The southwest is often neglected by tourists eager to discover the architectural and cultural heritage of the major Scottish cities, or the wild landscapes of the Highlands and islands (Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides). However the region, which lies within the triangle formed by Dumfries to the east, Stranraer to the west and the Firth of Clyde to the north, has a great deal to offer: quiet towns set in undulating landscapes given over to sheep and cattle farming, vast tracts of moorland and dense forests. It has a fascinating history too intertwined with sea trade and the areas proximity to Ireland.
It also has another major asset: almost 200 miles of indented coastline. To the south of the Shallow estuary of the Solway Firth, lined by marshes and tidal pools, marks Scotland's border with England while the west, the shores of the Irish Sea stretch from Stranraer to the mouth of the Clyde, near Glasgow. The southwest has a number of early Christian and medieval remains, and it was here that Robert Bruce  launched his campaign for Scottish independance in the 14th century.
Also, because of the Gulf Stream that brings warm waters along its coast the climate is somewhat milder than the rest of Scotland. Its beaches are sandy and pleasant and a wide variety of plants that would normally be seen in the southern hemisphere appear to prosper along the coastal towns to which they were brought hundreds of years ago.
Last but by no means least it is also the land of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet who was born near Ayr in 1759 and died in Dumfries in 1796. Many Fervent admirers make pilgrimages to the places where burns lived and worked.
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