Gatehouse Development Initiative is volunteer organization in Gatehouse of Fleet in south-west Scotland (UK) which carries out projects to improve the well-being of the community through projects related to the improvement of the environment and the promotion of built and natural heritage.
Dry stone walls, or drystane dykes as they are known in Scotland, are an important landscape feature in south west Scotland dividing the countryside into a patchwork of fields. During the 18th century changes in agricultural practices led to the introduction of farm steadings and fields to create the landscape we recognise today. The construction of dykes made from stone was seen as an efficient way to divide the countryside and control livestock.