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Newton Stewart, on the banks of the River Cree is a bustling small town known as the Gateway to the Galloway Hills. Newton Stewart is a market town with a weekly sheep and cattle market held in a listed building right in the town centre.
The River Cree is the dominating feature of Newton Stewart. The Cree is spanned by an attractive bridge in the middle of the town where it is delightful to sit by the weir and watch the river flow. Last time I visited, a heron was on the river bank and there were several swans in the water by the bridge
The main street has many interesting shops and cafes along with a beautiful art deco cinema building which is now community owned.
Between the main street and the river you will find The Belted Galloway which is a café and information centre.
Newton Stewart also has an intriguing museum with a multitude of diverse and eclectic artefacts and is well worth a visit.
Not far from Newton Stewart, at Glentrool, you enter Galloway Forest Park – the largest forest in the UK. There is a delightful café / visitor centre near Glentrool Village. A few miles further along the road, at the top of the glen, you will find Bruce’s Stone with magnificent views over Loch Trool, a granite boulder celebrating Robert the Bruce’s victory in the Battle of Glentrool.
From here, the footpath to the summit of The Merrick, which is a Corbett* starts. The Merrick is the highest Scottish mountain south of the Highlands and is more or less the same height as Blencathra in Cumbria,
Newton Stewart is an ideal base to explore the Glentrool area. As well as climbing the Merrick, there are many other walking opportunities such as the path round Loch Trool (5.5 miles) or one of the easier forest walks for the Visitor Centre. Glentrool is also one of the famous 7 Stanes Mountain Biking Centres. Kirroughtree, another of the 7 Stanes is also near Newton Stewart.
Newton Stewart holds an extremely popular Walking Festival in May each year and an equally popular Traditional Music Festival each July. Here’s a wee taster of what to expect at the Traditional Music Festival on this trailer from a previous year.
As you leave the town, just past the roundabout on the road to Wigtown, lies award winning Crafty Distillery famed for its Hills and Harbour Gin. Here you can book a tour of the distillery or stop by for a coffee.
For golfers, Newton Stewart Golf Club is an 18 hole parkland course which welcomes visitors.
Rusko Art Holidays Galloway
Galloway Forest Park
South of Scotland Golf
Newton Stewart Walking Festival
Barholm Cycle Hire
Barholm Arts and Crafts
Glenquicken Farm Trout Fishery
Studio 17
Adventure Carrick
Kitchen Coos and Ewes
Galloway Cycling Holidays
Dark Sky Ranger
Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere
Three Lochs Riding Stables
Galloway Astronomy Centre
Ronald Rae Sculpture Exhibition
South West Coastal 300 #SWC300
Elmlea Plants
The Swallow Theatre
Wigtown Book Festival and Book Shop
Castle Kennedy Gardens
Bruntis Loch @ Kirroughtree -Galloway Forest Park
Galloway Hills The Merrick
7Stanes Mountain Biking
Wigtownshire County Golf Club
John D Owen and Son
The Crafty Crow
Galloway Farmhouse Cheese and From Ewe to You
Beltie Books and Cafe
Newton Stewart Golf Club
Crafty Distillery Tours & Shop
St Ninian’s Tearoom, The Isle of Whithorn
Bladnoch Distillery
The Riverbank Cafe
The View
The Belted Galloway Visitor Centre
St Medan Golf Club
Creetown Gem Rock Museum
Glenwhan Gardens, Arboretum and Tearoom
Sulwath Brewers Ltd
The Pheasant
Whithorn Trust Visitor Centre & Cafe
Newton Stewart & Minnigaff Traditional Music and Dance Festival 2022
