The Gate House of Fleet, to us is a stop off town en route to The Machars, we park in the car park by the river, use the facilities, buy some provisions at the Spar, or nice deli/cafe, have a picnic. But it's more than that, it's a stunning large village with picturesque streets, the leafy Cally woodland walks, stunning when the snowdrops are out, oh and bags of history such as in a former textile mill - now a visitor centre with a museum, exhibitions, a TIC and bookshop.

 

The Gate House of Fleet is just of the A75 and the road loops in at one end and out at Cardoness Castle once home of the McCulloch's and later Maxwells. For more in depth articles see the Blog
 

Originally a planned town built for industry, four cotton mills, a tannery, a brewery, a bobbin mill, indeed Gate House of Fleet was named, 'Glasgow of the South' would you believe.

 

The gait was originally a stagecoach inn built by the local landlords The Murrays, the gait-house (toll) was beside the bridge over the Fleet, the river. Hence the village became the Gatehouse of Fleet. And on a journey horse drawn coaches and travellers were wise to rest there than risk going west, when at the time the lawless lurked the roads, such as they were.

 

See The Mill on the Fleet website

 

 

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