and gallop away

If you live there you have my sympathy (though it's maybe a bit nicer at times other than Sunday evening) but it has to be said that the first impression of Dumfries is that it's a bit of a manky hole. The 'burbs just look like 'burbs but the town centre has a distinctly sorrowful air about it, even though at first glance it looks a little bit Berwickish with all the fancy red buildings around the town centre and the big bridgey things over the river. There seem to be a large number of empty premises around the town centre, both on the main streets and those side streets and the bits at the back. I thought it would be humming with codgertourists by the busload but apart from a few people loafing about outside pubs and some youths driving a pimped blue car up and down the main square thing behind this car park there were very few people about. Still, another new place to wander around for a bit is always interesting even if it is all mostly shut.