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Dumfries, situated, on the banks of the River Nith, not that far away from the Solway Firth is, by a great amount, the most populous town in the southwest area of Scotland (the population is much more than 30 thousand souls). Dumfries, like Ayr, has numerous associations with the life and times of Robert Burns.

For people planning to take a vacation in Dumfries below we have listed details of three popular visitor attractions to visit; Robert Burns House, Lochmaben Castle and Dundrennan Abbey:

Dundrennan Abbey

King David I founded Dundrennan Abbey in 1142. During this time, Scottish abbeys were usually built of a reddish sandstone, but Dundrennan Abbey was built of very hard-weathering, local grey sandstone. This is probably the reason why many of the original architecural forms and mouldings have survived. The first monks to reside in the Abbey, were supposedly to have come from Rievaulx, Yorkshire. Mary Queen of Scots spent her last night on Scottish soil at Dundrennan Abbey in 1568. She then found her way across the Solway Firth to Workington, and was shortly imprisoned and captured by the English. In 1587, following the Scottish Reformation, the property was passed into the hands of the crown.

Lochmaben Castle

The Lochmaben Castle, that we see today, was not the first Lochmaben Castle. The first was commissioned by the Bruce family, Lords of Annandale, in the beginning of the twelfth century. In 1298, King Edward I of England captured the castle, and then constructed another Lochmaben Castle in a much stronger defensive position. This second castle was completed in the beginning of the fourteenth century, leaving the old castle derelict. From 1306 to 1588, the castle was either in the hands of the Scots or the hands of the English. It was in 1588 that James VI attacked and captured the castle from the Maxwell family. The castle was eventually abandoned after the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

Robert Burns House

One of the most famous men in Scotland, Robert Burns, lived in Dumfries during the last years of his life. The home that his family and he once occupied, has now become a place of pilgramge for his fans from across the globe. He left this mortal coil prematurely at the age of 37 years in 1796, at home. Today, one can catch a glimpse of how his family and he lived, back in the late 1700’s. The chair and desk where he sat and wrote are displayed, as are many of his orginal manuscripts. On display there are personal items as well, that once belonged to his family.

If you are considering having a Scottish vacation and you wish to spend some time in Dumfries you might wish to book your accommodation online and you will find Dumfries accommodation and hotel listings at http://dumfries.hotelreservationhelper.com.