Kirkgunzeon Canines

Just outside Dumfries, there's a curious spot that dog lovers tend to find rather moving. Kirkgunzeon Canines is a memorial and burial ground for pets - a place where people have brought their beloved dogs for final rest since the early 1900s. It's utterly specific in its purpose, which is exactly why it matters to those who've loved a dog.

Walking around the site, you'll find simple headstones and markers, each one a small testament to someone's grief and affection. Some are ornate, others plainly touching. There's no theatricality about it - just genuine emotion preserved in stone and soil. It's the kind of place that makes clear-eyed adults go a bit misty.

This isn't a major attraction you'd build a day trip around. But if you're touring Dumfries and Galloway with the family - staying at somewhere like Beeswing Caravan Park or Brandedleys near Dumfries - it's a decent short detour, particularly if anyone in the group wants to think seriously about what it means to say goodbye to a pet. Children who've experienced that loss sometimes find it oddly comforting.

Allow half an hour, longer if you're the reflective type. It's free to visit. Go on a quiet afternoon rather than in high season if you want to sit with it properly. Not a laugh or a thrill, but genuine in a way many tourist spots aren't.