Whithorn story visitor center in Dumfries & Galloway

We arrived early afternoon, grandkids in tow. My friend talked to the person at the visitor centre and was put off visiting the roundhouse due to our grandkids being with us (6 & 11). This was certainly the impression she got. We decided to explore the church ruins and the graveyard instead, from which you can see the roof of the elusive roundhouse. Very interesting graveyard with some very old graves.

Popped in to use the cafe (which was empty) and received awful service - on entering the building we were greeted by a member of staff who simply said 'Hi' and went back to her conversation with the cook, to a good few minutes before she returned to see what we wanted. We were told to take a seat anywhere we wanted and she'd be with us shortly - at this point we were not left with any menus etc. Took another 5 minutes before the staff member returned and asked what we wanted, having not received a menu we asked what was available and were told to read the board (which was hidden out of sight round the corner). The menu consisted of soup (undisclosed type) and sandwiches: - ham and chutney - tuna mayo - egg mayo - cheese and chutney My partner misread the sign and had asked if she could have a ham and cheese sandwich (not an unreasonable request) and was told quite rudely 'NO, IT IS NOT ON THR BOARD', this was the final nail in the coffin. We will not return to this establishment, following the unprofessional/rude manner in which we served. Should have taken the empty cafe as a warning and kept walking.

On holiday and was looking for a pace for a coffee and snack had a lovely toasted sandwich with salad and a coffee. Very well served and nice and hot will go again if in the area.

Afternoon tea with seriously nut-allergic daughter, imagine our joy when making the usual anxious enquiries about the chocolate cake to hear the blessed words, we are a totally nut-free kitchen! Not only that, but the clearly homemade cake was delicious. Very friendly service, completely unpretentious. Two cafe tables for dogs outside, with water bowl. Small museum presents history & archaeology in intelligent, accessible way, shop with v good book selection and local crafts including artisan beeswax candles and soap. Well worth a visit; don't miss display of priceless photos and oral history of 1955 visit by HM The Queen upstairs.

We enjoyed nice lattes and cakes here. It has been a struggle to find good coffee shops and tea rooms in this area, but this one ticks the box!

Very well put together across the site. The young man in the stone cross room was a bit in your face. I like to look and read for myself and don't like people following me, but it was good. The historical information is very accessible and will take the interest of any age group.

Good selection of tasty eats. Good little café gift shop too with some locally produced crafts available to buy.

A fantastic experience. The museum is very well presented and the collection of crossed superb. The site is lovely to wander round. The highlight for us was the beautiful iron age roundhouse. We were shown round the site by Jamie and Danny. We could not have wished for better guides. Very knowledgeable and so obviously loving what they do. Their enthusiasm was infectious. A must see.

Good cafe fare here...could do with extra soup supplies however, so as not to run out mid lunch time! Visitor centre full of interesting historical detail, as well at the Roundhouse, abbey and lovely church. Would recommend for both a pit stop and exploring the Whithorn Story.

Spent a pleasant morning at this facility with plenty of interesting exhibits about the Whithorn dig of yesteryear which we had visited each summer with the children who are all grown up now! The highlight must be the reconstruction of the roundhouse based on a current dig.

Always happy to praise a place that copes well with my allergy. Lovely staff and great food. Superb soup.

We were too late to have a guided tour but I had a very interesting time looking round the ruins....the man at the visitor centre was very friendly and helpful ....and didn't try and push me out as 5 o clock approached. The Priory really is a must see with the importance it had as a pilgrims site for centuries attracting Scottish kings to it.

Excellent toasties and sandwiches. Great fillings and no scrimping on the amount. Coleslaw lovely and served separately which we appreciated. Polite and friendly service. Will definitely eat here again when visiting Whithorn.

This was a visit with a purpose: to find out detail on the life and cult of St Ninian. An all-in ticket gives access to the Whtihorn story (historical & cultural information, with audio-visual presentation on the nstory of Ninian), a reconstruction of an iron-age dwelling, the museum (impressive collection of ancient stone crosses and an attendant who was very helpful in giving and getting information for me, even to the extent of making phone calls ion order to give me answers). A fascinating and fruitful visit.

Whithorn is a small town with an fascinating past, where it was once a place of pilgrimage for kings. If you're interested in church history then the story of St Ninian is something you can explore here, which challenges the more conventional tales of St Columba being the first to bring the Christian message to Britain. The nearby priory, small museum and reconstructed roundhouse are also interesting, although you need to pay to join the tour to see the latter, which is money well spent. Decent café at the centre means there is easily enough to do here for a morning or an afternoon with the family.

Really enjoyed the trip to the centre and museum and the roundhouse. I am sure there must be a story of Whithorn before Christainity came though. There of course was a clash between the Celtic church and the RC church that was not covered. The Whithorn Trust have done a lot of work putting it all together so well done.

All ingredients are available here - a neat and well thought out setting, a well-judged audiovisual presentation which sets the scene perfectly, superb food with excellent service, a very good selection of relevant historical books for sale catering for all ages, a classy yet affordable gift shop and a peaceful gallery. Enjoy ... we did!!

En una parte del mundo donde la recepción telefónica es no existía o mejor irregular para encontrar una cafetería con wifi excelente fue fantástico. Era una cafetería muy pequeño y tradicional donde la llegada de un cliente parecía ser una sorpresa y mi café tardó un poco en llegar, pero es tranquilizador saber que no en todos lados en 2017 es rush rush rush. Yo persistido y deje que el ritmo más lento, más relajado me lavado (mientras el registro y la fijación de los medios sociales! )

Tuvimos una maravillosa mañana visitando el museo, fue muy interactiva con una película en el comienzo y un guía turístico. El personal era fantástico, muy agradable y vale la pena tener el café almuerzo y una bebida. Los precios son muy buenos y tiene una buena relación calidad-precio.

Fue un viaje estupendo a este centro de visitantes. La historia de Whithorn se remonta mucho tiempo atrás. Hay una edad de hierro ronda la vieja casa de reconstrucción, que calle Ninian fundó Priory cuando él trajo el Cristianismo a Escocia, y una gran variedad de cosas interesantes en el museo y la sección de cruz de piedra. Hay una presentación audiovisual que narra la historia. El café es estupendo para aperitivos y comidas ligeras y todo está situado en uno de los mejores ejemplos de una antigua ciudad medieval en esta parte de Escocia. Bien merece una visita y el conducir a es precioso.

The menu was a little unusual, haggis and goats cheese, we settled for toasted timescales and coffee. The service is slow so if you're in a rush go somewhere else.

Great coffee and cakes, friendly, polite staff, always smiling and very cheerful. Very clean and well layed out , with plenty of local information available. Historical connections to Robert Bruce at the Abbey next door.

Cafe ofrece buena comida, sus haggis y queso ahumado ciabatta era maravilloso. El personal era muy amable y servicial en todo el centro. El museo y las ruinas de priory eran increíbles.

Spent a great few hours here - visited the place to see the earlu Christian ruins, the ruined abbey and also the stone in the museum, small museum but very modern and really well laid out. There is also a reconstructed iron age roundhouse on the site - you can only visit on a tour, but our guide was incredibly knowledegeable - he clearly knew what he was talking about. All these sites are just behind the visitors centre 0 admission for everything was about £6. The town itself is also very attractive and well worth a wander up and down for it Scottish Georgian architecture.

Called in for coffee - no dogs allowed, so put dogs back into cars. Tables all taken. Looked around the centre and visited the non chargeable area - couldn't leave dogs for too long, went back to centre, still no tables. Glad to see that the cafe is well used, but didn't see any visitors around the exhibition or external areas. Customer flow and care could be improved.

Whithorn visitor centre has a great insight into the early history of the area. There have been a number of archeological digs in the area and the finds are well presented. The visitor centre tea room serves soup , sandwiches , drinks and cakes all freshly made.

We were visiting Whithorn to look for long lost relations, we looked into the visitor center and had a visit to the museum and to where the dig had been.

Called here with my partner and my dog recently. I sat outside with my dog as its not dog friendly and my partner went in to order two drinks. After fifteen minutes we hadn't been served. Disappointed we left. Walked up the road fifty yards and found the central cafe. It was busy but got served straight away. Coffee delicious and it's dog friendly.

We stopped by here in our walk about the tiny town. Seems like an information center about the area and just Scotland altogether. The guy working was helpful and had a nice sense of humor. This is a good place to buy little gifts if you are looking for some friends or family. I bought some lovely soap with a celtic style.

The Whithorn Story presents a wonderful exhibition of the history of Whithorn, going way back to ancient times giving a wealth of very well informed detail. They have an audio visual presentation which provides a good summary before viewing the exhibition. There is a very detailed explanation of archeological digs which have taken place over the years near to the ruined Priory, where over 1800 skeletons were discovered buried there. That was in the late 1980s and has been filled in now, but a replica roundhouse is in the course of being built which demonstrates the kind of property the ancients occupied. The ticket price also includes entry to the Museum, where various items of carved stone from the former Priory are exhibited and there is also a chance to view the crypts which are extensive.Within the Whithorn Trust building is a superb cafe staffed by very friendly people.The town of Whithorn itself has several shops, a Post Office, one Pub and a superb chip shop where everything if cooked freshly and crispily.An amazing and peaceful place to visit, 119 miles from Paisley and about 32 miles from Stranraer.

Not much in Whithorn so this place stands out. The food was very good and inexpensive, the service excellent.

We called in for lunch on one of the busiest days in the area, and although service was slow, the staff apologised for the wait and when the food did arrive it was excellent. There are a lot of free information leaflets on the area which were very helpful, and the cafe also sells local crafts and produce. Although we did not go to the "Whithorn Story" exhibition, it was busy with visitors all the time we were there.All-in-all, well worth a visit.

I was disappointed when I visited the area in November to find the centre closed so resolved to go back in the summer. It was worth the return visit. There is a lot to see and do both upstairs and downstairs, although if you have mobility problems - and the stairs ARE steep - it is good to realise that the important exhibits to do with the history and archaeology of Whithorn are in the downstairs rooms. The toilet is clean and pleasant to use.The cafe is lovely and has plenty of gluten free choices. Prices are reasonable and the service is very friendly. The gifts in the shop are imaginative e.g. Holy socks! I love the fact that your ticket is valid for a year so that you can make repeat visits to the various parts of the Whithorn experience. I loved this place. St Ninian would be proud of it.

We knew little of Whithorn when we arrived but much more when we left. Great exhibits , interesting video and range of ideas. The cream tea was great also. Only issue was lack of clear signage in the town so we almost drove past.

Christianity and its introduction to Scotland is well explained in its home locationExhibits are interesting,well presented and logically arranged.Guides are friendly and helpful Whilst not accompanied by children it was interesting to see efforts made to engage with them.Nearby were demonstrations of tool making in anticipation of building a 'Round House'Again we encountered enthusiastic assistance to help us understand their objectivesA very enjoyable afternoonPreviously we had a light lunch which was simply,flavoursome and adequate

In the well stocked shop and cafe, we were greeted by Ruth.We took the full tour of this location, due to the time of year it was not busy.We took our time to investigate all the information available.We met with Isla who has excellent knowledge of all the ancient stones in this location.This really is a must see if in the area.Many thanks Chas & Wendy SloanCheerio! Isla.

Called in here for lunch (although I must admit there wasn't really anywhere else in Whithorn). We were not disappointed - much of the food served is locally sourced and prices are reasonable.

Just called in for a coffee , but was met with much more. Nice educational place with things to buy to promote the cause.

It is always good to have a visitor centre close to an historic site and so it proved with this one. The tour started with a short film filling in some of the background and then there were plenty of exhibits to examine and scenarios to look at which prepared us for going up to the Priory afterwards. The guide did a good enough job but was rather concerned about moving us on when as a party of 15 we would have liked to go more at our own pace and several of us felt that we'd been a bit shortchanged by the end. The small shop is delightful and has some nice local stuff to buy. Do go and visit but be firm if you wish to see more rather than being hurried onto the next part of the attraction by anybody assisting.

We arrived at the Whithorn story and didn't expect much from the outside - we almost didn't go in but it was wet and windy and we didn't have any other ideas of where to go. Thank goodness we did go in as it was a tardis and very interesting. The first stop was a short video showing a little of the history - I am not normally a fan of videos but this was short and informative and held my attention. We then went in to the museum itself and it was amazing how much information such a small museum could hold. The history of Whithorn is fascinating and the displays and information boards hold just enough information to not be overwhelming whilst giving all the facts. It also had an amazing amount of original artefacts which I found astounding for such a small place. Well worth a visit.

This is such a fascinating history in such an out of the way place. They have made a very worthwhile to visit place and we enjoyed it a lot

The Visitor Centre at Whithorn is well worth a visit if you are travelling in Dumfries and Galloway. Informative, fascinating historical setting but do not miss stopping off for a snack in the Tea Room. There is a really good choice of food and snacks at very reasonable prices. Food is fresh, for the most part locally sourced and beautifully presented. The setting is light, airy and very calming. The staff and very friendly and helpful. Don't miss it.

Arrived at 2.35pm on a rainy Monday afternoon in the hope of having some lunch as there did not seem to be many places in town. We sat down and waited for someone to take our order and we waited. One member of staff was busy taking admission fees to the museum and ringing through purchases from the shop. A second member of staff appeared out of the kitchen at 2.50pm with coat on, glanced at us and then announced to harassed other staff member "I'm away". And we waited, then after 20 minutes of being ignored we left. Silver lining was we walked the 300 yards to the Whithorn Tea Room and had a lovely lunch served after they officially had stopped (3pm) serving hot food.

It was great, the museum was very interesting, the Priory and dig site were fascinating. Everyone was so friendly.

We chanced on the activities of the Whithorn Trust today at one of their 'Iron Age Summer' events. As someone who - more than 50 years ago - cut his archaeological volunteer teeth on an Iron Age hill fort in N Wales, this was a great find. We enjoyed the 'Crannog Cookery' event, sampling foodstuffs from the Iron Age, and cooking breads on an open fire. Events continue on into September - something for everyone. Oh, and the Centre's cafe does great 'ordinary' food, too.

The Whithorn Story tells of the birth of Christianity in Scotland, along with the peoples and personalities that have made this a historic pilgrimage site since the 6th century. The exhibits and artifacts show how many peoples have settled, lived, worshiped and died in the area around St. Ninian's first church---Casa Candida of the 5th century.There is s small gift shop, but more importantly there is a café cum tea room that serves wonderful, locally-sourced foods at very reasonable prices!

Artisan bread, interesting fillings, lovely soup, bagels with smoked salmon, scones and oooh fabulous cakes! Ten out of ten to the staff! Great lunchtime pit stop.

This is just the place for a snack or light lunch when you visit the very interesting Whithorn exhibition. The staff are very friendly and the food and drinks are excellent - coffee was particularly good. Definitely recommended.

We had a lovely lunch. Delicious pumpkin and carrot soup with massive scones and tea or coffee and all for less that £5. Bargain.Lovely staff and great service.

By chance we discovered that this attraction had extended its opening season to include November. So we enjoyed a lovely lunch of soup and sandwiches in its café, viewed the old-fashioned information video (needs replaced), studied the thousands of words and artefacts in the museum display, and visited the graveyard and crypt. The staff were friendly, cheerful and efficient. Would recommend that they better promote their extra opening period and update their audio visual presentation.

Stopped in here to see what they had - wandered through the museum, behind the cafe, and learned a lot about the Whithorn area through the ages. Very well done, by the way. The cafe sits at the front of the premises, in front of wall windows, so you can watch the world go by as you eat. Their soup of the day was a gammon & pea. They give you a huge bowl of it (although you can get a smaller bowl if you ask), with a thick slice of homemade brown bread. The soup was thick and very flavorful, with lots of gammon (ham), and the bread was chewy, lots of flavor and perfect without anything on it. Price was very reasonable, and the staff were friendly and quite ready to answer questions. They pointed us to another section of the history of Whithorn, which was well worth the visit, too.

Good meals, such as soup and sandwiches or quiche. Yummy cakes and scones. Staff are very friendly and helpful in telling you about attractions in the town.

We saw this place by chance as we were driving through Whithorn one Sunday afternoon and wanting to stop for a cup of tea. The muted green-blue and white decor and full-length windows make the room beautifully light and pretty.Very friendly staff, home made cakes, reasonable prices and no intrusive muzak. We're very pleased we came across it.There is a disabled loo.

We stopped in here on our drive home from our holiday in Galloway. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the museum, but the staff were pleasant and the food was quite nice. We have no complaints other than that the service was a wee bit slow... but as we weren't in a hurry this didn't bother us.

The milk curdled in the very weak coffee which had to be strengthened and was still weak, the food portions were really rather minimalist, I had the Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese which was light on the not very nice Salmon and had just a scrape of Cream Cheese, and especially the Coleslaw which was almost invisible, my wife had the Quiche which she said was OK.The reason for two stars instead of one or none is that the staff were friendly, though after you've complained twice you don't really want to complain anymore, so, thank goodness for Trip Advisor so you can warn others. We hope that our visit was an exception for the cafe, and that they normally have the sort of offering that others seem to have experienced but certainly our visit was not enjoyable.

After visiting the Isle of Whithorn there is nothing better than enjoying a cup of coffee and even lunch at the Whithorn Story Visitor Centre. The food is homemade and the staff are friendly making the cafe well worth a visit when visiting this beautiful historic area.

Great place to visit if you are interested in history, particularly the history of the early Christian monasteries etc.

If you like history then this is very good. A sleepy little town where kings once came on pilgrimage. A decent AV presentation plus lots of exhibits. Don't miss the museum with the stone crosses and memorials, where Colin will educate you and make you laugh!

At last!..someone showing a little initiative with food in the area. There was still the soup and sandwich deal, but there was also a very interesting variety of open sandwiches, including humus and olives, served with salad leaves rather than boring iceberg lettuce. The homemade coleslaw and dressing were excellent and wisely served separately. The salmon quiche sounded good.All very simple, but using good ingredients. The cakes looked inviting too.The decor has been revamped and staff changed to give an improved and more professional welcome.Combined with the very interesting museum it's good day out.

Sadly under threat of closure, this is a wonderful resource built by the enterprise and enthusiasm of the local people. We parked easily in the wide street and had a very pleasant sandwich lunch in the cafe, followed by a comprehensive visit to the museum and associated sites. Both were excellent value. Start with the audio-visual introduction, then the very informative museum and don't forget the wonderful collection of carved stones, with its witty and extremely knowledgeable guide. Many of the most important artifacts have been taken away into national collections, away from their context. This has left the residents of Whithorn with little to work with, but despite these depredations they have done a wonderful job. Visit while you can, sign their petition and hope and pray that their dedication will not have been in vain.

stopped here for lunch, unfortunately didn't have time to have a proper look around. lunch was very nice and freshly made. staff were nice and the place seemed very nice too. cant say much, we were only here for about half hour. read on other reviews it was due to close down? i hope not, it would be a big shame.

The story of Whithorn is fascinating and well explained at the centre,teas and coffees are available and the ruins of the abbey are close by, as is the present day Church yard.

The Whithorn Centre is a combination of a great museum and a pleasaing tea room. Prior to my visit I knew nothing of St Ninian and the significance of the area to the origins of Christianity in Scotland. One fee buys a film show, a museum with the treasures from the area, the ruins of Whithorn Cathedral, the Priory Museum with its significant collection of Christian carved stones and a lot more! For those going for heritage Gary the Museum guide has knowledge and humour about St Ninian and the associated relics. The tea room offers delicious sandwiches, soup etc. freshly made to order and very tasty! There is also a small gift and book section in the shop. The Whithorn story is one that needs to be told and yet the Trust that runs the Centre is under threat of losing funds. It just seems too important to lose for a relatively small sum of money that is required to keep the Centre open.

The Whithorn centre has a great museum of finds from the dig just behind it. Delicious sarnies or soup in the cafe and gift shop. The interpretation section follows the story of Whithorn from earliest times, including books on the area, with special focus on St Ninian, who brought Christianity to Scotland 1600 years ago. There are interdenominational prayers every week day at noon in the catholic church to celebrate this. Yet, despite all this history, the council wishes to close it.

This is a visitor centre but the cafe is open to anyone. Plenty of free parking on the wide high street.Not a lot of room, and we moved up to allow another couple to share our table.The food is mostly sandwiches, cakes, drinks and a daily soup, but it's all home-made and excellent value for money. The menu mentions that if you enjoy the soup then don't be afraid to ask for the recipe - my wife did. Also, we had the special treacle scones, and fruit ones. All nice and freshly baked.A few things to buy in the shop, and good clean toilets upstairs. Very friendly local staff. Highly recommended if you're passing.

We received a great welcome and all the staff were very helpful in advising us about the history of the area. The centre is well worth supporting and I hope that it is successful in its efforts to keep open.

This centre provides a fascinating insight into an important aspect of Scotland's early medieval heritage. The displays were very informative and the staff were friendly and helpful. We had soup and sandwiches in the cafe and they were delicious. There was a good selection of books on local topics in the shop.

The visitor center does have a little tea room but it is so much more, there are a series of small but fascinating displays about St Ninian and his influence in the village. The AV display is most informative.

This was a nice enough little place and we were the only ones in on a cold January day. No one was really engaging - it seemed as of they were surprised to have custom - but the contact we did have was I suppose pleasant enough, the cake reasonably priced and tasty and some good souvenirs. Its just so surprising that, in the middle of a recession in the depth of winter when you are the only ones in the place no one seems able to project their interest in you as a customer at all or in their product, or the area for which they are ambassadors. Thats a pity because with a little more confidence we could have felt less liek we were intruding and gone away with an entirely different impression. I'd like to give it a higher mark, but it was not in truth, by any stretch of the imagination 'very good'. Nice but regrettably average only. I woudl still go back however