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Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial – Wigtown Book Town loop from Garlieston

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Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial – Wigtown Book Town loop from Garlieston

Moderate

3.0

(2)

riders

Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial – Wigtown Book Town loop from Garlieston

01:41

28.0km

200m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

143 m

Garlieston Harbour

Highlight • Settlement

Great wee place. The hive and The Harbour great places to eat.

Tip by

11.4 km

Bladnoch Stone Bridge and River

Highlight • Bridge

Distillery tours available just beyond the bridge!

Tip by

11.4 km

Bladnoch Distillery

Highlight • Historical Site

Open to the public for tours. Sometimes they host events too.

Tip by

13.1 km

Café Rendezvous

Highlight • Cafe

Fantastic coffee shop serving the usual.

Tip by

13.2 km

Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial

Highlight • Monument

The Wigtown Martyrs or Solway Martyrs, Margaret Maclauchlan and Margaret Wilson were Scottish Covenanters who were executed by Scottish Episcopalians in 1685 in Wigtown, Scotland, by tying them to stakes on the town's mudflats and allowing them to drown with the rising tide.

Monuments to the 'Wigtown Martyrs' exist in Wigtown. During "The Killing Times" of the Covenanters in the 17th century, Margaret McLachlan, an elderly woman of around 63, and Margaret Wilson, around 18 years of age, were sentenced to be tied to stakes in the tidal channel of the River Bladnoch near its entrance to Wigtown Bay to be drowned by the incoming tide. The ploy was that the younger woman might be persuaded to change her mind after watching the older woman drown. The strategy failed and both died. This execution was carried out by dragoons under the command of Major Windram in the presence of Sir Robert Grierson of Lag who held the King's Commission to suppress the rebels in the South West. Their story, as told in various sources, tells how the women were betrayed by an informer. After about a month in prison they were tried as rebels and sentenced to death by drowning. The story of the Wigtown Martyrs was among those collected by Robert Wodrow and published in his History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution. The Church of Scotland synod had decided in 1708 to collect accounts of persecution under the Stuart monarchs, and persuaded Wodrow to take on the research. He wrote that Thomas Wilson "lives now in his father's room, and is ready to attest all I am writing."

There are two graves to the women in the local churchyard and on nearby Windy Hill there is a memorial obelisk. There is also a stone at the point where they died.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigtown_Martyrs

Tip by

14.7 km

Wigtown Book Town

Highlight • Historical Site

My home town...they like to be crafty, this is part of the guise competition they had. If you like cake and books you'll like it here.

Tip by

21.0 km

North Balfern Wood

Forest

22.0 km

Kilsture Forest Trails

Highlight • Trail

This is a beautiful spot, lots of trails to explore that are suitable for a gravel bike or hatdtail. There's even a big wishing tree. The bluebells are spectacular at this time of year.

Tip by

28.0 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

13.7 km

12.0 km

1.74 km

334 m

189 m

Surfaces

26.0 km

1.36 km

312 m

178 m

106 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (60 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

Weather

Friday 10 July

27°C

17°C

27 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 20.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

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Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial – Wigtown Book Town loop from Garlieston

Garlieston Harbour

Bladnoch Stone Bridge and River

Bladnoch Distillery

Café Rendezvous

Maggie's Café

Wigtown Martyrs Stake Memorial

Wigtown Book Town

Kilsture Forest Trails

Nearby routes

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