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Dumfries Walks - River Walk

3.73 miles (6 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap This market town is located near the mouth of the River Nith and Solway Firth about 15 miles from the border with England.
The town has strong associations with the poet Robert Burns who lived here in the late 1700s. You can visit the Robert Burns centre to find out more about his life and works in a series of exhibitions. The centre is housed in an 18th-century watermill, positioned in a lovely spot on the river.
This walk in the town takes you along the River Nith to Kingholm Quay. The walk starts at the Robert Burns Centre and follows a pleasant riverside walking and cycling path south for nearly 2 miles. On the way you will pass the pretty Dock Park, where you'll find the Octocentenary walk and a number of benches to rest and enjoy the view. There's also a series of bridges including the Kirkpatrick Macmillan bridge where you can cross to the other side and enjoy a nice view over the river to the surrounding Scottish hills.
To continue your walking around Dumfries head south west to explore Mabie Forest where there's miles of good walking and cycling trails to try. Near here there's also the waterside trails around Loch Arthur.
Scroll down for a list of walks near the town.

Postcode

DG2 7BE - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Dumfries OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Dumfries Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Dumfries

Pubs/Cafes

Stop off for refreshments at the Riverside Bar in Dock Park. There's two outside seating areas include a terrace with open views over the Park and down to the River Nith. You can find them at postcode DG1 2RY for your sat navs.

Dog Walking

The riverside paths make for a pleasant dog walk. The Riverside Bar mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

For cyclists the new Kirkpatrick C2C also passes through Dumfries. The epic Coast to Coast route runs across the south of Scotland from Stranraer to Eyemouth.

Photos

Nith River, Dumfries - geograph.org.uk - 557381

Nith River, Dumfries

Dumfries, Dock Park, Bandstand

Dumfries, Dock Park, Bandstand

Kirkpatrick Macmillan bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1330366

Kirkpatrick Macmillan bridge. This foot- and cycle-bridge, the lowest crossing point over the River Nith, was built in 2006. It is named after Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a local unsung hero who lived and worked at Keir Mill about 20 Km to the north-west of Dumfries. He is credited in 1839 with building the first bicycle, thereby initiating a quiet revolution in personal transport. It is the second new footbridge over the Nith to be built in recent years, the first being the Millennium Bridge NY9676 nearer the town centre.

Suspension Bridge, Dumfries - geograph.org.uk - 3334059

Suspension Bridge, Dumfries

Dumfries, Friars Vennel - geograph.org.uk - 3335732

Dumfries, Friars Vennel

Dumfries, Annan Road - geograph.org.uk - 3369610

Dumfries, Annan Road

The Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries - geograph.org.uk - 967318

The Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries Formerly a watermill. The top of the Camera Obscura can be seen above the left-hand roof of the terrace beyond.

Kingholm Quay - geograph.org.uk - 1330331

Kingholm Quay. A small dock on the Nith estuary a short way downstream from Dumfries. Criffel can be seen in the distance on the other side of the estuary.

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Dumfries.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)