Barnharrow Holiday Pods

A must not miss event for book lovers!

Now in its 25^th year, Wigtown Book Festival  is one of Dumfries and Galloway’s most vibrant and inspiring events. Running over 10 days, from 22 September to 1 October, this year’s festival will feature over 200 events and activities to cater for all kinds of literary tastes, along with music, theatre and a fantastic family-friendly programme of events.

Designated Scotland’s national book town back in 1998 as a way of regenerating the town, Wigtown has flourished ever since, attracting a myriad of booksellers to establish a wonderful mix of shops. Just like Hay-on-Wye in Wales, Wigtown has become a year-round destination for book lovers and the book festival attracts approximately 13,000 visitors – not bad for such a small town!

What’s on at Wigtown Book Festival

Such is its reputation, the festival has the ability to pull ‘big names’. This year’s headline acts include Kate Mosse, author of the bestselling novel Labyrinth, who will be reading extracts from her latest novel. Comedian Jo Caulfield will be reading from her memoir and Nigel Planer, best known as Neil from The Young Ones, will also be appearing. There really is something for everyone – Michael Morpurgo will be talking about Shakespeare, footballer Pat Nevin will be recalling his years at Motherwell, there’s even an event celebrating The Beano comic! Poetry, sport, humour, history, nature – there is so much to discover!

Alongside established authors, the festival also celebrates local writing talent and all that Dumfries and Galloway has to offer – from foraging for fungi to learning about dark skies to stepping back in time to 1818 when poet John Keats visited the area. You can also enjoy a ceilidh, where you’ll be quickly swept up in the fun of learning traditional dances, or if you’re looking for a more relaxing activity you can join in a yoga session.

But it’s not all adult oriented. Big Wig is specially curated for younger visitors and includes events with a huge variety of children’s authors, drop-in drawing workshops and fun interactive storytelling sessions that combine words, music and dance. And if you happen to be around for the festival opening, you’re guaranteed a brilliant experience. The festival kicks off with bagpipes, fireworks and a hogroast – what’s not to like!

We’re within easy reach of Wigtown Book Festival  

We are less than half an hour’s drive from Wigtown, so Barnharrow Holiday Pods makes a great base if you’re planning to attend the book festival. Day passes go on sale from 1 September and range from £20 to £30 depending on the events you want to attend. If you’re visiting as a family, it’s just £15 for two adults and up to three children, which gives you access to all Big Wig events on your chosen day.

Sounds like a great idea? We still have some availability during the festival dates but now the festival programme has been published we expect the pods to book up quickly, so don’t miss out!  Book now!