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Dumfries and Galloway

Ellisland Farm

The farm Burns built and could not make pay, on the bank of the Nith.

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Welcome

Burns took Ellisland in 1788 and built the farmhouse himself, and by his own account chose the prettiest plot on the holding rather than the best ground.

He worked it with Jean Armour for three years. It never paid. The soil was poor, the labour was long, and he took a post as an exciseman to make up the difference before giving the farm up altogether and moving to Dumfries. What it did produce was the work: Auld Lang Syne was written in the house, and Tam o' Shanter is said to have come to him pacing the path along the river. The farmhouse and steading are a museum now, with his desk and his possessions in the rooms he built, and the river walk is still there.

A short drive awayKings Coffee and BooksA coffee shop and bookshop in the middle of Dumfries, with breakfasts, lunches, cakes and shelves of books to browse.12 min by roadSee itCorner shopfront lit at dusk with outdoor table and chairs on pavement
Before you go
How long
An hour to two
Cost
By ticket
Getting there
Signed off the A76 north of Dumfries; parking at the farm.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10am–4pm
Wednesday
10am–4pm
Thursday
10am–4pm
Friday
10am–4pm
Saturday
10am–4pm
Sunday
10am–4pm
Where it is

On the west bank of the Nith at Auldgirth, six miles north of Dumfries.

Close byThe rest of Dumfries and Galloway, near at hand.
  1. The Twelve Apostles Stone CircleThe Twelve Apostles Stone CircleThe largest stone circle on mainland Scotland, a ring of great stones about 86 metres across in farmland just north of Dumfries.4 miles6 min by road
  2. Sandstone church spire with clock tower overlooks a statue in Dumfries town squareGreyfriars Church, DumfriesThe tall red sandstone spire of Greyfriars, a Gothic church at the end of Dumfries High Street, with the Burns statue at its door.6 miles11 min by road
  3. Sandstone riverside building with crow-stepped gables, cherry blossom framing the riverbank pathRobert Burns CentreA free museum of Burns's last years in an 18th-century watermill on the River Nith in Dumfries, with a model of the town in the 1790s.6 miles12 min by road
  4. Gift shop table with wrapping paper, Nutscene twine, seed tray dibbers and Highland cow paintingsFlourishA shop of handmade and Scottish-made gifts, homeware, cards and art on the High Street in Dumfries, with artists' studios above.6 miles12 min by road
  5. A sign reading "Gracefield Arts Centre, gallery, cafe, craft shop, print makers workshop, studio rooms, admission free" stands beside a red sandstone building with solar panels on its roof.Gracefield Arts CentreDumfries' own gallery, and the region's collection of Scottish painting.6 miles12 min by road
Directions
Corner shopfront lit at dusk with outdoor table and chairs on pavementCafeKings Coffee and Books6.3 miles
Red sandstone house with slate roof and cobbled path to black doorAttractionsRobert Burns House6.4 miles
A round white tower building stands beside a garden path lined with box hedges, an urn fountain and a classical stone archway nearby.AttractionsDumfries Museum and Camera Obscura6.5 miles
Multi-arched sandstone bridge over the River Nith with a weir in DumfriesAttractionsDumfries6.6 miles
Sandstone church spire with clock tower overlooks a statue in Dumfries town squareAttractionsRobert Burns Statue6.6 miles
Black hanging sign reading "The Globe" against brick buildingsRestaurantsThe Globe Inn, Dumfries6.6 miles
Weathered headstones and an obelisk line a gravel path between tall cypress treesAttractionsSt Michael's Church, Dumfries6.6 miles
Red sandstone cathedral with pointed arches, tower and gothic west doorAttractionsThe Crichton, Dumfries7.6 miles
Bookshelves with a "one more chapter" neon sign and pre-loved books priced £4 eachShoppingChapters of Thornhill8.6 miles
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