Things to do in Dumfries
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Cavens Arms
Engaging staff, nine real ales on tap, and a warm contented buzz make this a legendary Dumfries pub. Generous portions of typical pub nosh backed up by a long list of more adventurous daily specials make it one of the town’s most enjoyable places to eat too. If you were going to move to Dumfries, you’d make sure you were within a block or two of here.
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Globe Inn
A traditional, rickety old nook-and-cranny pub down a narrow wynd off the main pedestrian drag, this was reputedly Burns' favourite watering hole, and scene of one of his numerous seductions. It's got a great atmosphere created by its welcoming locals and staff as much as the numerous pictures of the 'ploughman poet' himself.
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Ellisland Farm
If you're not Burnsed out, you could head 6 miles northwest of town and visit the farm he leased. It still preserves some original features from when he and his family lived here, and there's a small exhibition. It's signposted off the A76 to Kilmarnock.
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Burns House
This is a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts. It's here that the poet spent the last years of his life, and there are various items of his possessions in glass cases, as well as manuscripts and, entertainingly, letters: make sure you have a read.
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Hullabaloo
At weekends locals flock to this contemporary restaurant at the Robert Burns Centre. For lunch there’s wraps, melts and ciabattas, but come dinner time it’s inventive angles on traditional creations – with imaginative fish dishes perhaps best on show.
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Robert Burns Centre
A worthwhile Burns exhibition in an old mill on the banks of the River Nith. It tells the story of the poet and Dumfries in the 1790s. The optional audiovisual presentations give more background on Dumfries, and explain the exhibition's contents.
You'll find Robert Burns'mausoleum in the graveyard at St Michael's Kirk; there's a grisly account of his reburial on the information panel. At the top of High St is a statue of the bard; take a close look at the sheepdog at his feet.
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One Bank St
This wee room upstairs around the corner from the tourist office (look for the sign on the street) does gourmet rolls and baked potatoes, but gets even more adventurous with wraps like roast veg and humus or smoked chicken and raspberry.
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Coffee House
For a relaxing pit stop smack bang in the middle of High St, check out this cheeky little number bringing a bit of caffeine snobbery to Dumfries. Grab the paper, your favourite tea or coffee and watch the world tick by.
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Grierson & Graham
Bikes are available for hire from Grierson & Graham near Dumfries and close to mountain-biking terrain, but don’t forget to bring photo ID and cash for your deposit.
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red-sandstone bridges
The red-sandstone bridges arching over the River Nith are the most attractive features of the town, and Devorgilla Bridge (1431) is one of the oldest bridges in Scotland.
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Burns' mausoleum
Burns' mausoleum is in the graveyard at St Michael's Kirk. At the top of High St is a statue of the bard; take a close look at the sheepdog at his feet.
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Morrisons
For self-caterers looking for a supermarket, you can buy all you need at the huge Morrisons .
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