Dumfries and Galloway lieutenancy purposes, the historic counties are largely maintained with its three lieutenancy areas being Dumfries, Wigtown and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. To the north, Dumfries and Galloway borders East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire; in the east the Borders; and to the south the county of Cumbria in England and the Solway Firth. To the west lies the Irish Sea. The Dumfries and Galloway Council region is composed of counties and their sub-areas. From east to west: The term 'Dumfries and Galloway' has been used since at latest the 19th century – by 1911 the three counties had a
Ae, Dumfries and Galloway comes from the Old Norse word "aa", meaning 'water, river'. Close to the village is the local area headquarters of the Forestry Commission. The commission has been instrumental in developing a mountain biking centre, which provides access to cycle trails of various difficulty. To cater for visitors, there is a small café and a bike shop. Ae, Dumfries and Galloway Ae (pronounced ) is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland. The village is located on the edge of a man-made conifer forest, and is approximately north of Dumfries. Robert Chambers wrote of the Ae area in 1826,