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Introducing the Wicker Man

Anyone who knows anything about cult classic British horror movie The Wicker Man knows that most of it is filmed in Dumfries and Galloway, in southern Scotland. So what better way for a sad Christopher Lee fan (and husband) to spend a wet weekend in April than touring round this beautiful and distinctly unhyped part of God's own country, following in the footsteps of Lord Summerisle himself?

Because face it, even if you don't give a stuff about The Wicker Man, Dumfries and Galloway is a lovely part of the country to visit, and The Wicker Man Tour takes you to some of its most fascinating and dramatic spots. With its rolling green hills and picturesque villages, empty roads unwinding along a stunning coastline, cute woolly animal life and friendly natives, it's the perfect place for a weekend break – and refreshingly free of the tiresome tartanalia that haunts the tourist routes further north. The only thing that haunts Dumfries and Galloway is the spirit of Sergeant Neil Howie…

Oh, and the Irish Pict St Ninian – because, interestingly enough, you can actually combine a trip round the sites of The Wicker Man, a film in which Christianity and Paganism collide with traumatic results, with the Whithorn Pilgrimage Trail, the itinerary of mediaeval tourists bent on following in the footsteps of St Ninian, whose missionary zeal was responsible for bringing Christianity to heathen Scotland back in the 1st century AD.

Ready to take a trip? Then fasten your seatbelts, folks ('specially if I'm driving) and prepare yourselves for Part I of The Wicker Man Tour 2005.

Sunset

Half past eight on Friday night sees us driving through Dumfries and down towards Creetown, our first port of call. The sun is setting as we reach the coast of the Solway Firth, and the sky is streaked a fiery pink. With 'Gently Johnny' playing quietly on the car stereo, the magic is already beginning to take hold…

Our destination? The Ellangowan Hotel in Creetown, just off the A75. From the outside it may look like a Wild West Saloon (appropriately enough, as Creetown is home to an annual country music festival in September) but inside it's… the Green Man. Okay, so no-one's singing bawdy songs, but otherwise the clientele don't appear to have changed much since 1973 – although we receive a somewhat warmer welcome than poor old Sergeant Howie, and the food we have the following night is a heck of a lot better than his turquoise beans and canned peaches. With cheap pints, a semi-decent jukebox and stills from the film adorning the walls, I think I could quite happily make the Green Man (sorry, the Ellangowan Hotel) my local…

Day one: Appointment with the Wicker Man

The first stop on our tour is Whithorn, where Sergeant Howie goes to the library to read up on the rites and rituals of May Day. Whithorn Priory is also well worth a visit – there's a visitors' centre and museum as well but they were shut when we went. As was the rest of Whithorn, in fact.

Ah well, onto our next stop, Isle of Whithorn. This windswept but attractive harbour village isn't actually a Wicker Man site, but it is the next step on the Pilgrim Trail, being the landing site for Christians from Europe who came to visit Whithorn. It also looks pretty much like the harbour at Summerisle, and as we never got as far as Stranraer, we'll just pretend it is, shall we? You can see five countries from the Isle of Whithorn so they say (although not when the whole place is shrouded in fog): Scotland, England, Ireland, the Isle of Man and… the kingdom of Heaven. And you can see the ruined chapel supposedly founded by St Ninian, and the Pilgrimage Cairn, where visitors can place stones to mark their presence there. Isle of Whithorn is also the home town of the crew of the Solway Harvester, which wrecked off the coast of Scotland in 2000, and it's worth paying a visit to their two memorials, one by the Cairn and the other on the edge of the bluff, by a white square building that looks like an old lighthouse.

And so onto Burrow Head, for our appointment with the Wicker Man himself – or the two concrete plinths that are left of him, anyway. Follow signs to the Burrow Head campsite and holiday village (now there's a bleak and godforsaken place for a holiday…), drive right in and park, well, wherever you want really – no-one seems to mind. You'll need to climb over the fence that separates the holiday camp from the cliff top, then follow the fence round the headland and you'll arrive at the spot. At least we assumed it was the spot – there's a huge cairn and a big concrete square which we thought marked the feet of the Wicker Man anyway.

But what the hell - as you stand on the cliff's edge (not too close, mind), buffeted by the winds and sprayed with rain, as the white waves crash on the jagged black rocks below, you really feel as if you're in the film. (Although you get to wear a nice cosy jacket instead of a summer frock…) Wicker Man fan or not, this is a truly awesome place to visit: breathtaking, windswept, desolate and not a little frightening.

Next, St Ninian's Cave, which for me was the highlight of the day. Park in the car park (you'll pay the princely sum of 20p for the privilege) then tramp along a muddy footpath through a wood of tall spindly trees, and suddenly you'll find yourself on the grey, stony beach where Lord Summerisle offers his libation to the god of the sea. Walk along the beach for a short distance and there it is: Rowan Morrison's cave. Aka St Ninian's Cave, where the holy man would retire to get a bit of peace and quiet after a hard day spent baptising pagans. It may be just a shallow fissure in the rock (the interior cave sequences were filmed elsewhere) but it's still enormously atmospheric, littered with carefully placed stones, shells and wooden crosses (not unlike the one Howie himself constructs in the film) left by modern day pilgrims, whilst foaming white waves crash relentlessly over the rocks at the cave's mouth. Again, we were the only people there, which really added to the sense of isolation and peace in this special, holy, thought-provoking place.

After a quick lunch in 'Scotland's National Book Town', Wigtown (not a Wicker Man site, but still a nice wee town, and home to a good horror/sci-fi bookshop to boot), we headed back to the tiny village of Anwoth, just past Creetown on the A75.

Breathe in as you drive down the narrow, muddy lanes and pray you don't meet anything coming the other way, but it's definitely worth it to see the beautiful ruined chapel that features prominently in the film. By this point in the day it was pouring with rain, but if anything this only added to the lonely, slightly melancholy atmosphere. This is also where the maypole and schoolroom scenes are filmed and, rural, secluded and a little bit ghostly, it's well worth a visit.

There's actually a footpath connecting Anwoth with our next port of call, Gatehouse of Fleet, but given the torrential rain, we decided that driving might be a better option (after I'd extracted the poor car from a mud slide, that is – it would have helped if I'd taken the handbrake off first…). Gatehouse of Fleet is a nice wee town that does its best to be touristy in an area that really doesn't seem to care much (okay, it has a 'kilt making centre' – which turned out to be some old wifey weaving tartan behind a glass partition). The scene to spot here is the exterior of the Green Man, a whitewashed building opposite the Masonic Arms at the far end of the town (don't be confused by the sheepdogs on the inn sign).

And so back to the Ellangowan Hotel for a spot of dinner and, er, Doctor Who, CSI: New York and an early night in preparation for…

Day two: Searching for Rowan

After bidding a fond farewell to the Green Man, we headed west then south to the Logan Botanical Gardens. On the way, however, we take time out from The Wicker Man to visit the Kirkmadrine Stones, ancient Christian burial markers which are now kept in a charmingly isolated grey stone 19th century chapel in… the middle of nowhere. Don't believe the Historic Scotland sign, which claims the stones can be found a mile from the main road, but take the trip anyway, it's honestly worth it – provided you don't meet another car coming in the opposite direction, that is, but on these roads, it's unlikely.

The Botanical Gardens are home to the exotic palm trees we see growing in Lord Summerisle's lush garden in the scene when he explains to Sergeant Howie the pragmatic reasoning behind his grandfather's reintroduction of the ancient pagan beliefs. At this time of year, the walled garden is the place to head: lined with richly flourishing rhododendrons, it's a beautiful place. Things in their natural state truly are most vivid…

And nowhere more vivid than, Castle Kennedy Gardens, which is where the scenes with the naked fire jumping and May Day procession are filmed. Okay, so the standing stones were props, but the gorgeous rhododendrons, vast smooth green lawns and amazing views over the rippling loch surrounding the gardens more than make up for this, as does the delightfully romantic ruin at the heart of the grounds. Nearby is Lochinch Castle, where the interiors of Lord Summerisle's castle were filmed, but sadly it isn't open to the public.

And so onto our final place of pilgrimage, Kirkcudbright, a picture perfect harbour town on the Solway coast, where many of the street scenes were filmed and where you can still see May Morrison's Post Office, now an art gallery. Ironically enough, it's right opposite the police station, next to a narrow entry called Police Close. And whaddaya know, but just as we prepare to embark on the three hour drive back to Edinburgh, the sun comes out. Nuada, we knew you were there all along…

13 months later: in Lord Summerisle's castle

Okay, so it took us a year to get there, but we finally made it back to the West coast for a visit to Culzean Castle, where the interiors of Lord Summerisle's home were filmed. Like everything else on the Wicker Man trail, Culzean is a fantastic place to visit, with loads of stuff to do besides treading in the footsteps of Christopher Lee. Enjoy a picnic by the Swan Pond, wander through the lovely Walled Garden, visit the Home Farm (if you have time, which we didn't), take a walk along the cliff top or head down to the stony beach.

Or head straight for the castle, a magnificent 19th century romantic folly perched high on a cliff top overlooking the sea, with the misty Isle of Arran just across the water. Annoyingly, you're not allowed to take photos inside, so you'll have to make do with my piccy of the exterior but it's certainly very grand, in an almost comfortable, slightly shabby kinda way - although it has to be said, I didn't find it instantly recognisable as the home of Lord Summerisle.

If you're not a member of the National Trust, it's pretty pricey to get in, but it's definitely worth it for the experience. For more details, check out Culzean at the National Trust website, or on the Culzean Experience website.