Dumfries that is located in Dumfries and Galloway is considered a market town, and it was a royal burgh in its past, and is located in a council area in Scotland. Dumfries is located close to both the Nith river and to the Solway Firth. Dumfries got its name from the Scottish Gaelic language, and it means Fort of the Thicket.

Dumfries is located in the eastern side of the lowest crossing point in the Nith river. It isn't known why Dumfries was established back in the day, but it is thought that Dumfries became important during the Roman occupation of the area, because it flourished and the Selgovae and Nithsdale people enjoyed because of it.

Dumfries is known as the queen of the south, which was coined by the local poet David Dunbar who lived there during the 1800s, and the citizens of Dumfries are known as Doonhamers, because Dumfries was known as "doon hame" meaning "down home".

While in Dumfries you can watch sporting games with teams such as the Dumfries Saints Rugby Club which is considered Scotland's oldest rugby club, since it has been admitted to the Scottish Rugby Union back in 1876 and 1877 under the name of the Dumfries Rangers.

If you aren't interested in watching rugby matches while in Dumfries, you can watch and participate in other sporting events and arenas. You can play in the numerous golf courses that the town has to offer, such as the Crichton Golf Club and the Dumfries and County Golf Club, or the Pines Golf Centre. There is also a complex with a national event sized competition swimming pool for you to enjoy, and there are also facilities for athletes in the athletic center that is named after David Keswick.

If you prefer activities such as hiking or if you prefer to relax with your family while running around Dumfries and enjoying the sights and sounds, you can go to the various parks that Dumfries has to offer, which are close or in the town center. Those parks include the Dock Park which is situated in the east bank of the Nith river, the Castledykes Park which is the site where a castle once stood, and there is the Mill Green park which is also known as the deer park, which is located in the west bank of the Nith river.

If you are worried about your transportation options for arriving to Dumfries and visiting the many interesting locations around it, you have multiple choices. You can either arrive and travel by car around the town, because Dumfries is linked to the A74 motorway or you can take the A75 road which also links directly to Dumfries.

You can also go via the Dumfries railway station which is in the Glasgow South Western Line and services multiple other locations, so you can quickly go from place to place in Scotland via the railway station - places such as Stranraer, Glasgow and Carlisle, and you can use other stations as well.

If you run a hotel, guest house or bed & breakfast and would like to be included in A1 Tourism's Hotel & Guest House Directory, please contact us

The Dumfries Tourist Board gives comparable information to this page. If you require more information about Dumfries, you may be able to obtain it from the Dumfries Tourist Board.