Kippford

Kippford (/ˈkɪpfəd/; otherwise Scaur)[2] is a small village along the Solway coast, in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Kippford

Main road of Kippford
Kippford
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
Population140 (2001 Census)
OS grid referenceNX838546
Council area
Lieutenancy area
  • Kirkcudbrightshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDalbeattie
Postcode districtDG5
Dialling code01556
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

It is home to the most expensive properties in Dumfries & Galloway and is known as the Solway Riviera.

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 by a 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) road from Barnbarroch which passes by Craigieknowes Golf Course and two campsites.

Kippford is also linked to Rockcliffe, which is 1 1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) away, by a scenic track known as the Jubilee Path. The path 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 Cumbrian 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
  1. The Online Scots Dictionary
  2. Kippford, Gazetteer for Scotland



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