9 Best Sights in The Borders and the Southwest, Scotland

A camera obscura is essentially a huge reflecting mirror that projects an extraordinarily clear panoramic view of the surrounding countryside onto an internal wall. The one at the Dumfries Museum, which claims to be the oldest in the world, is housed in the old Windmill Tower, built in 1836. The museum itself covers the culture and daily life of the people living in the Dumfries and Galloway region from the earliest times.

Tucked off the main square, Halliwell's House Museum was once an ironmonger's shop, which is now re-created downstairs. Upstairs, an exhibit tells the town's story, illustrates the working lives of its inhabitants, and provides useful background information on the Common Ridings.

Located in a historic house on the town´s attractive Wilton Lodge Park, the Hawick Museum is a comprehensive look at local history, with changing art exhibitions in its two first floor galleries. The War Room tells the story of local men who fought in World War I as well as memorabilia from the POW camps in the area and copies of a newspaper produced by German prisoners in the town. A moving metal sculpture outside the museum commemorates the battle of Passchendaele. One of Hawick's favorite sons, Jimmy Guthrie, a world champion motorcyclist, has his own exhibition that draws motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.

The little community of Kirkbean is the backdrop for the bright-green landscape of the Arbigland Estate; in a cottage here, now the John Paul Jones Museum, John Paul (1747–92), the son of an estate gardener, was born. He eventually left Scotland, added "Jones" to his name, and became the founder of the U.S. Navy. The cottage where he was born is furnished as it would have been when he was a boy. There is an informative video, which you watch in a reconstruction of his captain's cabin. Jones returned to raid the coastline of his native country in 1778, an exploit recounted in an adjoining visitor center.

This converted mill is a reminder that this tranquil town was for more than a hundred years the center of the region's cotton industry. You can learn more inside, where arts and crafts are also on display. The tearoom serves light lunches and delicious home-baked goods. The building also houses the town's tourist information center.

The Lochnell Mine was abandoned in 1861, after 150 years of operation, and the mine and miners' homes now form part of this museum re-creating their lives. The isolated village of Wanlockhead, where the mine is located, has not changed a great deal since then—there was little alternative employment for the miners and their families. In the visitor center, housed in the old smithy, there are tableaux depicting the work of the miners and explanations of the nature of the ore from which the lead was taken. A visit consists of a tour of the miners' library, followed by a walk through the long gallery of the mine itself as well as some of the miners' houses. Hard hats are included, but it is still wise to keep your head down. The nearby Leadhills and Wanlockhead Narrow Gauge Railway runs on weekends throughout the summer and costs £7.50 for a round-trip ticket. There is also a pleasant tearoom and shop in the visitor center.

Not surprisingly, Dumfries has its own Robert Burns Centre, housed in a sturdy 18th-century former mill overlooking the River Nith. The extensive yet compact exhibition commemorates Burns's last years in Dumfries. The center has an audiovisual program; it also houses Dumfries's only cinema. Tours of the center are available, but should be booked in advance.

Stuffed with all manner of local paraphernalia, the delightfully old-fashioned Stewartry Museum allows you to putter and absorb as much or as little as takes your interest in the display cases. Stewartry is the former name of Kirkcudbright.

Its Roman occupation may be one of the least known periods of Scottish history, but this exciting museum, focused on the excavation of the site of the Roman settlement of Trimontium in nearby Newstead, brings it to life. Interactive displays illustrate the lives lived in the fort during its 100-year occupation, not just with displays of weaponry and military dress, but also with the everyday objects discovered at the site and used by the families of troops. There is a Roman-themed shop, and guided walks around the site itself are available on Thursdays and Saturdays.