What is "ardwell"

Ardwell (from Gaelic Àrd Bhaile meaning "high town", pronounced as "Ardwell") is a village in the Scottish unitary council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It lies on the shores of Luce Bay in the southern part of the Rhins of Galloway. The A716 road to Drummore or the Mull of Galloway passes through the village. The only other street is Ardwell Park, a street of new houses.

The community is served by the nearby Ardwell Church, a small public church with a bell tower, built in 1900-1902.

Many of the houses are still owned by Ardwell Estates, and Ardwell House is located around west of the village in the grounds of Ardwell Garden and looking across Ardwell Pond.

In the grounds of Ardwell House, on a ridge above the road, are the remains of a medieval motte; the castle bailey may have stood to the north. In addition, south of the church are the ruins of Killaser Castle, the ancestral home of the McCullochs, who formerly held Ardwell., Stoneykirk, Rhinns, Wigtownshire.

Near High Ardwell, on the other side of the peninsula, are the remains of Doon Castle, the best example of an Iron Age broch in Dumfries and Galloway.

Ardwell used to hold the Leek Fair, where plants were sold.