8 Must-See Sites in Southern Scotland

Claiming to be the largest forest in the United Kingdom, Galloway Forest Park not only features the Galloway Hills, but the forest is also a designated Dark Sky Park and home to Loch Trool and Bruce’s Stone. Bruce’s Stone commemorates the victory of King Robert Bruce over the English in the 14th century. © Mark Dean | Dreamstime.com

Visit Dumfries House, a Palladian country house near Cumnock dating back to the 18th century. Featuring an unrivaled collection of original furniture, Dumfries House also boasts gardens. Accessible by guided tours only, Dumfries House also includes a café and restaurant. © Klodien | Dreamstime.com

Walk through the house where Scotland’s national storyteller spent his last years. In this simple sandstone house, you’ll see how Robert Burns and his family lived, as well as find a gift shop selling books, gifts and keepsakes with Burns connections. Look for Burns’ name scratched on an upstairs window pane. The poet’s resting place is also a short distance away, in St. Michael’s Kirkyard. © Geoffrey Allerton | Dreamstime.com

First built in the 13th century, Caerlaverock Castle, south of Dumfries, is a popular attraction thanks to its preserved walls and towers. The site of a bloody siege by King Edward I of England, the castle is also near the woods where a reputed bard went insane after the death of his king, later said to inspire a version of Merlin in Arthurian legend. © Aidant | Dreamstime.com

Soak in the beauty of Scotland’s southeastern coast at St. Abb’s Head, a national nature reserve home to ancient rock beds and a wide range of flora and fauna. Spot seabird colonies and take in the rock coast. The area also features St. Abb’s Head Lighthouse and a seventh-century monastery settlement of Saint Æbbe. © Julietphotography | Dreamstime.com

Explore the place where Mary Queen of Scots once stayed — Queen Mary’s House in Jedburgh. A museum since 1930, this building tells the story and life of this famous Scottish queen, who stayed and was nursed back to health from an illness in the very same building. © Creativehearts | Dreamstime.com

If walls could talk, Melrose Abbey would have some stories to tell. This 12th-century Gothic abbey holds the remains of several Scottish kings and nobles, including Alexander II and, allegedly, the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce. Situated on the site of an earlier monastery, the abbey was a Cisternian abbey, even featuring in a Sir Walter Scott poem. © Phillip Gray | Dreamstime.com

One of the United Kingdom’s highest waterfalls, Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall in Moffat plunges nearly 200 feet below into Loch Skeen. Wildlife like ospreys, peregrine falcons and feral goats roam the surrounding lands, and you can even embark on a ranger-led guided walk in search of fossils. © Gail Johnson | Dreamstime.com