There’s still a week left to watch the wonderful programme, Wilderness Walks, when  bushman expert, Ray Mears, visits the Galloway hills and explores the rich coastline of this very special area.

It’s absolutely fascinating stuff.  He tracks pine martens, whose numbers have  dwindled dramatically of late, and gets to hold a kit (baby pine marten), who is so relaxed by the whole experience that he spends most of the time yawning.  The kit that is not Mr Mears.  He spots red deer grazing on the hill side in the Galloway Forest Park and on a sandy beach, of which there are many, he catches and cooks grey mullet on the beach.  Yum.

Mears describes Galloway as “A very special corner of Scotland.  It’s really like a miniature for the rest of Scotland because you can go from the coast to the tops of the mountains in a very short distance.”

I often think how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful spot.  Ray Mears is absolutely right – we’ve got the very essence of Scotland distilled into one compact area from the mountains right down to the coast.  And being in south west Scotland it’s so accessible too.  You don’t have to trek hours up the A9 to the Highlands – Dumfries and Galloway is the first region as you drive into Scotland from England – so it’s an ideal location for a Scottish holiday.  And I know just the place to stay too…Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages!