Burrow Head
Encyclopedia
Burrow Head is the southernmost tip of the Machars
peninsula
in south-west Scotland
.
It is located approximately two miles south-west of Isle of Whithorn
, Wigtownshire
and is the second southernmost point of Scotland (after the Mull of Galloway
).
St. Ninian's Cave is approximately two miles north-west along the coast. It is an important location for pilgrims
who believe that St. Ninian spent some time on retreat there.
Burrow Head's location and relative seclusion meant that during the eighteenth century it became associated with smuggling
, from and to the Isle of Man
(fifteen miles south) and Ireland
.
In more recent years, Burrow Head became famous as a location for the 1973 thriller film The Wicker Man. Until recently the stumps of the prop used as the wicker man
in the film remained visible, but these have been gradually eroded by souvenir hunters.
Today much of Burrow Head is occupied by a caravan park.
Machars
The Machars is a peninsula in Galloway in the south-west of Scotland. The word is derived from the Gaelic word Machair meaning low lying or level land, known as "links" on the east coast of Scotland...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in south-west Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It is located approximately two miles south-west of Isle of Whithorn
Isle of Whithorn
Isle of Whithorn is one of the most southerly villages and seaports in Scotland, lying on the coast, north east of Burrow Head, about three miles from Whithorn. Whithorn, , is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, with which the Isle of Whithorn is frequently incorrectly amalgamated or...
, Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown is a registration county in the Southern Uplands of south west Scotland. Until 1975, the county was one of the administrative counties used for local government purposes, and is now administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway...
and is the second southernmost point of Scotland (after the Mull of Galloway
Mull of Galloway
The Mull of Galloway is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point . Built in 1830 by engineer Robert Stevenson, the white-painted round tower is high...
).
St. Ninian's Cave is approximately two miles north-west along the coast. It is an important location for pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
who believe that St. Ninian spent some time on retreat there.
Burrow Head's location and relative seclusion meant that during the eighteenth century it became associated with smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, from and to the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
(fifteen miles south) and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
In more recent years, Burrow Head became famous as a location for the 1973 thriller film The Wicker Man. Until recently the stumps of the prop used as the wicker man
Wicker Man
A wicker man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico...
in the film remained visible, but these have been gradually eroded by souvenir hunters.
Today much of Burrow Head is occupied by a caravan park.