The River Dee at Dusk – A Riverside Stroll and Supper
About 1.6 miles on foot.
The River Dee runs wide and tidal past Kirkcudbright's harbour, and the Dee Walk follows its bank out of town, past salt marsh and big old trees, with wading birds working the mud at low water.
It's at its best in the last of the light, before supper at the Selkirk Arms on the High Street, an 18th-century hotel whose menu includes Kirkcudbright's own scallops.
- Time
- About 45 minutes on foot: 3 minutes from the car park to the path, about 10 along the river to the Boreland Burn footbridge, a little further on the flood bank, and back.
- The path
- A path along the riverside park, with beaten earth, hard surface and grass and a footbridge over the Boreland Burn; the flood bank beyond is grass with kissing gates.
- Where to start
- The Harbour Square car park in the centre of Kirkcudbright, free; the path leaves Bridge Street 3 minutes away.
- Set off
- About 45 minutes before sunset from October to March; in the evening light from April to September.
- When to go
- The riverside path is open ground; the Selkirk Arms takes evening tables from 5.30pm to 8pm every day.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs under close control by the river and the fields.
- Children
- Keep children close by the tidal river.
- Toilets
- For customers at the Selkirk Arms.
- Before you set out
- Best in the last hour of daylight; keep back from the edge at high water.
The walk
Park free in the Harbour Square car park, 3 minutes' walk from Bridge Street, where the Dee Walk leaves the road beside the river. Follow it upstream along the bank and through the riverside park, with benches along the way, for about 10 minutes to the footbridge over the Boreland Burn. Walk on along the flood bank as far as you like, then turn back.
The river is tidal, and at low water oystercatchers, curlews, redshanks and grey herons feed on the mud. From October to March, set off about 45 minutes before sunset and you'll be back in town as the light goes. From April to September the sun sets after the last supper tables, so stroll in the evening light first.
Keep dogs under close control.
If it rains
In the rain, keep the walk short: look up the river from Kirkcudbright Bridge, a few minutes from the car park, and go straight on to the Selkirk Arms.
Afterwards
8 min on foot
The Selkirk Arms
Supper
Back at Bridge Street, it's 8 minutes' walk through the town by Harbour Square and St Mary Street to the Selkirk Arms on the High Street. The bar, the bistro and the restaurant share one menu, with dishes such as seared Kirkcudbright scallops, smoked haddock chowder and beer-battered haddock, and real ales in the bar. Evening tables run from 5.30pm to 8pm every day: book online or on 01557 330402. Children are welcome, but dogs aren't allowed in the bar or the dining rooms. If it's full, Swally n' Scran by Harbour Square, 5 minutes' walk away, serves seafood until 8.30pm, Thursday to Saturday.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book a supper table at the Selkirk Arms online or on 01557 330402, any evening between 5.30pm and 8pm, for after the walk.
For further reading, before you go.