Wigtown and Isle of Whithorn

 

Thursday 15th May 2025

We left our beach parking at Newton campsite this morning and after doing the necessary dumping of waste water and filling with fresh water we headed for Wigtown in glorious sunshire and not a cloud in the sky.

When I was researching my family history a few years ago, I found a number of ancestors living in Wigtown, so I said to myself if I ever found myself in the area I'd call in for a look.

It's a very sleepy town and is known as Scotlands book town. 

Nearly every shop was a book or art shop, except for the Coop, which only had limited stock due to being cyber hacked. Oh dear, progress ?

The town wasn't that large to spend much time there but it's very quirky and I noticed they a sign to Martyrs pillar stone, so I had to go explore that.

The Martyrs were Margaret Macloughlin and Margaret Wilson  who were around 18 years of age and on 11th May 1685 they met their fate tied to a stake and left to drown on the rising tide for refusing to acknowledge James Vll of Scotland as head of the church.

So I'd guess my ancestors living here in the 1800's would have been familiar with the story and probably toed the line in religious beliefs like good citizens, lol.

There is a nearby Parish church and ruins of the earlier church where the graves of the myrtars were.

A quick look on some gravestones revealed no Mackie's that I could see.

A Figaro parked in the town

Wigtown Parish Church

The Boardwalk to the Martyrs Pillar Stone

Martyrs Pillar Stone

Martyrs Graves

After some lunch it was onto the Isle of Whithorn a few miles further south.

It's a free parkup overlooking the beautiful bay.

It's a great place with lots of history nearby and an old lighthouse on the headland and coastal path.

We had a bit of drama at teatime, a lady bobby knocked on the door and asked us to stay indoors and not take any photos.

She said a body was being brought ashore.

It seems a paddle boarder got swept out to sea yesterday and had been found and recovered to shore.

An hour or so later a RNLB RIB arrived and the transfer to a waiting ambulance was carried out.

How sad, what a waste and sadness for the family.

Some views of Isle of Whithorn

Isle of Whithorn Wicker Man 

This is a Pilgrims Cairn at St Ninians Chapel,
messages are written on stones to remember the departed

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Isle of Whithorn lighthouse