Things To Do
Big Hikers
Dumfries and Galloway offers many spectacular hikes for all abilities from beaches to forests to gardens to hills. Dazzlings walks along the Solway Coast. Trek the spectacular and extensive Galloway Hills. Take a day to climb Merrick, the tallest mountain in South West Scotland. Explore the Galloway Forrest Park. This undiscovered corner of Scotland has vast swathes of beautiful and bucolic landscape waiting to be explored.
Mountain Bikers
South West Scotland offers some of the best cycling opportunities amongst impressive scenery. In fact, the bicycle was invented in Kirkpatrick Durham by the Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick MacMillan in around 1839. The KM Trail is a cycling network with 450 miles of signposted routes on quiet roads and around 40 miles of off road routes for more experienced cyclists.
7stanes is an award winning mountain biking route in a varied landscape of deep forest tracks to crag-sided valleys with coastal views and twisting trails to challenge you. Other mountain biking trails can be found in Mabie Forest, Ae and Glentrool.
Food Fanatics
We are here in the heart of a traditional agricultural community. Everywhere you go you will see farms with fields of grazing cattle and sheep. Castle Douglas is the area’s ‘Food Town’ with three butchers supplying local, outdoor and humanely raised beef and lamb. There is also an excellent bakery, ‘The Earth’s Crust’, a fish van three times a week, two supermarkets, a health food shop and a greengrocer, as well as several independent cafes and the local Sulwath Brewery. If you fancy a night of fine dining, why not head to Mr Pooks, a great new restaurant serving local and foraged produce.
In Galloway you will also find some wonderful farm shops championing local farmers, like Kilnford on the Dumfries bypass. Loch Arthur Farm Shop is a community project and social enterprise, providing meaningful work and accommodation for its employees. It has its own creamery producing award-winning cheese, a biodynamic and organic farm and a cafe well worth a visit.
Galloway Smokehouse, with an offering of local smoked fish, meats and game, lies nestled in a beautiful setting overlooking the rhins of Galloway.
Cream o’ Galloway makes for a fantastic day out with the family. After a day at the beach head towards Gatehouse of Fleet to try our famous local and organic ice cream and visit the adventure playground while you’re at it. The Cocoa Bean Factory is another great day out for the family during which you can make your own chocolate creations, enjoy lunch in the Cocoabean Cafe and play in the outdoor areas.
Annandale Distillery has been recently re-established. Head down and take a guided tour of the distillery and learn how a fine single malt Scotch whiskey is produced.
Thrill Seekers
Loch Ken offers a wealth of activity for families with kids, groups of friends, or anyone looking for a great and active day of adventure. Head to the Water Skiing and Wakeboarding School where you can learn an array of different water sports. With a highly train group of professionals in charge, whether you are a complete novice or looking to hone your skills, you are in good hands.
Further down the Loch you’ll find Galloway Activity Centre offering sailing courses, paddle boarding, wild swimming, kayaking, laser tag, climbing and mountain biking.
Laggan Outdoor offers thrills for all the family including zip wires, Segway adventure tours, clay pigeon shooting and archery.
Literature and Culture Lovers
Dumfries and Galloway is abounding in literary culture. Scotland’s famous bard, Rabbie Burns, spent his later years living in Dumfries where he wrote some of his most notable works. Head to the Robert Burns Centre in Dumfries to hear about his extraordinary time in this historic market town, illuminated by his original manuscripts.
S.R. Crockett, born outside Castle Douglas, wrote many thrilling adventure stories about smugglers set in the Galloway Hills.
J.M. Barrie, who famously wrote Peter Pan, went to school in Dumfries and conceived his vision of Neverland while playing in the garden of Moat Brae House, which has now become Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literacy and Storytelling and is open for visits.
If you’ve got through all the books you brought with you and all those we leave on your shelves, remember Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town, is just an hour away. If you are here in September it’s worth heading down to Wigtown for Scotland’s second largest Book Fair where many famous writers, poets and explorers come together to celebrate literature.
Art Admirers
A fan of art? You’ve come to the right place. Dumfries and Galloway is rich with arts, crafts and artistic heritage. Why not visit local Kirkcudbright, ‘the artists’ town’, where artists having been coming for centuries to explore the soft, natural light and coastal landscape. Artists who made their homes include E.A. Hornell, who became one of the Glasgow Boys, Jessie M. King, E.A. Taylor and William Robson.
The second May bank holiday sees the annual Spring Fling where artists across the county open their studios to the public. This is linked to the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival which runs for 10 days in May every year bringing the performing arts to the region.
The Striding Arches around Penpont where Andy Goldsworthy has created a series of stone sculptures are well worth a visit.
Gardens and Botanicals
The gardens of Crofts House are open to the public once a year but as our guests you are always welcome to explore the fairy like wilderness of the Estate.
The gulf stream makes for a mild and temperate climate meaning that Dumfries and Galloway benefits from some unique growing conditions.
Check out the Scottish Garden Scheme’s calendar to find out when you can visit attractions like Charles Jencks’, a leading landscape architect, Portrack, the Garden of Cosmic Speculation and Crawick Multiverse.
Threave Garden and Estate is part of the National Trust of Scotland, and is dedicated to the training of horticulturalists. It is one of Scotland’s most biodiverse nature reserves with a large collection of flora and fauna.
Visit Cally Gardens, a working nursery with a plethora of exotic and unusual perennials.
Culture Fanatics
Burns Centre
Catstrand
Museums
Gardens and Botanicals
The gardens of Crofts House are open to the public once a year but as our guests you are always welcome to explore the fairy like wilderness of the Estate.
The gulf stream makes for a mild and temperate climate meaning that Dumfries and Galloway benefits from some unique growing conditions.
Check out the Scottish Garden Scheme’s calendar to find out when you can visit attractions like Charles Jencks’, a leading landscape architect, Portrack, the Garden of Cosmic Speculation and Crawick Multiverse.
Threave Garden and Estate is part of the National Trust of Scotland, and is dedicated to the training of horticulturalists. It is one of Scotland’s most biodiverse nature reserves with a large collection of flora and fauna.
Visit Cally Gardens, a working nursery with a plethora of exotic and unusual perennials.
Culture Fanatics
Dumfries and Galloway is home to many cultural centres of excellence. In Dumfries town you will find the world’s oldest working Camera Obscura on the top floor of the Windmill tower in Dumfries museum. The rest of the museum is a treasure trove of history telling the stories of the land and its people from the prehistoric era. In Dumfries you will also find the Robert Burns Centre, a museum bringing Scotland’s national bard to life in a way accessible to all ages.
The Catstrand is New Galloway’s cultural epicentre with live events, music, a cinema and art shows.
Golf Players
With over 200 miles of exquisite coastline and some exceptional panoramas, Dumfries and Galloway is a golfers paradise. There are many golf courses in the area including a championship course, which welcomes visitors any day of the week and weekend.
Music
Dumfries and Galloway’s music scene is continuing to grow and is becoming important to the economy of the area, which is home to some of Scotland’s best music festivals. Since 2009, Moniaive has hosted a bluegrass festival in September celebrating old time and Americana genres in the beautiful music village of South West Scotland.
The county also hosts Eden Festival, a boutique, vibrant and independent festival near Moffat in the stunning Raehill Meadows. If you are looking to celebrate the music of the Celtic diaspora and cultural diversity then look no further than Knockengorroch, a ‘world ceilidh in the hills’. For a rock and metal fans check out Wildfire Festival in Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village. For a new music vibe, Doonhame festival is the place to be, in the historic grounds of the Crichton in Dumfries. Brand new Springkell Live festival will be putting on an independent, indie and acoustic offering.
