Dumfries and Galloway: National Geographic's top UK spot to visit

It might have raised a few eyebrows among the residents of Dumfries and Galloway to see the area recognised as one of the top travel destinations on the planet.

Alongside Melbourne in Australia, Jaipur in India and the island of Puerto Rico, this corner of south-west Scotland was named on the National Geographic Best in the World list for 2027.

It picked out 25 must-visit locations across the globe for people planning their "next unforgettable trip".

For anyone deciding to make Dumfries and Galloway their destination, what does it have to offer?

Award-winning travel journalist, writer and author Mike MacEacheran contributed to the article about the region and his love of the area runs deep.

"The first time I visited Dumfries and Galloway was in 1983 when I went on a beach holiday, aged five, to Portpatrick," he said.

"It's a memory that's lingered ever since.

"Most recently I toured the region, with highlights including the rippling hills of Galloway Forest Park and the fantasy pink turrets and self-catering cottages on the ever-beautiful Drumlanrig Castle Estate."

National Geographic hails 'thrilling and overlooked' part of Scotland

Scots site makes National Geographic's 'cool list'

He said the area deserved to be on more people's itineraries.

"These days it's a rare, if lovely, feeling to have a part of Scotland largely to yourself - especially one so effortless to reach, yet entirely a world apart," he added.

He also picked out a range of attractions in "one of the most breathtaking places on Earth".

It recognised the area as one of the best places for stargazing in the world.

An observatory was built in Dalmellington on the edge of the park but it burned down five years ago.

A new one is being built in the very heart of the forest at Clatteringshaws.

Plans were approved earlier this year and it is hoped it can open for business in 2027.

The Rhins of Galloway is the hammerhead-shaped shaped peninsula on the west end of the region.

A new 83-mile (133km) circular coastal trail allows visitors to explore its "fantastic fringes".

Walkers can take in a wide variety of scenery from the sheltered waters of Loch Ryan to the windswept cliffs of the Mull of Galloway - Scotland's southernmost point.

National Geographic said it made the region's dramatic cliffs and beaches "more accessible".

Scotland has many castles but Caerlaverock's unique selling point is its triangular shape.

It was besieged and captured on a number of occasions but the best-known sieges were in 1300 and 1640.

The first involved Edward I, with the small garrison surrendering to the English king's army within two days.

The second - the castle's last - went on for 13 weeks before the forces finally surrendered.

Afterwards it was stripped of fixtures and fittings and its south curtain wall demolished so it could never again be used as a place of defence.

Ellisland Farm, a few miles north of Dumfries, was built by Scotland's national bard Robert Burns in 1788 for his wife Jean Armour and their family.

While living there he wrote many of his most famous works including Auld Lang Syne and Tam o Shanter.

A trust is now trying to raise £12m to safeguard the future of the site.

Planning permission for its restoration project was granted by Dumfries and Galloway Council earlier this year, with detailed design work is now under way.

The aim is to deliver an "authentic and world-class experience" for local people and visitors to the site on the banks of the River Nith.

Gravel, mountain biking and the Tour de France

Dumfries and Galloway prides itself on its links to the bicycle going back to a pioneer of two-wheeled travel, Kirkpatrick Macmillan.

The route starts in Dumfries and has been designed in three intersecting loops to allow riders of all experience levels to enjoy a "taster" trip.

The area has a growing reputation for gravel riding thanks, in particular, to the annual Gralloch event in Gatehouse of Fleet.

Mountain bikers, too, can enjoy the 7stanes centres spanning the south of Scotland.

Five of them are in Dumfries and Galloway at Kirroughtree, Glentrool, Dalbeattie, Mabie and Ae.

Literary adventures at Wigtown with Sam Heughan

The region is home to Scotland's national book town in Wigtown which stages a festival each year.

This edition saw Outlander star Sam Heughan - who grew up in Galloway and is a passionate advocate of the area - among the speakers.

Wigtown became a book town in a bid to revive the local economy and it now boasts numerous book shops.

You can even run your own at The Open Book in what is surely a book lover's dream holiday.

Local tourist bodies now hope that the recognition by National Geographic can increase visitor numbers and help boost the popularity of the many other attractions the region has to offer.

I found the book lover's dream holiday in Scotland

How an invasion in high-end lycra boosts our town

A decade of the UK's first Dark Sky Park