No roughcaster listed in Castle Douglas yet.

A roughcaster applies a textured external finish to buildings - the traditional Scottish harling that protects stone and blockwork walls from the weather while giving them a clean, uniform appearance.

Harling is one of Scotland's most common wall finishes and when it cracks, blows or starts to let in damp, getting it patched or replaced promptly prevents more expensive damage to the masonry underneath.

Ask whether they use traditional lime harling or modern cement render - on older stone buildings, lime-based finishes allow the walls to breathe and avoid the moisture problems that cement can cause.

Castle Douglas is a market town in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, designated Scotland's Food Town in recognition of its independent food shops, butchers, bakers and delicatessens.

The town sits on the edge of Carlingwark Loch and was laid out as a planned town in the late 18th century by Sir William Douglas, giving it a broad, well-proportioned main street.

Castle Douglas has a strong agricultural hinterland and hosts a weekly livestock market that remains central to the farming economy of the Stewartry.

Threave Castle, a 14th-century tower house on an island in the River Dee and the National Trust for Scotland's Threave Garden are both within easy reach of the town.

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Dumfries and Galloway is the most south-westerly council area in Scotland, stretching from the English border at Gretna to the Mull of Galloway - the southernmost point in Scotland - and from the Solway Firth coast inland to the hills of the Southern Uplands.

Dumfries is the largest town and administrative centre, a handsome red sandstone burgh on the River Nith where Robert Burns spent the last years of his life and is buried in St Michael's Kirkyard.

The region divides naturally into three historic areas: Dumfriesshire to the east, Kirkcudbrightshire (the Stewartry) in the centre and Wigtownshire to the west - each with its own character, landscape and loyalties.

The Galloway coast and countryside have a mild climate influenced by the Gulf Stream, fertile farmland, dark-sky reserves and a string of small harbour towns that attract artists, writers and visitors drawn to the quiet and the landscape.

Despite its size, the region is one of the most sparsely populated in Scotland - a place where community is strong, the pace is slower and the landscape ranges from river valleys and rolling farmland to wild moorland and rocky coastline.