Scotland's west coast meets England at the Solway Firth, which runs from near Gretna to mingle with the Irish Sea at the Mull of Galloway. Huge numbers of migrant wading birds and wildfowl come here from autumn until late spring. See them en masse in autumn and winter at places such as Caerlaverock (south of Dumfries), Mersehead (near Kirkbean) and Wigtown Bay (around and opposite the town of the same name).

For a taste of the bluebells and other spring flowers that grace many of the area's broad-leaved woods, go inland to the woods along the River Cree north of Newton Stewart. North again, and the Galloway Forest Park's blend of conifer forests, glens, lochs and grassy upland has many routes for walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and drivers. Red squirrels and pine martens use the woods, dragonflies breed in the pools and red deer and wild foats roam the breezy uplands, where birds of prey such as merlin, hen harrier (and the occasional golden eagle) hunt.

In the region of Loch Ken and Clatteringshaws Loch is the Galloway Kite Trail, a circular route through some of Scotland's most impressive scenery designed to take visitors closer to the elusive red kite. A recent reintroduction programme has seen these graceful raptors successfully recolonise their former habitat, where interpretation facilities and observation points are now provided to educate nature lovers and ensure the long-term future of the species in the Galloway area.

East of here, around the upper Nith Valley by Moffat, the spectacular Grey Mare's Tail waterfall has lime-loving and Arctic-Alpine plants nearby. use this part of the hills, near the A708. A small National Trust for Scotland visitor centre here has a video link to a peregrine eyrie in summer, and fabulous views of the surrounding countryside.