Self catering holidays in Gatehouse of Fleet - Dumfries and Galloway

Although Gatehouse of Fleet only dates back to the mid-1700s, the area around Gatehouse of Fleet has been inhabited since pre-history. Nearby Neolithic and Bronze Age antiquities include the chambered cairns at Cairnholy and Trusty's Hill fort with its Pictish stone carvings, known as the De'il's Specs (Devil's Spectacles).

Cardoness Castle, the 15th century tower of the McCullochs, keeps watch over the Fleet estuary, while the roofless old kirk at Anwoth yields fascinating insights into Scotland's turbulent religious past.

Gatehouse owes its development to the entrepreneur James Murray of Broughton, whose great house, Cally - now a high class hotel - was completed in 1765. Formerly the Gait House it was simply a staging post on the important route to Portpatrick and Ireland, but from 1760-1850 it grew into a thriving centre for the cotton industry. Water, the motive behind this expansion, was harnessed at Loch Whinyeon and brought to the mill by lades. In 1795 gatehouse had four cotton mills, a brass foundry, brewery, brickworks, soap factory, tanneries - and double its present day population.

Gatehouse is a busy town and hosts festivals throughout the year including the Music Festival and Beer Festival. The annual Gatehouse of Fleet Gala takes place over the last week in July - August and is a popular attraction.

Events include: PIPE BANDS, COUNTRY DANCING, TOURS, EXHIBITIONS, CONCERTS, DISPLAYS, COMPETITIONS, DISCOS, MUSIC AND DANCING, FANCY DRESS PARADE, FOOTBALL, MOUNTAIN BIKING, FUN RUN, PICNICS, OPEN DAYS, TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION.