Kippford

Kippford
Scots: The Scaur[1]

Main road of Kippford
Kippford
 Kippford shown within Dumfries and Galloway
Population 140 (2001 Census)
OS grid referenceNX838546
Council areaDumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy areaKirkcudbrightshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Dalbeattie
Postcode district DG5
Dialling code 01556
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK ParliamentDumfries and Galloway
Scottish ParliamentGalloway and West Dumfries
List of places
UK
Scotland

Coordinates: 54°52′21″N 3°48′44″W / 54.87262°N 3.81236°W / 54.87262; -3.81236

Kippford (otherwise Scaur[2]) is a small village along the Solway coast, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Geography

Kippford stretches along the banks of the Urr estuary and in places is only one house wide, being hemmed in between the forested Mark hill (locally known as the Muckle) and the sea. Kippford can only be accessed by car from Barnbarroch, passing by Craigieknowes Golf Course and two campsites.

Kippford is also linked to Rockcliffe by a scenic track, known as the Jubilee footpath, which passes parallel to the coast (and the village of Kippford) but at a higher elevation. The path can be used to access Mark hill and the Mote of Mark, a 5th-century hill fort.

Visitors may cross the sands to a small island called Rough Island when the tide allows.

Views from Kippford include the English Lake District coast across the Solway Firth to the South. To the West can be seen Glen Isle and Screel in the background.

Marine Activities

Kippford is a popular sailing village, with many small yachts moored in the tidal estuary of the River Urr, and events organised by the Solway Yacht Club. The RNLI has maintained a station, now fitted with a D class lifeboat, in Kippford for the past 40 years. The lifeboat service share use of the village's public slipway. Kippford was also involved in the shipbuilding industry, albeit on a very small scale. A Chandlers still exists, and sheds can be found behind it which indicate the boat building activities.

History

Between Kippford and Rockcliffe lies the Mote of Mark, a hill fort. Victorian Kippford had interests in the granite quarrying industry, the pier used now by the Solway Yacht Club being a former handling yard for a small railway line running into the hill to the East where a quarry was located.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kippford.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.