Gretna Green is a small but thriving town on the west coast in the south of Scotland. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk, and has a railway station serving both Gretna Green and Gretna. The Quintinshill rail crash, with 227 deaths the worst rail crash in Britain, occurred near Gretna Green in 1915. retna Green is distinct from the larger nearby town of Gretna. Both are alongside the A74(M) motorway and both are very near to the border of Scotland with England. Gretna is the home of the football team Gretna F.C..