Two hours from Edinburgh and Glasgow (whose airports receive direct flights from Chicago, Atlanta, Florida and the eastern seaboard), Dumfries and Galloway is an area of grand views, peace and isolation, bustling harbourside towns, craft shops and galleries, cafes and restaurants, mountains and coast, wildlife and outdoor pursuits… Even the weather can defy expectation, for the far west is warmed by the Gulf Stream. You can be at Scotland’s highest village in the morning, on a deserted sandy beach in the afternoon, and in a Dark Sky Park, gazing at the stars, in the evening. And the region is also home to Scotland’s ‘big five’ iconic animals: golden eagle, red squirrel, harbour seal, red deer, and European otter.

Human-related curiosities complement such natural wonder. Samye Ling was the first Tibetan monastery established in the west; the Famous Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green still hosts a thousand marriages a year – and not just eloping couples either; Hallmuir Chapel is a WWII Ukrainian place of worship in the Dumfriesshire Dales; and Dumfries itself contains the house where Robert Burns, Scotland’s national bard, spent his last three years. Whatever your interest, Bradt’s Dumfries & Galloway (Slow Travel) is an ideal companion for a successful trip.