Creetown
Creetown sits near the head of the sweeping Wigtown Bay, on the north shore of the Solway Firth. Whatever direction you are travelling from the journey to Creetown, along long, winding and picturesque roads, will help melt your stresses away and get you in the right frame of mind for a relaxing festival break.
In fact, did you know that Queen Victoria said the Gatehouse of Fleet to Creetown road was the most beautiful stretch of road in the UK?
Creetown’s claims to fame may now be the famous Creetown Gem Rock Museum and of course our country music festival, but there’s a lot more to our small town than meets the eye. Creetown was originally known as ‘Ferrytown of Cree’ because ferries used to cross the River Cree here, right back to the days when pilgrims made their way to the shrine of St Ninian at Whithorn. Small trading ships continued to come up to the village until early in the 20th century.
The mid-nineteenth century saw granite quarries developed around Creetown, supplying the granite used in the building of Liverpool docks. This led to Creetown becoming one of the wealthiest villages in Scotland for a time. Top quality silver grey granite was quarried here for over 150 years and sent all over the UK. It was used in the building of London Bridge and for the monuments ‘Lady of the Sea’ at Largs, and ‘Lady of the Isles’ on South Uist, as well as for making the famous ‘setts’ used in road building.
You can discover the story of Creetown’s fascinating history and heritage at the Creetown Heritage Centre where you’ll also find information on the Balloch Wood project, a community project which has created footpaths through the beautiful Balloch Wood.
Why not enjoy one of the peaceful walks during your stay – you might be lucky and catch sight of one of our rare red squirrels.
If getting out and about and enjoying the countryside takes your fancy then Creetown is a wonderful base from which to explore the outstanding Galloway countryside and our fascinating visitor attractions and local activities.
Why not take a look at our links page for information about things to do in and around Creetown and turn your country music festival break into a holiday to remember!