Starting in the town of Dumfries and ending in the town of Newton Stewart, this one-day journey takes in three famous saints sites.
Sites to be Visited
Sweetheart Abbey
Dundrennan Abbey
Glenluce Abbey
Journey to the Southern Scotland Abbeys Saint Sites
The three sites can easily be visited in a day as the whole journey is 79.3 miles (127.6 km).
Our journey starts in the town of Dumfries, located at NGR NX976762.
Our first site is Sweetheart Abbey, located 7.7 miles (12.4 km) south at NGR NX9666. Monks named it Dulce Cor in memory of Lady Dervorguilla, who founded the abbey in tribute to her beloved husband, John Balliol in 1273 A.D. While the abbey became known as Sweetheart, the village that grew to serve it stuck with the original and more straightforward name of New Abbey. This was intended primarily to distinguish it from the not so distant Dundrennan, home of Sweetheart Abbey's mother house, Dundrennan Abbey. Detailed Driving Directions
Our journey's next destination, Dundrennan Abbey, located at NGR NX749475 and 24.3 miles (38.6 km) away. A Cistercian monastery established in 1142 A.D. by Fergus of Galloway and King David I of Scotland, Dundrennan means "fort of the thorn bushes." Detailed Driving Directions
Our last site to be visit is Glenluce Abbey, located 47.4 miles (76.2 km) west at NGR NX185586. Detailed Driving Directions
After visiting the abbey, we return to Newton Stewart, which we passed on the way to Glenluce. It is located 17.3 miles (27.8 km) away at NGR NX405655. Detailed Driving Directions
Visitors Information
Visitors information on Scotland's abbeys may be found at Wikipedia's List of Monastic Houses in Scotland website. General tourist information on Dumfries and Galloway may be found at the Visit Scotland website.
Disclaimer
As of the date of this posting, road directions and conditions are correct. Please check local road conditions, however, for possible changes prior to venturing forth on this journey. A helpful resource for road changes and possible trip interruptions if you are travelling in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland is the AA-UK Route Planner. Another map source that this website uses and that may be useful to you on your journeys is Streetmap UK.
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