Head to Dumfries & Galloway for a poetic pilgrimage in the footsteps of Robert Burns

Ellisland Farm includes a museum dedicated to Burns PIC: Ian Findlay

My love is like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June,” just one of Robert Burns most famous works, but why should we wait till January 25th to celebrate our national poet? I have decided to head off on a poetic pilgrimage in June to an area which inspired Rabbie.

I love and hate the bard in equal measure, while I admire his talents and enduring legacy, I find much of his behaviour problematic. But it is time to put grudges to one side and reevaluate my relationship with his literary genius on a two-night short break.

Although born in Ayrshire, the heaven-sent ploughman spent his latter years in Dumfries. I start my adventure at the National Trust for Scotland’s, Bachelors' Club in Tarbolton. It was there, aged 18, he defied his father to take up dancing lessons, before setting up a private club in a room above the alehouse. He would meet his friends monthly, to debate, carouse, and womanise.

After his publishing successes, he became an overnight sensation and the toast of society, but his love life became increasingly complex. By 1788 he rented Ellisland farm and moved there with his wife, Jean Armour and his two-year-old son and wrote, that he ‘resolved to lead a retired, domestic life.’

My short break accommodation is a modest 1960s bungalow located right next door to the poet's Ellisland farmhouse. The cottage has been stylishly refurbished to provide an income for Robert Burns Ellisland Trust and helps fund projects that keep Burns’s strong bond with this place alive. This summer they have a full programme of activities on offer at www.robertburnsellislandfarmmuseum.

Inside you can see the desk where the great man wrote and enjoy a bannock and dram in the kitchen. Outside you can wander along the path where Auld Lang Syne and Tam O’Shanter were composed.

In the morning I wake to see an enchanting light dancing through the windows. I jump up to gaze out at the rolling green fields and stunning landscapes that Burns would have known so well. Strolling along the snaking riverbank path among the red campion, dog rose, brambles and thistles, I hear the rumbling River Nith and feel moved that this same landscape captivated Burns’s heart. He wrote a quarter of his poetic output as well as countless songs while living here.

It seems right to take a late evening stroll along the fields to neighbouring Friars Carse, now a hotel where I have booked dinner. Previously it was an estate named, Glenriddell, owned by Captain Riddell, where Burns used to write in the hermitage. That is until, one evening where he socially disgraced himself and was banished.

Farming at Ellisland was unprofitable so Burns moved to Dumfries and work as an exciseman. As a visitor to the area, I recommend following the Burns city centre walking trail. My first stop is the Robert Burns Centre, which has a model of the townscape as it would have looked in his day and discover more about him from their extensive collection.

In 1792 he helped George Sutherland raise funds to open a theatre. On a behind-the-scenes tour, I glimpsed where he was caught singing Ça ira, the French Revolution song, which landed him in trouble with his employer.

A few minutes’ walk away down a narrow vennel you can step inside his favourite howff, the Globe Inn. The resident storyteller, Kathleen Cronie, wonderfully brought his time at the Globe to life. You can visit the atmospheric and historic Burns rooms, where you can sit in his chair and see where he etched his poems in the window. The Globe is a special place where you can soak up the spirit of the poet by supping a dram of whisky in the snug bar or enjoying a meal in the fine dining restaurant.

Robert Burns house, where he lived is a short stroll away, and close by is a statue honouring Jean Armour. In the ground of Saint Michael's Cemetery, you can visit the mausoleum which is Burns's final resting place. It is opened twice daily, and you can see the beautiful Italian marble sculpture of the poet at the plough and a tiny mouse.

By July 1796 Burns knew he was seriously unwell, so sought a cure for his illness at Brow Well on Solway coast. Sadly it didn’t work and he died from endocarditis on 21 July, aged just 37.

Walking along the coastline not far from the well, I feel the looming presence of Criffel Hill silhouetted on the horizon. The local legend is that mariners would see otherworldly sparkles emanating from the granite centre, which they thought was coming from a hidden diamond sparkling at the summit.

If you are looking for tranquillity and creative inspiration then I suggest heading south to Dumfries and Galloway.

Even if you are not a Rabbie fan you might fall in love with the place that Burns called his home.

Cat Thomson was a guest of South Scotland Destination Alliance. A three-night weekday self-catering stay at Auld Alliance Cottage (sleeps 3+), costs from £525. For a seven night stay, prices start from £709.www.ellislandfarm.co.uk/stay/