Kippford
| Kippford | |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | |
|---|---|
 Main road of Kippford | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NX838546 |
| Location: | 54°52’21"N, 3°48’44"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 140 (2001) |
| Post town: | Dalbeattie |
| Postcode: | DG5 |
| Dialling code: | 01556 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Dumfries and Galloway |
Kippford, otherwise known as Scaur is a small and pretty village on the northern shore of the Solway Firth coast, in Kirkcudbrightshire.
Geography
Kippford stretches along the banks of the estuary of the Urr Water and in places is only one house wide, hemmed in between the forested Mark Hill (locally known as the Muckle) and the sea. Kippford can only be accessed by car from Barnbarroch, passing by Craigieknowes Golf Course and two campsites.
Kippford is also linked to Rockcliffe by a scenic track, known as the Jubilee footpath, which passes parallel to the coast (and the village of Kippford) but at a higher elevation. The path can be used to reach Mark Hill and the Mote of Mark, a 5th-century hill fort.
Visitors may cross the sands to a small island called Rough Island when the tide allows.
Views from Kippford include the Cumberland coast across the Solway Firth to the south and Lake District beyond. To the west can be seen Glen Isle and Screel in the background.
Sailing
Kippford is a popular sailing village, with many small yachts moored in the tidal estuary of the River Urr. Events are organised by the Solway Yacht Club.
The RNLI has maintained a station, now fitted with a D class lifeboat, in Kippford for the past 40 years. The lifeboat service share use of the village's public slipway. Kippford was also involved in the shipbuilding industry, albeit on a very small scale. A chandlery still trades here, and sheds can be found behind it which indicate the boat building activities.
History
Between Kippford and Rockcliffe stands the Mote of Mark, a hill fort.
Victorian Kippford had interests in the granite quarrying industry, the pier used now by the Solway Yacht Club being a former handling yard for a small railway line running into the hill to the east where a quarry was located.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kippford) |