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Dalbeattie--The Valley Of The Silver Birch

Dalbeattie, a small country town of 4000 people, is the shopping and amenity centre for the popular Colvend Coast holiday area.

The name Dalbeattie is derived from a Gaelic term meaning 'Valley of the Silver Birch' which reflects the mixed and varied nature of the surrounding countryside. Whilst the river valley is arable and fertile, much of the higher ground enfolding it is formed from woodland and moor.

Dalbeattie was once a thriving industrial town. The most prominent industry was granite quarrying, for which it is world renowned, having been responsible for suppling granite for the Thames Embankment, the Mersey Docks in Liverpool and the Eddystone Lighthouse, to name just some. Cobble setts for many streets also came from Dalbeattie. And there is much evidence of this past in the Town itself, with many granite buildings and houses to remind us. As well as the granite quarrying, Dalbeattie was a thriving mill town making bobbins, gloves, cheeses, cars, steel radiators and much more.

Now, however, such industry is in decline and Dalbeattie is looking to its natural assets to encourage tourism and related trade. Set in the beautiful Urr valley and surrounded by forest and woodland, Dalbeattie is ideal for natural pursuits and for active leisure activities such as its now famous 7Stanes mountain bike Trail in Dalbeattie Forest. The Trail was completed in 2001 and has become a favourite with both leisure cyclists and the serious mountain biker. 2009 will see the 6th Dalbeattie Hardrock Challenge, a popular duathlon event which has grown each year since its inception.

In the last few years there is also evidence of new housing development around the town, a sure sign of Dalbeattie's growing popularity and expansion.

So much on our doorstep and within a short striking distance, who would want to be anywhere else? But we are not complacent. There's still lots more to do, and there is the will to do it. Patience and tenacity, that's what we need, plus the funding to fulfil the dreams (or some of them at least).

For more about the delights of this town and this area, log on to our sister website at  http://www.dalbeattie.net/ . See also dumfries and galloway online for more information about the whole area.