| Great weekends: Scotland 1 |
| Saturday: Scots bard |
| Farmer, excise man, poet and lyric-writer - trace the life and times of Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous literary character |
Robert Burns is often associated with Ayrshire, and Alloway in particular, the
place of his birth in 1759. He resided in Dumfries from 1791 until his death, in 1796. Burns is now commemorated throughout the world on Burns' Day, 25 January.
As you might expect of a national poet, there is plenty around this area of Scotland to do and see in connection with his life and works. Here, we've concentrated on just a few of the associations made with Burns, beginning in Dumfries.
1. Globe Inn
Park your car at Whitesands riverside in Dumfries, (you'll need a parking disk, available from the Tourist Information centre or most newsagents). Cross the road and head up Bank St (where for a time, Burns lived in a small flat). Turn right and walk down the High St, past Queensberry St, and then turn into an alleyway on your left, at a sign for the Globe Inn.
Here, in this 17th-century inn, Burns left his mark. Not only does his favourite seat still survive in his favourite howff (haunt, in auld Scottish) and two poetic inscriptions remain visible to this day, scratched onto the window panes in his bedroom. It's also thought that the first of what is now known as a Burns' Supper was held here, at the Globe, back in 1819. Happily, the inn today is not 'mothballed' as a museum-piece. It's still a working pub.
2. Burns' house
Leave the pub and go back to the High St. Turn left, walk to its end with Shakespeare St. Here, turn left, then next right into Burns St. Walk around the S-bend. On your left is a red sandstone building - Burns' home. (Entrance to Burns' house is free).
Burns moved here in 1793, when the street was called Mill St. By this time, Burns had made a decent living, not from his works, which did not bring great financial returns, but from his reputation as an excise man. The house has two bedrooms, (one is pictured, below) a kitchen, small study and a parlour.
Burns' time here was generally happy, and amongst the songs written here were the famous 'My Luve Is Like A Red Red Rose', 'A Man's A Man for A' That' and 'Scots Wha Hae'. Jean Armour, his wife, described Burns' habits during his life in Dumfries:
"Burns was not an early riser excepting when he had anything particular to do in the way of his profession. Even tho' he had dined out, he never lay after nine o'clock. The family breakfasted at nine. If he lay long in bed awake he was always reading. At all meals he had a book beside him on the table. He worked in the forenoon and was seldom engaged professionally in the evening. He was fond of plain things and hated tarts, pies and puddings. When at home in the evening he employed his time in writing and reading while the children played around him - their prattle never distracted him."
3. Burns' Mausoleum and St Michael's Kirk
Turn left out of Burns' House. Walk to the end of Burns St towards the
imposing, red sandstone steeple of St Michael's Kirk. Walk up the steps, around the front of the Kirk and turn left. Here lies Burns' Mausoleum.
This mausoleum was built in 1815, 19 years after Burns' death. He was disinterred from his original grave, a few yards to the left of the Grecian mausoleum. He is now buried with his widow and five of his family.
The Mausoleum was constructed after an appeal begun by his old friend John Syme who felt strongly that Burns' grave was too ordinary for such a great man. William and Dorothy Wordsworth had visited his grave in 1803 but had difficulty finding it, and so in 1813 Syme wrote to Dumfries' most important characters, the result of which was an appeal to raise funds for the mausoleum you see today.
4. Robert Burns Centre
Leave the Kirk yard, turn left down St Michael's Bridge Rd, and walk to the riverside. Don't cross the bridge
- instead, turn right and walk across the attractive, suspension bridge nearby. Once across, turn right and walk along the river until you come to the Robert Burns Centre . Admission to the Centre is free (but it is closed on Sundays and Mondays).
The Burns Centre, inside the town's 18th-century water mill, is the best introduction to Burns' life in Dumfriesshire. Here, you'll find examples of original manuscripts, and an insight into the town, including a magnificent scale model of Dumfries in Burns' time. There's a children's museum trail, too, and activities to keep them amused.
5. Lincluden Abbey
Leave the Centre and turn right into Mill Rd. Turn right at its end, then right again onto Devorgilla Bridge and return to your car (notice the granite statue of Lady Devorgilla, wife of John Balliol, carrying the 'heart' of her late husband). Zero your car's trip meter and turn left out of the long-stay car park. At the lights at the bridge on Buccleugh St (0.2 miles), cross the bridge. Turn right onto the A76 Glasgow Rd, and continue over four roundabouts, always following the A76. At 1.6 miles, turn right into Jock's Loaning (towards Lincluden Collegiate Church), and follow the road to its junction with Abbey Lane at 2.3 miles. Turn left and park. Walk down the lane to Lincluden Abbey.
This was one of Burns' favourite locations. It's not hard to imagine why: the ruined Abbey nestles on the banks of the River Nith, below an ancient motte (the mound which once formed the side of a castle), testament to the ancient tribes who settled here four millennia ago.
Lincluden was almost certainly designed by a French stonemason, Jean Morow, whose work can also been seen in the abbeys of Melrose and Paisley (which still boasts a congregation). It holds some of the finest carvings of 15th-century Scotland. For Burns, though, it was the inspiration for one of his most famous songs, "Ca' the Yowes to the Knowes".
Even today, it's still possible to see the solace that Burns found here despite the town having grown up around it in more modern times.
6. Ellisland Farm
At the end of Abbey Lane, zero your car's trip meter. Return to the A76 and turn right. Continue for 4.8 miles, then turn right into Ellisland Farm.
The farm was Burns' family home until 1791. He was just 29 at the time although his health was already poor - a result of his previous work as a ploughman before he became an excise man. It was not an unhappy time he spent here: two children, Frances Wallace and William Nicol, were born here and it offered him inspiration. He once called Ellisland "the poet's choice", out of all the farms he was offered by his landlord, Patrick Miller.
Not far from Lincluden, and the banks of the Nith, Burns wrote some of his finest works including 'Auld Lang Syne', 'Sweet Afton' and 'Tam O'Shanter'.
Today, you can see his spence (writing parlour) with his travelling case, fishing rod and flute, and the impressive kitchen, with its then state-of-the-art cooking range. There's also a full description of farm life in Burns' time, and a
riverside walk to The Hermitage, where Burns scratched more writings - again on a window!
• Return to your car and make your way back to Whitesands or your campsite. |
|
|
Distance Some walking (about 1.5 miles) plus 7.1 miles driving.
Time 4-5 hours
Start Whitesands, Dumfries
Finish Ellisland Farm
Suitable for all the family
Refreshments
Queensberry Hotel, Queensberry Rd, Dumfries. Tel 01387 253526
Information
Dumfries Tourist Information Tel 01387 245550
Attractions
The Globe Inn,
56 High St, Dumfries. Tel 01387 252335
Burns House
Tel 01387 255297
Robert Burns Centre
Tel 01387 264808
Ellisland Farm
Tel 01387 740426
TIP
Be wary of the flagstones at Lincluden Abbey if it has been raining or snowing as they can be treacherous when wet.
|
|
