Rolling through the hills of Dumfriesshire, the River Nith has witnessed so much of Scotland’s history that you can bend your knee and listen to it.
On its banks, Scotland’s legendary bard Rabbie Burns often visited the small village of Sanquhar, first in his slow, unhurried way and then as a customs and excise man.
The village, which he immortalised as “Black Joan” in his satirical election ballad Five Carlins, comprises a number of bracing walks, beautiful vistas, and green in every direction – great content for a Burnsian amble.
And it was here that Ian and Jane McAndrew decided to set up a new business in the 16th Century country house hotel, Blackaddie.
Ian was the youngest chef to win a Michelin star in Britain in 1980, and has accomplished that feat eight times so far.
The McAndrews have paired the refurbished four-star hotel with river views, elegant rooms and its own grounds on the river bank.
The bedrooms are spacious, elegant and many have views over the river.
Using fresh, local produce, Ian’s menus are unpretentious but show an incredible flair and talent from a master at work.
We sampled a seven-course fine dining menu. From the delicate ham hock amuse bouche with vichyssoise to mustard ice cream with amaretto sorbet, via scallops with pea reduction and cannon.
This was hands down the best meal I’ve had in the United Kingdom.
At only an hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh, there can be no excuse not to try the fine dining menu at around £55, or the gourmet tasting menu.
Ian, who won his first star when he was just 27, was named the country’s chef of the year in June 2016, having taken runner’s-up many times.
He said: “I must admit I was quite surprised to win as I have been the runner-up so many times.
“I thought it was a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
“It has been a magnificent year for us so far.”
Luckily for visitors who wish to tarry awhile, the countryside and urban centres of Ayr and Dumfries offer a rich experience in its natural and built environments.
Near to Blackaddie, a roiling hollow from the air, the Crawick Multiverse is a hidden gem in Upper Nithsdale, a 55-acre site on which the Duke of Buccleuch’s Queensberry Estate transformed a former open cast coal mine into one of the biggest public art projects conceivable.
Its design, based around space, astronomy and cosmology, was based on ecology and the materials hewn from the earth during construction.
Approximately 2,000 boulders were used to create the site, which can hold 5,000 people in one area of amphitheatre alone.
Heading northwest towards Kilmarnock and Ayr, Dumfries House combines the neoclassical architecture of Robert Adam with the furniture of Thomas Chippendale and leading 18th-Century Scottish cabinet makers.
The house was saved by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay in 2007 after the royal mounted a multi-platform fundraising bid.
Entry is free and tours take in the stunning environs of hundreds of years of estate life – just stay on the runners over the top of the original 1760s carpet.
The interiors are an education on Scottish and English rococo style, made popular during the Scottish Enlightenment.
Fortified by a cracking breakfast of salmon and scramblers, we headed towards the shopping precincts of Dumfries. Because, well, we all end up on a traipse around the shops on a visit, even when there’s so much else to do.
The day rallied with a further glimpse of the area’s history at Drumlanrig House, the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry.
There is an entry fee but this pales into insignificance when faced with stravaiging around the 90,000-acre estate.
The miles of beautiful walks will keep a family entertained for an entire day with an adventure playground, ranger-led wildlife walks, mountain biking and salmon fishing.
Inside, the palatial surroundings recall the 17th Century and the high Romantic exploits of Walter Scott, “Bold Buccleuch”. Art lovers will enjoy Rembrandt’s Old Lady Reading, and works by Gainsborough, the Dutch masters, and cartoons by Rowlandson.
Exhausted after a two-day adventure, we get the impression from locals the county – pretty large with a population of 145,000 – that Dumfries and Galloway is a little off the beaten track for city dwellers looking for a weekend away, close to home.
I don’t know how this could be – there’s heathery hill and mountain burn, sandy beaches and large forests and parks – far too vast to be overlooked or outshone on Scotland’s stage.
