windsor cottage

A modest whitewashed cottage standing on the outskirts of Annan, Windsor Cottage is the sort of place you'd walk past without a second glance if you didn't know what it was. But this is where Thomas Carlyle, the Victorian historian and philosopher, spent part of his youth - a fact that matters if you care about 19th-century Scottish letters. The building itself is plain, properly unadorned, which rather suits the man's no-nonsense character. You can view it from the road without fuss, though don't expect much in the way of visitor facilities or interpretation. It's the kind of landmark that rewards people interested in literary history, though casual tourists will find it a bit thin on spectacle. The cottage sits near enough to Annan that it works as a short detour while exploring this corner of Dumfries and Galloway rather than a destination in itself. If you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Hoddom Castle is closest at under four miles - it's worth a quick stop on a morning walk. Allow twenty minutes, half an hour tops. Go when it's not raining, because there's nowhere to shelter and the Lowlands wind has teeth. It won't make or break a holiday, but it's a decent enough reason to get out of the car and stretch your legs.