Isle of Whithorn (Port Rosnait in Gaelic), is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Scotland, lying on the coast north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway.
The village is the location of the long ruined 13th century Saint Ninian's Chapel, previously a chapel linked to Whithorn Priory and a stopping off point for pilgrims landing on Isle Head and making their way to Whithorn.
No longer a true island, John Ainslie's maps as late as 1782 and 1821 show the Isle as an island. The main street was originally a causeway, with the harbour located on what was then the true Isle.
Various scenes from the 1973 film The Wicker Man were filmed in and around the Isle of Whithorn. Several local people featured in various scenes.
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Rockcliffe is a small, coastal village in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, with a view of Rough Island, Hestan Island, the Solway Firth and sometimes the Lake District (although not today).
Lowther Castle is a country house in the historic county of Westmorland, which now forms part of the modern county of Cumbria. It has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages.
In 1939 or 1940 the castle was requisitioned for the war effort and used for tank development. It was returned to the family not before 1954. The family could not afford use or upkeep and offered to give it away to the National Trust and other institutions, however, in those depressed post-war years they did not find takers. In order not to have to pay taxes they stripped the castle and removed the roof.
In 2000 the Lowther Estate and English Heritage jointly commissioned a team of historians, landscapers, architects and engineers to review the status of the castle and its grounds, and they produced the Lowther Castle & Garden Conservation Plan. In 2005 the estate formed an informal partnership with the Northwest Development Agency, English Heritage, Cumbria Vision and the Royal Horticultural Society to regenerate the site. The objectives were to consolidate the ruin, restore the 50-acre (200,000 m2) garden and open the site to the public. The castle and 130 acres of grounds were transferred to a charity called the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust in 2007 and the site opened to the public on 22 April 2011.
