Newton Stewart, located in the southern part of Scotland, offers one of the best scenic views in all of the country thanks to the city's placement along the gorgeous River Cree. The city still retains the charm that it has always possessed and this is largely due to the three thousand or so citizens of the city who make sure that pollution and litter do not afflict their beautiful slice of earth.
Newton Stewart's roots stretch all the way back to the 1600s when William Stewart founded the "New Town of Stewart". Stewart, who was the youngest son of the second Earl of Galloway, was given a charter for the city by the then King Charles the Second. Within no time a weekly market arose and carnivals began to be held twice a year. The land that Newton Stewart was built upon had a rich history itself, as none other than the famed Robert the Bruce forded the Cree in 1329 during his pilgrimage to St. Ninian's shrine in Whithorn. The exact place where Bruce forded the river was marked and a bridge was built there in 1745 to commemorate the historic crossing. Unfortunately, a flood would decimate the bridge just over fifty years later but John Rennie the Elder designed a newer, more impressive bridge in 1813 that can still be seen today.
The town's local market is also still thankfully active although much of Newton Stewart's economy has to do with agriculture and forestry rather than the selling of wares. This has given Newton Stewart a reputation for being a town of roughnecks, although said roughnecks are certainly afforded a beautiful view of the Cree as well as the incredible Galloway Forest Park. The latter in fact supplies jobs for a large amount of Newton Stewart's citizens. The forest also helps the local economy in a way that is a bit more roundabout: Countless tourists come to visit the Galloway Forest Park in order to walk the vast, beautiful nature trails. Newton Stewart's close proximity to the forest encourages many of these tourists to stay a night or two and take in the scenic wonder. Some even stick around in the city to take a look at the butterfly garden and tropical plant house that is usually of great interest to the people who came with the intent to walk the nature trails. The local St. John's Church once had a museum in it but it has unfortunately been shut down in recent years and is no longer open to the public. All the same, the church itself is worth a look and some may find it to be more interesting than anything a museum could offer. At any rate, the citizens of Newton Stewart are more than happy to welcome visitors to the quaint burg and share their gorgeous scenery with anybody willing to take a look around. Though the Newton Stewart Railway has been discontinued recently, the A75 road still brings you right into the city proper, giving a nature lover no excuse to pass up a visit to the little hamlet near the enormous forest.
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