The Machars & Wigtown Area

The Machars refers to the large peninsula south of the section of the A75 which runs between Newton Stewart and Glen Luce, with the main town being Wigtown.  Its name derives from the Gaelic machair which refers to the sandy grasslands bordering the sea. 

This area was inhabited by the early Christians, such as St. Ninian, and there are many sites to view.  Whithorn, a medieval market town at the south of the peninsula, was where St. Ninian built the first Christian mission north of Hadrian's Wall in 397AD (nearly 200 years before St. Columba established the mission on Iona).  His remains were buried in Whithorn Priory to which many made a pilgrimage, including Mary Queen of Scots in 1563 until pilgrimages were prohibited at the time of the Reformation in 1581.  Hence the name of the meandering Pilgrim's Way from Glen Luce (a 100-mile round trip on quiet roads and tracks).  The ruins of the Priory have been recently excavated and many of the finds and further interpretation are to be found at the Whithorn Trust Discovery Centre and Whithorn Museum.  Pilgrims used to land on the Isle Of Whithorn on the southern tip of the peninsula which is now linked to the mainland by a causeway.  It has a natural harbour and nearby is St. Ninian's Cave, where the saint used to pray, and the 13th century St. Ninian's Chapel, built for pilgrims landing by sea.  Delicious bar meals, real ale and accommodation can be found at the Steam Packet Inn. 

Wigtown is a small town 7 miles south of Newton Stewart and in 1998 was named as Scotland's 'National Book Town' due to the 24 bookshops which are located in or near the square and the popular book festival held in September each year.    A few miles north-west of Wigtown on the B733 stands the Torhouse Stone Circle erected about the 2nd millennium BC.