Love the Lowlands

This itinerary was created as part of our Take the Slow Road campaign, encouraging longer stays and responsible tourism.  Slower journeys can create a richer, more meaningful experience while supporting local economies and reducing pressure on the historic places that help make Scotland unique.  

Our suggested route uses sustainable transport to link Historic Scotland attractions and other heritage sites.

Plan your journeys using Traveline Scotland

Visitors arrive in Dumfries and begin with a short walk to Lincluden Collegiate Church, a site overlooking the River Nith, thought to be built by one of the finest master masons in Scotland, John Morrow.

The route continues to the village of New Abbey, home to Sweetheart Abbey and over 750 years of history.

You'll also pass by the 18th-century New Abbey Corn Mill and other local highlights including a tearoom, village shop and Shambellie House gardens and creative workshops. Overnight in Dumfries.  

• Lincluden Collegiate Church
• New Abbey Corn Mill

A bus journey takes visitors to the spectacular medieval stronghold of Caerlaverock Castle, where you can learn all about its turbulent history as a castle caught up in border conflicts. There is the opportunity to then explore the wider Caerlaverock Estate, with the option to hire an ebike to travel to sites such as Wardlaw Hillfort and the village of Glencaple.

On returning to Dumfries, the afternoon can be spent visiting the Dumfries Museum and Burns Statue. Overnight in Dumfries.  

• Caerlaverock Castle
• Dumfries Museum

Travelling a little further north and east, make a stop at Biggar for the Biggar Museum to take in 14,000 years of rural and small-town life.

Jumping on the bus to Peebles, a short walk will take visitors to Cross Kirk, an ancient holy site associated with miracles and the grave of a saint. 

The day ends with a trip to The Great Polish Map of Scotland. Overnight in Peebles.  

• Biggar Museum
• Cross Kirk
• The Great Polish Map of Scotland

The final day begins with a bus into Galashiels to visit The Great Tapestry of Scotland, followed by a trip to Melrose Abbey, a place so beloved by Robert the Bruce that he chose it as the final resting place for his heart. Visitors can wander the gardens on either side of the abbey and visiting the neighbouring Trimontium Museum.

A riverside walk from Newton St Boswells leads visitors through Dryburgh village, across the Dryburgh Suspension Bridge and past the Temple of the Muses, before arriving at Dryburgh Abbey. This beautifully secluded riverside ruin really helps you grasp the appeal of monastic life. The route finishes with onward travel from Tweedbank Rail Station.

• The Great Tapestry of Scotland
• Melrose Abbey
• Trimontium Museum
• Dryburgh Abbey