used for sheep grazing and forestry plantation....
  • Garlieston
    Garlieston

    Garlieston is a small planned coastal village in south west Scotland founded circa 1790 by Earl of Galloway....
    , Gatehouse of Fleet
    Gatehouse of Fleet

    Gatehouse of Fleet is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which has existed since the mid-1700s, although the area has been inhabited since much earlier....
    , Glenluce
    Glenluce

    Glenluce is a village in the Scotland area of Dumfries and Galloway.Located on the A75 road between Stranraer and Newton Stewart it is in the traditional county of Wigtownshire....
    , Gretna Green
    Gretna Green

    Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk, Dumfriesshire and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh....
    , Gretna
    Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway

    Gretna is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.Because they are near the Anglo-Scottish border, nearby Gretna Green, and to a lesser extent Gretna, are historically linked to weddings because of the more liberal marriage laws in Scotland....
  • Haugh of Urr
    Haugh of Urr

    Haugh of Urr is a village in the Urr parish, Kirkcudbrightshire, in South West Scotland. It is approximately NNW of Dalbeattie, NE of Castle Douglas, 12 1/2 miles west of Dumfries and 12 1/2 miles east of Kirkcudbright....
    , Hoddom
  • Johnstonebridge
    Johnstonebridge

    Johnstonebridge is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.It is roughly halfway between Moffat and Lockerbie, and lies on the M74 motorway motorway....
  • Keir
    Keir

    Keir, properly Keir Mill, is a small village in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, one mile south of Penpont. It was founded in the late eighteenth century....
    , Kippford
    Kippford

    Kippford is a small village along the Solway Firth coast, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland....
    , Kirkcolm, Kirkcudbright
    Kirkcudbright

    Kirkcudbright, is a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, situated at the mouth of the River Dee, Galloway, some six miles from the sea....
    , Kirkpatrick Durham
    Kirkpatrick Durham

    Kirkpatrick Durham is a village and parish in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is located north of Castle Douglas. The village was developed in the late 18th century as a handloom weaving centre, within the existing parish of the same name....
  • Langholm
    Langholm

    Langholm, also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk, Dumfriesshire and the A7 road ....
    , Lochmaben
    Lochmaben

    Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Lockerbie
    Lockerbie

    Lockerbie is a burgh in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 70 miles south of Glasgow, 70 miles south east of Edinburgh, and north of the border with England....
  • Middleshaw, Millhousebridge
    Millhousebridge

    Millhousebridge is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, and is situated 4 miles northwest of Lockerbie.It is a small village with a population of just under 100....
    , Moffat
    Moffat

    Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam ....
    , Moniaive
    Moniaive

    Moniaive is a village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, near Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, on the A702 road and B729 road....
    , Mull of Galloway
    Mull of Galloway

    The Mull of Galloway is the Extreme points of the United Kingdom of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point ....
  • New Abbey
    New Abbey

    New Abbey is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is around south-west of Dumfries. The ruined Sweetheart Abbey is located within the village....
    , New Galloway
    New Galloway

    New Galloway is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken a mile north of the end of Loch Ken....
    , New Luce
    New Luce

    New Luce is a village in the Scotland unitary council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It has a Retailing#Shops and stores, pub and two bridges. In the Summer it is also home to a real ale festival and a Gala#Specific_events_and_event_types day....
    , Newton Stewart
    Newton Stewart

    Newton Stewart is a burgh town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire....
    , Newton Wamphray
    Newton Wamphray

    Newton Wamphray is a village in Dumfries and Galloway. Wamphray is the name of the surrounding parish and of the Wamphray river, which flows south-west through the Wamphray Glen to join the River Annan near the small village, or Hamlet , of Newton....
  • Palnackie
    Palnackie

    Palnackie is a village in the Parish of Buittle, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in Scotland. Since 1995 it has been in Dumfries and Galloway Council Administrative Region....
    , Parton, Penpont
    Penpont

    Penpont is a small village in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, two miles west of Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway.It is situated near the confluence of the Shinnel Water and Scaur Water rivers in the foothills of the Southern Uplands, and has a population of roughly 400 people....
    , Portpatrick
    Portpatrick

    Portpatrick is a village hanging on to the extreme south-westerly tip of mainland Scotland, cut into a cleft in steep cliffs.Dating back historically some 500 years, and built adjacent to the ruins of nearby Dunskey Castle, it boasts a position on the Rhins of Galloway that affords visitors views of the Northern Irish coast to the west, wi...
  • Robgill Tower
    Robgill Tower

    Robgill Tower is a village near Ecclefechan. It is primarily farming-oriented and residential....
    , Ringford
    Ringford

    Ringford is a village in the Dumfries and Galloway hills located at beside the Tarff Water. It is about north of the fishing town of Kirkcudbright....
  • Rigg, Ruthwell
    Ruthwell

    Ruthwell is a village and parish on the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.Ruthwell's most famous inhabitant was the Rev....
  • Sandhead
    Sandhead

    Sandhead is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland. It overlooks Luce Bay, 7 miles south of Stranraer. The old main road, named "Main Street", runs through the village, but the A716 now bypasses it with a narrow and twisting carriageway....
    , Sanquhar
    Sanquhar

    Sanquhar is a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, on the River Nith. It lies north of Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway and west of Moffat....
    , St. John's Town of Dalry
    St. John's Town of Dalry

    St. John's Town of Dalry, usually referred to simply as Dalry, is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, formerly in Kirkcudbrightshire. It is located sixteen miles from Castle Douglas along the A713 road, and is at the southern terminus of the A702 road ....
    , Stranraer
    Stranraer

    Stranraer is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland....
  • Terregles
    Terregles

    Terregles is a village and parish near Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Kirkcudbrightshire.The name Terregles is said to be a corruption of Brythonic languages Tir-eglwys ....
    , Thornhill
    Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway

    Thornhill is a town in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries.It has a population of roughly 2,000 people and was formally founded in 1664 as a burgh of barony, although the town itself is considerably older....
    , Twynholm
    Twynholm

    Twynholm is a small village in Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway. It is located 3km north-north west of Kirkcudbright.Twynholm is best know for being the home town of F1 racing driver David Coulthard....
    ,Templand
  • Unthank
    Unthank, Dumfries and Galloway

    Unthank is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.References...
  • Wanlockhead
    Wanlockhead

    Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland nestling in the Lowther Hills, which form part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village at 467 m or 1531 ft and the highest point of the Southern Upland Way, a walking trail that traditionally starts at Portpatrick on the west coast, in Dumfries & Galloway, and fini...
    , Whithorn
    Whithorn

    Whithorn is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown.The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, Candida Casa the 'White [or 'Shining'] House', built by Saint Ninian about 397....
    , Wigtown
    Wigtown

    Wigtown is a town and former royal burgh in the Machars of Galloway in the south west of Scotland , south of Newton Stewart and east of Stranraer....


Places of interest

  • Caerlaverock Castle
    Caerlaverock Castle

    Caerlaverock Castle is a 13th-century triangular moated castle in the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve area at the Solway Firth, south of Dumfries in the south west of Scotland....
     - Historic Scotland
    Historic Scotland

    Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.Its website states:It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry....
  • Caerlaverock NNR
    Caerlaverock NNR

    Caerlaverock NNR is a National Nature Reserve covering part of the Solway Firth and the land south of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland....
     - National Nature Reserve
    National Nature Reserve

    National nature reserve is a United Kingdom government conservation designation for a nature reserve of national significance for biological or earth science interest....
  • Cardoness Castle
    Cardoness Castle

    Cardoness Castle is a well-preserved 15th Century tower house just south west of Gatehouse of Fleet, south west Scotland. It was originally owned by the MacCulloch family of Galloway also known as the MacCulloch#MacCullochs of Myreton....
  • Corsewall Lighthouse
    Corsewall Lighthouse

    Corsewall Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Corsewall Point, Kirkcolm near Stranraer in the region of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. First lit in 1817, it overlooks the North Channel of the Irish Sea....
    , privately owned
  • HM Factory, Gretna
    HM Factory, Gretna

    His Majesty's Factory, Gretna, or H.M. Factory, Gretna as it was usually known, was a United Kingdom government World War I Cordite factory, adjacent to the Solway Firth, near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Eastriggs
    Eastriggs

    Eastriggs is a village in the south of Dumfries and Galloway. It has a small number of shops, a restaurant, post office, public house, working men's club and a church....
     - site of a munitions factory during the World War I
    World War I

    World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
  • Drumlanrig Castle
    Drumlanrig Castle

    Drumlanrig Castle is a large country house near to Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway in South-West Scotland. It is owned by the Duke of Buccleuch....
  • Galloway Forest Park
    Galloway Forest Park

    Galloway Forest Park is a woodland park operated by the Scottish Forestry Commission, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway....
    , Forestry Commission
    Forestry Commission

    The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
  • Galloway Hydro Electric Scheme
    Galloway hydro-electric power scheme

    The Galloway hydro-electric power scheme is a network of dams and Hydroelectricity power stations in Galloway, south west Scotland. It was built between 1930 and 1936....
    , Scottish Power
    Scottish Power

    Scottish Power Limited is a vertically integrated energy company with its headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 2006 it became a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola....
  • Glenlair
    Glenlair

    Glenlair House, near the village of Corsock in the Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland of Dumfries and Galloway, most famous for having been the home of 19th century physicist James Clerk Maxwell....
     - home of 19th century physicist James Clerk Maxwell
    James Clerk Maxwell

    James Clerk Maxwell was a Scotland Mathematical physics. His most significant achievement was the development of the classical electromagnetic theory, synthesizing all previous unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and even optics into a consistent theory....
  • Glenluce Abbey
    Glenluce Abbey

    Glenluce Abbey, near to Glenluce, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastery founded around 1190 by Lochlann, Lord of Galloway. Following the Scottish Reformation in 1560, the abbey fell into disuse....
  • Kenmure Castle - a seat of the Clan Gordon
    Clan Gordon

    Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a traditional Scottish clan name and it is now a common forename. The chief of the Clan Gordon was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly....
  • Loch Ken
    Loch Ken

    Loch Ken is 9-mile long freshwater loch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens valley, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the River Dee, Galloway....
  • MacLellan's Castle
    MacLellan's Castle

    MacLellan's Castle, in Kirkcudbright, south west Scotland, was the noble residence of the Clan MacLellan family. It was completed in 1582 by Thomas Maclellan of Bombie....
    , Kirkcudbright
  • Mull of Galloway
    Mull of Galloway

    The Mull of Galloway is the Extreme points of the United Kingdom of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point ....
     - RSPB/South Rhins Community Development Trust
  • Motte of Urr
  • Ruthwell Cross
    Ruthwell Cross

    The Ruthwell Cross is an important Anglo-Saxons cross, also known as a preaching cross, dating back to the eighth century, when Ruthwell was part of the kingdom of Northumbria....
  • Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery
  • Southern Upland Way
    Southern Upland Way

    Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east....
     - long distance footpath
  • Sweetheart Abbey
    Sweetheart Abbey

    Sweetheart Abbey , south of Dumfries, near to the River Nith in south-west Scotland, was a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1275 by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband John, 5th Baron Balliol....
    , New Abbey
    New Abbey

    New Abbey is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is around south-west of Dumfries. The ruined Sweetheart Abbey is located within the village....
  • Threave Castle
    Threave Castle

    Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, Galloway, 2.5km west of Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It was the home of the House of Douglas Earls of Douglas from the late 14th century until their fall in 1455....
  • WWT Caerlaverock
    WWT Caerlaverock

    WWT Caerlaverock is wetland nature reserve in southwest Scotland, one of nine reserves in Britain operated by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust founded by Sir Peter Scott....
     - a reserve of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
    Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

    The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust is a wildfowl and wetland Conservation movement charitable organization in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom....


Council political composition

The council consists of 47 councillor
Councillor

A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council. Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman....
s elected for a four-year term from 13 wards. These wards were introduced for the 2007 election and each returns three or four members by the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote

The Single transferable vote is a voting system of preferential voting designed to minimize wasted votes and provide proportional representation while ensuring that votes are explicitly expressed for individual candidates rather than for party lists....
 system of election. This system was introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004

The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local government in Scotland in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, as a means of ensuring a reasonably proportionately representative
Proportional representation

Proportional representation , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of voting systems aimed at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive ....
 outcome.

2003-2007

The result of the 2003 election returned a council with no party having overall control. A 'silver' coalition was first formed invovling all parties but Conservative and Labour, after this coalition resigned Labour took minority control of the council. The following number of councillors were elected for each party as follows:
 PartyCouncillors
 Labour14
 Independent12
 Conservative11
 Scottish National Party5
 Liberal Democrat5


2007-2011

The result of the 2007 election returned the following number of councillors for each party as follows:
 PartyCouncillors
 Conservative18
 Labour14
 Scottish National Party10
 Liberal Democrat3
 Independent2


The council is currently controlled by a Conservative and Liberal Democrat minority coalition.

After the resignation of Bruce Hodgson (Conservative councillor for the Abbey ward) a by-election was held on 1 May 2008, with Michael Thomson (Conservative) being returned as the replacement councillor. On Tuesday 20 May 2008, Councillor Robert Higgins stood down as Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party is a centre-left List of Scottish political parties which campaigns for Scottish independence. In the last few decades, the SNP has normally polled the second highest number of votes for a Scottish political parties in Scotland....
 (SNP) Group Leader, after he received a triple driving ban for reckless driving. Similarly Councillor John Charteris Conservative was banned from driving for 12 months and fined £500 after he to admitted drink driving at Dumfries Sheriff Court on Friday, 29 August 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7588043.stm

Current Councillors

By political groupings.

Conservative
  • Graham Bell
  • Ian Blake
  • Ian Carruthers
  • John Charteris
  • John Dougan
  • Peter Duncan
    Peter Duncan (politician)

    Peter John Duncan is a United Kingdom politician. He was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale between 2001 and 2005....
     Business Leader
  • Gillian Dykes
  • Patsy Gilroy (Convener)
  • Allan Graham
  • Roger Grant
  • Jack Groom (Provost)
  • Ivor Hyslop (Leader) Group Leader
  • Ian Lindsay
  • Gail MacGregor
  • Denis R Male
  • Graham Nicol
  • Mike Thomson
  • Roberta Tuckfield


Labour
  • Ted Brown
  • James H Dempster
  • Archie Dryburgh
  • Grahame Forster
  • Dr. Jeff Leaver Secretary
  • Sean W Marshall
  • John Martin
  • David J McKie
  • Ronnie Nicholson Group Leader
  • Ronald E Ogilvie
  • Willie Scobie
  • Colin Smyth
  • David Stitt
  • John Syme


Scottish National Party
  • Brian Collins
  • Group Leader
  • Iain Dick
  • Alistair Geddes
  • Robert J Higgins
  • Thomas Jacques
  • Lorna J McGowan Secretary
  • Dr. Doug Snell
  • Andrew S Wood
  • Alastair Witts Deputy Group Leader


Liberal Democrat
  • Richard Brodie
  • Michael Dickie Secretary
  • Sandra McDowall Group Leader


Independent
  • Jane S Maitland Group Leader
  • George N Prentice Secretary


Gallery


See also

  • Anglo-Scottish border