I spend 4 days there; it was a great rest for me. I read and spent a lot of time in bookstores. Heaven for me!
There was also a lot of sunshine and blue skies. I was also able to walk a lot and just slow down.
Everyone was so nice. Life is not fast paced here.
Wigtown is not in the highlands, but there are many hills. As a native of a swampy, below-sea-level city, any bump on the ground is a big deal for me.
Most of the bookstores here sell used hardbacks, so finding used paperbacks are a little harder than in London. Also, there was no special section for winners of Booker Prize winners and other such writing awards. If you are looking for certain books or authors, make sure to make a printout before leaving home.
However, most of the stores have sections devoted to Scottish writers.
Click here and here for general information.
I didn't visit all the bookstores, so this is not a complete review of all the bookstores in the area.
AA1 - a nice shop with lots of hard and paper back selections. It's very well organized!
Book Corner - a nice, airy store. Lots of places to sit down and browse the books. I also found the postcards for the national Scottish poetry day here.
Across the street is a small cafe' that has a great lunch menu and the tastiest SCONES that I have ever tasted. I didn't need to put any butter on them. I bought 5 one day!
ARTYFACTS (CRAFT AND BOOKS) - a great little store. I found some brushes that are hard to find in New Orleans to use for my altered books projects.
Brye Books - besides having the most comfortable willow chairs and a peaceful garden, it also carries books written by local writers and artwork by local artists.
GC Books, Bladnoch, Scotland - follow the road form the scone cafe, pass the golf course, drive past a few hills and sheep, make a u-turn at Blanoch bridge and drive/walk past some fish and carpentry warehouse.
This former dairy warehouse is cool, so if you go in the fall or winter, make sure to bundle up. Most selections are in order of the Internet numbers for Abe books. Some are in categories. It's great fun to get there and be there.
M. E. McCarty - This small shop has a great selection. You can have an idea of what a home here looks like by following the shape of the store. The owner is a knowledgeable and nice lady!
Reading Lasses - A great selection of books, cards, postcards. It also has a wonderful cafe'; I had a lemon curd soup with some wholesome multi-grain bread. Yum Yum.
Reading Lasses is for sale. I wish that I had the money to buy the business.
The Bookend Studio - It has a great selection of craft books. It also sells handmade knits and quilts, baskets, books, pottery, yarn, furniture, and jewelry. Looking for books can be lots of fun. One of the employees is also an painter, so you can see how the creative mind works.
The Bookshop - This store has a great selection of Penguin books and the most paperbacks that I saw in Wigtown. It also sells some local made walking sticks.
The Old Bank Bookshop - is now owned by a hometown lassie. You can see the old vaults here. It's nice and airy, with lots of lights entering the huge windows.
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I spend many nice days at Mora House. We had nice conversations about the history of Wigtown. They gave me suggestions of places to visit! You will love it here.
For Internet access, go the the library. The great staff will give you a library card (good for three months) after you fill out a basic form. This gives you a chance to hear teens talking!
The library also sells some books that show how Wigtown and other surrounding towns looked like a century ago.
I also enjoyed going to the local drug store. It's multipurpose; you can buy stamps (when the post office is open), newspapers, magazines, toys, cards, candy, ice cream, pencils, postcards, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and other stuff there.
Ever been to a coop grocery store? There is one here. Seeing how the local people do their grocery shopping is great fun.
So, if you want to spend some quiet time here, come here for the scenery and buy lots of books!
4 comments:
This totally reminds me of Hay-on-Wye. I have got to go to Wigtown to look for books and I want to get one of those scones too :)
I would love to go back with you.
We would have a blast.
And the cows would probably chase you after they get to know you.
Makes me feel like heading down to the Bladnoch right now for a glass or two.
Chris of Byre books
Nice hearing from you, Chris!
Happy Summer!
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