Wigtown is Scotland’s official National Book Town. It’s a small, quiet, charming little town with traditional houses interspersed with book shops.
We found plenty of parking near the bowling green and spent a few hours meandering up North Main Street and back down South Main Street. Most of the bookshops are in this area.
I think we went in most of the them (about a dozen). The shops range from huge and rambling to small and cosy. Quite a few combine selling small gifts and antiques along with the books. Some specialise and others seem to stock simply everything!
I particularly liked the ones with sofas that invited you to sit and read for a while. Byre Books stood out for being more themed and specialising in folklore and fantasy.
A few honest thoughts
If you’re a book lover, it’s a must-visit, though I did find some second-hand prices a bit high.
It was hard not to think “I could order this for cheaper online!” but it’s important to support local shops too, and we came away with eight books. The gift and merchandise options also felt a little generic in places, I would have loved to see more unique, local items, or items for book lovers.
We did get a unique keyring from Faodail, apparently made by the shopkeeper’s partner 😊
Beyond the Books
Between shops, there’s a selection of cafes and we had a tasty soup and bread at Cafe Rendezvous.
I think you need to be a book lover to make this town a destination. However, there’s also an old church with a historic grave, an old harbour and a wetland area with a bird hide that you can explore when you’ve exhausted the book shops.
Overall, Wigtown is a pretty town and it worked perfectly as a rainy-day trip during this visit to Dumfries & Galloway.
Wigtown is about an hour’s drive from Serenity 22 Barend, making it a great day trip for our guests. See more rainy day trip ideas here.
If you’re heading West towards Wigtown, the Gem Rock Museum in Creetown is right on the way and well worth a stop before it closes in October.
Planning Essentials
Address & Links
Address: Wigtown, Newton Stewart, DG8 9JH
Official Site: Association of Wigtown Booksellers
Planning Your Trip
Distance: 50 miles W from Serenity ~1h 10min drive
Navigation: Google Maps | Waze | What3Words
Our Tips: Make a list of the books you’d like to find before your visit.
Please let us know if any details need to be updated by using the comments below or our feedback form 😊
