The South West of Scotland has long been home to some larger than life characters, from the medieval Devorgilla to Rabbie Burns. With larger than life characters come larger than life stories. Burns, like Sir Walter Scott, drew many of his influences from existing Scottish myths & legends- which you can find out about in the Ayrshire section of our website. Devorgilla was a formidable woman and where the fact stops and fiction begins, no one is quite certain. It is not just these two great names that make the South West of Scotland a vibrant place immersed in fantastical myths and legends though, the wide variety of castles- many of which very well preserved, also hold stories of their own and in several places, the landscape itself holds the key to the folklore of the South West.
The areas of Dumfries & Galloway, and Ayrshire, are visually stunning places to explore, and once combined with the local myths and legends they become truly magical. To find out more about the stories of each why not check out the sections below in which we have brought together tales of times past, drawn from ancient texts, word of mouth tales, and victorian retellings to paint a picture of the fantastical world that the lengends proclaimed the South West of Scotland to be. While all of Scotland has a vast array of fairytales, the South West hold a special ethereal feel and the idea of telling one of the old legends of the region under the stars of the dark sky reserve creates a marvellously mythical image.
Tam O'Shanter She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum, A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum By David White & Robert
The De’il of Ardrossan If you walk along the sand from Ardrossan South Beach and glance eastward, you will see
Bruce and the Spider If at first, you don't succeed: try, try, try again. By Rebecca Brown The tale of
The Legends of Heather Ale From the bonny bells of heather They brewed a drink long-syne, Was sweeter far than