Dozens of places in Dumfries and Galloway are taking part in this weekend’s Doors Open Days event.
It is the chance to visit historic and religious sites, museums, castles, plus arts, cultural and visitor attractions for free and to enjoy a range of special activities.
Regional co-ordinator Mick MacLeod said: “We are really pleased to have a number of new venues this year and across a greater spread of the region from Eskdalemuir to the Mull of Galloway.”
Members of the public can discover how bells are rung when they visit St John’s Church in Lovers Walk, Dumfries, tomorrow from 1pm to 4pm.
There will be an exhibition about the eight bells and the history of this centuries old art for visitors to explore and they can then climb the 22 steps to the ringing room for a demonstration of bell ringing.
St John’s Church contains the only set of full circle bells in southern Scotland.
Both tomorrow and Sunday, from 10am to 4pm, there will also be free entry to explore the Dumfries house and garden associated with JM Barrie and where his classic Peter Pan was born – Moat Brae on George Street.
As well as a free guided tour of the main rooms, there will also be the chance to see the original “Tinker Bell” which was used in the first production of Peter Pan in 1904, and explore the Neverland Garden.
Tours will start every 20 minutes from 10am to 3.15pm and will be limited to groups of 20 people. Moat Brae is fully wheelchair accessible and has a Changing Places toilet and baby changing facilities in the basement on request.
The house, café and shop will be closed to general customers on Doors Open Day weekend.
The Crichton Estate is also taking part on Sunday from 1pm to 4pm visitors and from 5pm to 7pm, the Crichton Memorial Church will host a presentation sharing stories of the site from past staff and patients.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is hosting a tour of St Andrew’s Roman Catholic Cemetery at Troqueer tomorrow from 10am to 3pm. Booking is required.
Dumfries Museum, which is home to the world’s oldest working Camera Obscura, is open from 10am to 1pm and from 1.30pm to 4pm tomorrow. The Dumfries Ice Bowl is open from 10am to 4pm on both days offering the chance to try curling for free with qualified coaches on hand. Booking is recommended and participants must be aged over six years.
At New Abbey, Shambellie House is open on both days from 10am to 4pm for tours of the David Bryce designed building which is now a creative centre for arts, heritage and environmental courses.
The A-listed Cruck Cottage at Torthorwald is open from 11am to 4pm both days.
Sanquhar Tollbooth Museum staff will be giving tours of the building, which dates from 1734, from 10am to 4pm tomorrow. Visitors will be given access to the ground floor jail cell, the clock tower and the debtors’ cells in the roof.
Sundial Cottage at Penpont, which is the birthplace of Victorian African explorer Joseph Thompson, is open from 11am to 4pm on both days.
The Dunscore Heritage Centre will open from noon to 5pm on Sunday and houses a touch-screen interactive display, photos and articles about the village and WWII heroine, Jane Haining.
At 3pm, there will be a talk in the church about Haining and on Sunday, also at 2pm, a guided walk round the Village Memory Trail including the site of the library started by Robert Burns.
Also open on both days from 11am to 4pm is Ellisland Farm where Burns penned Auld Lang Syne and Tam O’Shanter among many works.
There are also five places to visit in Annandale and Eskdale. The Old School Hub and Cafe at Eskdalemuir will open from 10am to 4pm tomorrow and from 10am to 6.30pm on Sunday, with guided tours at 11.30am and 2.30pm each day. There will be traditional music sessions.
Westerkirk Church at Bentpath is open from 1pm to 5pm tomorrow and from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday.
The impressive Westerkirk Parish Library – also at Bentpath – was founded in 1793 for the antimony miners of the Louisa Mine and is close to the birthplace of engineer Thomas Telford, who left a bequest to the library for books. It is open from 1pm to 5pm on both days.
The Thomas Carlyle birthplace museum in Ecclefechan is open from 10am and 4pm both days.
The Hallmuir Ukrainian POW Chapel, near Lockerbie, is open both days from 11am to 5pm with guided tours.
The full programme is online at www.facebook.com/doorsopendaysDG/.
