A Tour of DUMFRIES | Pretty Market Town in South Scotland | SWC300 E11

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

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[@sugarbertie1143]

The last time we visited Dumfries was 15 years ago. It was a bustling vibrant town with lots of history, especially connected to Burns. We visited again in May this year and what a change. The town centre looks forlorn, lots of closed shops and an air of despair about the place. What a shame as its such a historic town and must have suffered the effects of Covid.quite badly. Even the locals told us that shopping there is much more difficult nowadays with big name stores closing. Its took the heart out of the town

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

That's such a shame! I'd never visited before so didn't have anything to compare it to but it sounds like it's been struggling a bit since the pandemic - such a shame. Hopefully things will get better and the glory days will come back. At least I got some lovely weather, probably the best day of my whole trip! Thank you for watching.

[@MrMartin1890]

Things will hopefully get better there is a group called The Midsteeple Quarter that is regenerating the shops in that area and also building new flats on the old Bakers oven shop

[@revengenerd1]

I grew up there, it has never been a bustling vibrant town in my lifetime, even as a kid the small shopping centre was half empty, the vennel had shops that closed over 30 years ago that have never reopened and as a kid I hated it, I moved back for a few years when I was 21 and I felt it was good in the sense it had multiple cheap bars, cheap and good quality take aways, and when I moved away for good to go to uni and then work I miss it so much though I can see its flaws, also it has one of the worst local councils in Scotland and I am being serious there, relatives moved to a house 30 years ago that has had severe damp since they moved in and I am talking rotting floorboards bad it was council now HA, a 20 year old kitchen and bathroom that is falling apart, and the council has a rep of screwing up council tax accounts, housing benefit claims, then blaming the customers. But I will say before the times I can truly remember the town had a lot of small businesses that are gone since the 90's (hence why I barely remember then as was in single digit age then) and again things like local council not maintaining buildings letting them rot. Finally I know in the mid 90's the large housing estate/scheme in the town had the worst drug problem in Scotland not by number but by percentage, drugs came through from Stranraer and passed through.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Very interesting to read your take on the town. Thanks for sharing.

[@revengenerd1]

@@MattWhitingsEurope I do miss the town though, but like everywhere tourists only see certain parts of a town/city

[@KATHYSLUITER]

Happy Easter! I'm sad to see this end, I've enjoyed the whole series thank you!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching Kathy, glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun driving the route and exploring some of Scotland's south-west - definitely an experience I'll remember. Happy Easter to you too!!

[@mariamm9460]

So amazing video & information, been to Scotland, but not there .. .thank you Matt 😊❤

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed my trip to Dumfries.

[@mariamm9460]

@@MattWhitingsEurope you are very Welcome,, enjoy your videos ❤

[@christinelynch6611]

I love Dumfries. This video makes me want to go back soon! Thanks for the share! ❤❤

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching, cool place for sure!

[@robynemme2458]

Much appreciation for your chronicle of your travels through Dumfries and Galloway. We hope to make the trip in July and this has helped so much with planning and increased our anticipation of adventures to come. I wish you happy roads ahead!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks you very much Robyn, glad you found the videos helpful - I really enjoyed the trip and was surprised at just how much there was to see on the way around! Thanks for watching and I hope you have fun on your adventures up there! Enjoy!!

[@haunt-yt4067]

i live in dumfries and its a very nice place

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Yes indeed. Lovely little town. Enjoyed my stroll, wish I had a little more time here.

[@RHR-221b]

Hello haunt. Agreed, Doonhamer. Pity about the 'infestation' of 'others' taking/trying to take over, some say ...
I resided in dear Dumfries from 12 April 1985 until June 1990, including working with British Gas at Heathhall Depot, Dumfries, and being responsible for calling out all British Gas Emergency Personnel during the Lockerbie Air Disaster.
To say that all the Emergency Service's hard work was/is so underestimated is totally underestimated.
*Rest In Peace.*
Please remember 19' 03" Wednesday 21 December 2022. Thank you.
Stay free. Rab ⏰ 🎲 🌠 🕊 👋
*Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue 'Lockerbie Air Disaster' response:*
th-cam.com/video/YoJ_48h_CnY/w-d-xo.html

[@EmilyPlein]

Recently discovered that I have ancestry from this area, going all the way back to the 1500’s. This is incredible..thanks for your video.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

That's fascinating. Lots of history right there. Glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you'll get to visit one day.

[@manteltje]

I binge watched the whole series 🤩 quality entertaining videos, you deserve more subscribers!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Wow that's quite an achievement in one evening! Glad you enjoyed them, I came away with some great memories from that trip, definitely an underrated part of Scotland. Agree with you on the subscribers haha 😂

[@WITYTRAVELS]

Great deal on the hotel. So happy you got blue skies! Wonderful history as usual for your stops. Peter Pan! What a week. Happy Easter!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you! Happy Easter to you too!

[@WhenAdventureKnox]

I loved how calming this video was with both your delivery and music choice! I strangely really liked the segment on the river Nith. Never would have guessed it was that shallow if it wasn't for the angler in the water, and I loved the drone shots of the bridge too. As always, a bargain with the hotel, even more so for the room upgrade 🥳 Hope you've been able to get up to some adventures over the long weekend.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you! Didn't get up to much over Easter but a few adventures await! Hope you had a good one.

[@derekaccount9183]

Great thanks wish it was a bit longer as Dumfries is such an interesting place!

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Totally agree Derek, lots to see and do for sure. Enjoyed my day looking around the town!

[@grantbassett2048]

Hi Matt, what a great tour!!!!!! Amazing country and towns. And excellently information and of the beaten track stops. My Cusin moved up to Creetown from Yorkshire they love it up there. Great tour loved every minute of it. And your guidance and friendly face through it all is icing on the cake. Grant 😊👍

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hi Grant, hope you are well? Glad you liked the tour around Scotland's south-west - what a trip!! How crazy that I stopped for a few nights in Creetown, I didn't show much of it on the video but did take a quick walk along the High Street before I left and really liked the place! Glad you enjoyed it - I hope to revisit Scotland again in the future. 😃

[@grantbassett2048]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Hi matt, I would of normally commented every episode but cutting down on commenting in general..😄.but was happy to see another Scottish tour. we are well thanks, my Uncle took my mum and Auntie up to Grandtown on Spay to visit are relatives up there last week, they had a bit off snow, Lovely area. We've not been up this year sofar. But planning maybe October week break. I love the red sand stone buildings there different, not to mention the views. How long did it tek you to drive home? 🚗

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

No worries, glad you enjoyed the trip! Sounds like your Uncle, Mum & Auntie picked a good week if they got to see a bit of snow - prefect timing! From memory it took just over 6 hours with one short stop for some food and a toilet break. The traffic was kind to me and I had a good run all the way down to London.

[@HarrywragWarmbear]

The road bridge is called st Michael's bridge .

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the info. 👍

[@jacquelinemerrick4257]

thanks for these vidios really enjoyed them all

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching, Jacqueline! I'm really pleased you enjoyed them, it was a terrific trip and I enjoyed every moment of it (except for perhaps some of the rain!)

[@jacquelinejohnson7541]

Thank u for sharing I was born in Dumfries I had to leave at a young age as family moved ,I now live in Northants UK ,never been back sadly I would love to go to Beeswing village and at the big house if one goes round the road there they used to have Lotus cottage I lived there with gran and grandad a while it was the most happy place I ever lived ,the cottage is on the left as one goes round ,it had a we bridge and a brook in the property before u went up to the cottage I so have missed that place many a year now I lived there when I was seven I'm now 67 it might not even be there now ,I didn't know they had the new bridge in Dumfries thanks 👍🤗🙏💖🇬🇧

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hello Jacqueline, thanks for the comment, it’s lovely to read about your childhood memories in and around Dumfries. It sounds like a very happy time for you and you still hold a lot of those moments in your heart. I would urge you to head back there if only for old times sake, I’m sure you would enjoy looking around the places where you grew up and also seeing how much they’ve all changed. Glad my video helped you walk a little way along Memory Lane. Thanks for watching ! 😃

[@jacquelinejohnson7541]

@@MattWhitingsEurope 👍🤗🙏💖🇬🇧

[@rmontgomery7510]

Keep it as a memory Dumfries has gone to hell kids and people in general aren’t safe here anymore it’s become a little violent Africa 😞

[@eavxphilgrlifeinhongkong]

Amazing place thank u for sharing enjoyed ur rude trip .Hapy Easter Matt..

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sticking with me!! Happy Easter.

[@JuliaHopewell]

We got married inside the Midsteeple in 1988. Still going strong - and solvent (thanks to a 25 pound marriage licence😆).

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Haha a bargain for sure! Might set you back a few more pennies these days! 😆 Congrats, glad to hear you're still going strong!

[@Chickenparmo1990]

The place is an absolute dump. It never used to be like that though I lived round here all my life and it was once a buzzing little town around 15-20 years ago. I think the place just got neglected over the years.
Nowadays you walk round and a lot of shops including the cinema have all shut down. I personally don’t think the government gives two shits about Dumfries and Galloway as it isn’t heavily populated. For them it’s all about the central belt.
Don’t be put off by visiting though as the rural countryside that surrounds it is stunning. The solway coast and the rest of the Galloway is a hidden gem where you won’t be over-run by tourists like what you get in places such as the Lake District or the Scottish highlands.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the information, Stuart, a few people have said something similar. It's a shame I didn't get to see it a few decades ago, from what people are saying it would have looked quite different. I enjoyed my walk around the town though, it was the best weather I got on the entire trip! Thanks for watching!

[@sandratogneri9982]

Very interesting....I really didn't think it was so built up Dumfries ....First time, I've looked it up ...
Visited Aberdeen Years ago for a Wedding ....& the drive up was Stunnig ...& back down ...threw Balmoral....etc XXX

[@sandratogneri9982]

Didn't realise ...Fries was in the spelling lol XXX

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Yes it's a larger place that I thought too! No doubt about it, the drive in those parts is always going to be worth the time. Yes the spelling catches a lot of people out, it certainly doesn't sound out like that! Thanks for watching Sandra!

[@United_kingdom-Bloxburg.1221]

Cool

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching!

[@RHR-221b]

Hello again, Matt. At timestamp 9' 03", that is not a 'little water rapid' ... That is *The Caul.* Please research *The Caul* when your schedule allows. 👍
Hope that helps, somewhat. Much appreciation re your uploads. Please excuse my erratic behaviour ...
Rab 🍻 😎

[@RHR-221b]

PS.
The Caul on the Nith below Devorgilla Bridge is of early origin, built originally of stakes, but reconstructed many times in timber and rubble. Although the lade is infilled, the site of the sluice gate at the S end of the Caul can still be seen.
[Donnachie 1971.]
[Noted as part of Dumfries harbour, NX97NE 125]. The Caul is not, strictly speaking, a part of the harbour installations, but it calls for notice on account of its effect on the river. About 1660, the Stakeford Caul (NX97NE 731), built in the 1520s, seems to have been falling out of use, and in 1661-2 large sums were spent on a caul which must have been in a different position from the old one. That is to say, in 1704, when a caul was required to serve a new mill and to divert part of the main current of the river, which was eroding the left-bank foreshore below the Old Bridge (NX97NE 26), a cut more than 1,007 yards [91.5m] was made on the right [W] bank 'a stone's throw below the old caul'; but as the 16th century work has been nearly half a mile upstream it cannot be the work referred to, and the 17th century must therefore have been close to that of 1704. This latter was of timber, and when it was wrecked by ice in the winter of 1710-11, the Council decided not to rebuild it, but to heighten and strengthen the structure 'a stone's throw' above it. As the work so rebuilt has helped to preserve the adjoining left-bank [E] foreshore, where vessels habitually tied up, it may properly be regarded as an early measure of improvement.
[A Graham and A E Truckell, 1977 (visited 1975)]
This stone weir spans the River Nith to the SE of the Old (Devorgilla) Bridge (NX97NE 26). Aligned N-S, it runs at an angle across the river, which here forms the boundary between the parishes of Troqueer (to the W) and Dumfries (to the E). It presumably formed the upper limit of Dumfries Harbour (NX97NE 125), but is not noted by J R Hume (1976).
All the best. Rab 🕊

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for the info! Very interesting, I will look it up. Glad you're enjoying the uploads, love Scotland and will hopefully get back up there at some point!

[@lynnkirkpatrick9393]

You did not mention the tidal boar in the Nith. Or the salmon run.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

No I don't believe I did.

[@duneideann9241]

Another great series and well presented. I have only been down to Ayr and Dumfries a few times but I need to get down and venture further. Shame you just missed the birth place of the founder of the US Navy at Kirkbean.
I would love to see you do a series on the Western Isles

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

If I had a bit more time I would have done the drive from Newton Stewart to Dumfries in two days instead of one, I think I drove through Kirkbean but by the time I got there is was dark so didn't see very much. There's a couple more road trips I really want to do in Scotland, one is the North East 250 (my last numbered route) and then the western isles as they look spectacular. Any places you'd recommend for when I make it back?

[@duneideann9241]

@@MattWhitingsEurope I agree , time restricts many peoples visits to Scotland with so many things to see and do.
My trip would be the Hebridean Way starting from Oban . A quick trip to Mull and back then a trip over to Castlebay to start the Hebridean way up to Stornaway and over to Ullapool. The most stunning beaches in Scotland are on this trip including Vatersay , Luskentyre etc also the Standing stones at Callanish.
Glencoe and Skye and Edinburgh are must sees in Scotland
For historical interests I would highly recommend Scottish History Tours short videos on TH-cam

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you Dun, lots of helpful information there. I've heard of many of those places and I've often heard good things from people who have visited. The west coast of Scotland really is a treasure trove of magnificent places and I'm sure there are many wonderful adventures to be had. Thanks for your comments, I always enjoy reading them and it's great to hear about all the extras. Thanks again for the information!

[@duneideann9241]

@@MattWhitingsEurope Also from Mull you can also visit Iona and Fingals Cave
In Castlebay there is the Castle “ in the bay “ and further up the amazing Barra airport
Really injuring your vlogs 👍

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thank you Sir! And thank you for the tips and pointers, much appreciated.

[@nathanaelmini2595]

I love Scotland. I love the Scots. I love what is Scottish.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

It's a wonderful place for sure!

[@nathanaelmini2595]

@@MattWhitingsEurope The Scots speak English. Scotland is a English-speaking territory.

[@Wild0790]

gotta say really enjoyed these videos amazingly done :)

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks very much for saying, glad you enjoyed them. I really enjoyed the whole road trip, it's certainly an underrated part of Scotland. Thanks for watching.

[@Wild0790]

Ur welcome buddy am from originally from whithorn but in dumfries now 😁 keep the great content up buddy

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Much appreciated, thanks. Ah yes Whithorn - great little village. I’m thinking Isle of Whithorn?

[@Wild0790]

Yeah both are great little villages brought back many memories watching the videos thank you for them 😁😁

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks for watching, glad I could bring back a few of those memories!

[@maddya5173]

what a beautiful video! Was this filmed in early April?

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Hello Maddy, thanks for watching - glad you enjoyed it! It was filmed in early October.

[@RHR-221b]

For Your Information [credit: Wikipedia] :
*Greyfriars Church Today*
Since 2008, Saint Bride’s Anglican Church had worshipped in the building. In June 2019, possible plans were announced, which proposed to reduce the size of the church and convert a portion of the building to *residential flats [£££s].* On 9 December 2021, St Bride's Anglican Church *sold the church* [£££s] and moved to another site in Dumfries. Greyfriars was bought by the Orthodox Diocese of Whithorn ...
*'Are you buying, selling or just passing through?'* Palm rubbing intensifies.
Amen ... 🤔££££££££s
Pelters welcome.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Interesting stuff, RF. Sounds like you know the town very well?

[@RHR-221b]

@@MattWhitingsEurope I lived in Dumfries for a number of years, Matt. I will send you a synopsis soon!
Rab 👍

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Thanks Rab!

[@broadpete]

Lovely filming and info but is there a need to shout? I had to switch off sorry.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Sorry about that. I was a bit excited in places but worst of all I had the microphone turned on 'wind mode' so the sound came out quite tinny and lacking real base. Lesson learned.

[@andiegray6582]

not as good as it used to be to many shops have shut and not as busy

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

That's a shame. I enjoyed my visit. Hopefully the good times will return.

[@swell_tuna]

Home town of Calvin Harris.

[@MattWhitingsEurope]

Cool bit of trivia, I didn't know that. 👍