Orchard Cottage - Images
Orchard Cottage is a sympathetic, eco-friendly barn conversion on the site of a former grain mill and its associated buildings. The mill pond still sits at the base of an Iron Age Hill Fort that guests are invited to walk up for spectacular views of Wigtown Estuary and the Galloway Hills.
Here we offer you glimpses of Orchard Cottage and some of the surrounding area and provide links to the many things you may want to do and see while you're visiting.
Relax in this southfacing courtyard after a days' exploring Dumfries and Galloway. There's a BBQ for evening cooking and seats for whole family to sit and relax and enjoy. The courtyard is fenced and off the main road making it child friendly.
At night you can sit out under the starlit sky for some spectacular star gazing too - with no major road lights, this is one of the best views you'll get. If you're really keen, head for the UK's first Dark Sky Park in the Galloway Forest Park, or the local Astronomy Centre
You'll not have to fight for space in this comfy king size bed. The master bedroom is next to the large bathroom with extra large bath, so you can have a good soak after a day's walking, cycling or even golfing.
While children are not the only inhabitants of the twin room, they do enjoy the fun decor and especially like having their own shower and washroom facilities.
The window has a black out blind to help ensure good sleeps.
They're at the end of the hall, so engage in late night whisperings that adults don't necessarily have to know about! That said, they're next to the double room and easily checked up on!
There are gardens aplenty in this part of Dumfries and Galloway. Within an hour you can be at one of Scotland's Botanic Gardens (Logan Botanic near Port Patrick), wandering through the azaleas and rhododendrons on the Earl of Stair's estate at Castle Kennedy or exploring the wonders of the National Trust's Threave House and Gardens near Castle Douglas.
There are other, smaller nurseries and gardens to seek out as well and you'll be amazed what grows in this sheltered corner of Southwest Scotland.
On Saturday's there's a market in Wigtown featuring Elmlea Plants who kindly helped with the planting at Orchard Cottage. Giles has an excellent range of plants and is hugely knowlegeable to answer any gardening queries you may have too.
_230x230.jpg "Double bedroom with en suite shower")
The double bedroom has the advantage of an en-suite shower room with WC and wash basin. Ideal for those who like their privacy at night! Each room has a hanging wardrobe with shelf, so there's plenty of storage space for clothing. Towels and bedding are all supplied as part of the price of the week's rental.
The living/dining space has eight Velux windows allowing streams of sunshine into the large multiuse room - even on an overcast day you can read the papers without turning the lights on. This is just one of our environmentally conscious design features. There's room for everyone around the table to play games, watch tv or relax and plan tomorrow's fun.
We try to ensure the kitchen has all the necessities for any cooking you may wish to do on holiday. You can also cook on the wood burning range - wood is available in the courtyard and can be purchased for £25 per week.
We set out to design Orchard Cottage with comfort and practicality in mind - but with an environmental conscious. The flooring is bamboo with cork underlay. The paint is from a company who don't use harmful chemicals. There are suntunnels in the shower rooms to help light them and we've used Veluxes to maximise solar gain for heat, but also to reduce the need to turn on lights.
There's great cycling to be had around Orchard Cottage. Quiet roads with gentle rolling hills are great for the whole family.
Or for more of a challenge head for Kirroughtree and complete one of the 7 Stanes trails.
Fantastic beaches are just down the road from Orchard Cottage - this is Rigg Bay with a lovely large sandy beach, shallow water and great rock pools at low tide.
Our favourite Beaches Near and Far
Nearby:
Rigg Bay - park in Galloway House Gardens car park (there is a fee)
Garlieston Beach - turn left at the harbour and follow the road around the bay.
Monreith Beach - access by driving through St Medan's Golf Course
Further afield:
Moss Yard - watch for the sign on the right as you head east on the A75 just after Auchenlarie Caravan Park - small, but what a treasure.
Port Logan Beach - it's where they filmed 1000 Acres of Sky and truly is spectacular if you're exploring the Rhins area.
There's fun for everyone at Galloway Activity Centre based at Loch Ken, about 40 minutes drive from Orchard Cottage.
This shot is our 5-year old coming down the zip wire off the 25m climbing wall - he loved it!
There's also sailing - see picture below - and kayaking and Laser Quest - easily enough to keep all ages happy for a day's activities.
Local wild foods enthusiast Mark Williams runs weekend courses on finding and identifying local fungi and other wild foods.
