Dunragit

**Dunragit** () is a veelage on the A75 road atween Stranrawer and Glenluice in the historical coonty o Wigtounshire in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. Dunragit is within the pairish o Auld Luce. The modren veelage grew up aroond the wast yett o Dunragit Hoose, an 18t century kintra hoose, though thare is evident o Neolithic sattlement in the aurie.

## Toponymy

The place-name Dunragit is said tae derive ve *Din Rheged* meanin "Fort o Rheged", referin til the Brythonic kinrick o Rheged that existit in northren Breetain atweed the 5t an 8t centurys. It is possible that this wis ane o the ryal sites uised bi the kings o Rheged, an it hs been forder suggestit as the site o Keeng Arthur's northren coort, *[[Pen Rhionydd]]*, recordit in the medieval Welsh Triads.

## Dunragit moniment complex

Atween 1999 an 2002, archaeological howkins hae explore't the Dunragit aurie, an a complex o Neolithic moniments hae been unkivert. Naething can noo be seen abuin the grund, bit aerial photography an howkin his kythe't an early Neolithic cursus moniment, an the remeens o three later Neolithic concentric timmer circles, datin til aroond 2500 BC(E), the ootby circle o that wis 980 fit across. Aroond 1,300 fit sooth o the timmer circles is the Mund o Droughduil, that his been aforehaund identified as a medieval motte. The location o the mund, in line wi ane o the ingangs til the timmer circles, gart speculation as tae an earlier oreegin, an the 2002 howkin saison focused on this featur. Optically stimulated luminescence datin o howkit material shawed that the mund wis biggit aroond 2500 BC(E), and his been compare't tae Silbury Hill in Wiltshire.

## Round Dounan

Round Dounan, in the grunds o Dunragit Hoose, his been indentified as a motte, shapit fae a naitural mund. It micht hae been a stane-built fort o the 5t or 6t century, and wis identified as the "Fort o Rheged" bi R C Reid in the 1950s.

## Glenwhan Gairden

The 12 acre Glenwhan Gairden his been creatit in Dunragit, syne 1979, oot o a whin an brachen kivert hillside, inspire't bi the nearby Logan Botanic Gairden an bi Tresco on the Isles o Scilly. It is appen til the public.

## Economy

Dunragit Creamery wis operatit bi Nestlé , bit this ane is no langer in uiss.

## Bypass

Plans wis pit forrit in 2006 for a 3.3 mile bypass tae tak the busy A75 road aroond the sooth side o the veelage. A £17.13 million contract for the wark wis awairdit in Februar 2013. Durin the biggin wark substantious findins o prehistoric artefacts, Neolithic arrae-heids, Bronze Age urns, an bead carkets includin a 130-piece jet bead carket, the oreegin o that wis trackit back tae Whitby, North Yorkshire.

## Railweys

There is a level crossin locatit on the Glasgow South Western Line on the section atween Stranrawer an Barrhill.

The Beeching cuts gart the closin o the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway an the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, kent thegither as the "Port Road", in 1965. It served the port in Stranraer an sicweys Lairne as weel as the Port o Belfast an Nortren Ireland in general.

The station is closed alang wi the direct lien fae Stranraer via Dunragit tae Glenluice onwart tae Dumfries and Cairl an the West Coast Main Line tae London Euston. The same jurney tae Dumfries is noo via Ayr an Kilmarnock.

## Gailerie


File:Dunragit House - geograph.org.uk - 596165.jpg|Dunragit Hoose
Image:Level crossing at Dunragit.jpg|level crossin at Dunragit
File:Glenwhan Garden - geograph.org.uk - 331064.jpg|Glenwhan Gairden
File:Looking south from Dunragit.jpg|Leukin sooth fae Dunragit



## References

## External links
*Video footage o the level crossin an signal box at Dunragit