Gretna Green

Gretna Green is famous as a border town where shotgun marriages were performed for couples who either did not have permission or did not wish to wait. It is still famous today for its marriages although the laws on age of consent are now the same across the whole of the UK.

Gretna Green is in Dumfries and Galloway. It lies along an old coach route from London to Edinburgh. It is easy to confuse Gretna Green with the nearby town of Gretna since they are both near the motorway and close to the border with England. However, you will know when you are at the right place just by the tourist attractions and signposting. You really can't miss it.

The Blacksmith shops of Gretna Green will have witnessed the marriages of thousands of elopers over the years. This is one of the worlds most popular wedding venues and many people still come from overseas just to be married at Gretna Green.

On the downside Gretna Green is becoming something of a tourist trap in its attempt to capture revenue through its new shops and commercial enterprises which unfortunately take away some of the real value of this historic town as a worthwhile tourist attraction.

Gretna Green is also famous for being near the location of the Quintinshill railway crash in 1915 which goes down in history as the worst rail crash in the UK with 227 deaths.

More details can be found at: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ 


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