(AD) We were recently invited to stay at Galloway Holiday Cottage in Newton Stewart. We have previously been to the area when we lived in Scotland, but we was just passing through and never really had the chance to explore, so we were thrilled to be staying for a few nights.
In this post you can expect to find info about Galloway Holiday Cottage and some ideas on things to do in Dumfries & Galloway. Everything that I suggest is family friendly
Galloway Holiday Cottage is family run and created to maintain the gorgeous cottage which has been in the family for 4 generations, currently all profits are going towards the upkeep, maintenance and running of the cottage. It has been extensively refurbished, however keeping its 16th century gatehouse authenticity. It is in quite a handy location and is easy to get to. Another thing that is great for families visiting is it has a public play park right on it's doorstep. You can find out everything you need to know about Galloway Holiday Cottage further down in this post. Read on for details of our visit.
The Cottage
We arrived just after the check in time andthe cottage was lovely, it was clean and tidy and I instantly noticed the Steven Brown Artwork, the cows in particular (anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with cows)
The cottage is well equipped with everything you could possibly need to make your stay as comfortable as possible, including free WIFI for those who absolutely need to have it.
On entering you find yourself in the kitchen, which has a lovely breakfast table, cooker and all of the kitchen equipment you need including tea, coffee and a fridge/freezer with a carton of milk. From the kitchen turning right you come to one of the two bedrooms, this room has a double bed and a double sofa bed. The boys all stayed in this room and had plenty of room and slept well. You also get loads of extra blankets. There's also a big double window in here too and it overlooks the back garden area.If you re lucky enough you might see a Badger who visits often or a Red Deer who likes to lick the salt lick.
Just outside of this bedroom you have a little utility area with a washing machine and dryer, and you also have the spacious bathroom with sink, toilet and shower.
Next is the open plan living/dining space, which is lovely and spacious with a 6 seater table, a 4 & 3 seater sofa and two chairs. You can also enjoy the gorgeous coal fire if you want the ultimate cosiness. You can also enjoy the large tv with fully loaded fire stick. This was a bit of a faff for me as I'm used to just using Sky TV, but we got there in the end. You have everything you need in the living room to make you feel at home. There are also board games, books and even dog toys for your pooch.
The owners have really thought about the dog friendly aspect too here, providing toys, bowls, bed, poop bags, treats and a dedicated dog area in the garden
Haig & Dana have also added in some electric heaters which heat up straight away and warm the rooms up quickly. From the living room you have a porch area with umbrellas and coat hooks and then you have the other bedroom which was cosy and warm. This bedroom has a king-size bed that you sink into and again plenty of blankets to keep you warm if you need it. I loved the added touches such as the Steven Brown prints, cushions, throws and even cups. Speaking of cups check out the super cute mammy, daddy and baby set.
The only thing I will add is if you like a firmer pillow bring your own because the ones provided are super soft.
Outside
Outside you will find a dedicated dog run area with grass and some toys, to the side is a BBQ area, seating area and the gate into the property and to the back is a large grassed area with seating, log fire & trees. You also have the front which is landscaped but sloped with steps down to the gate.
Prices
Prices start from £80 per night with a minimum of 2 nights sleeping up to 6 guests in two rooms
(king-size bed in one room, double bed and double sofa bed in the other)
Bookings require a 15% non refundable deposit at the time of booking with full payment due within two weeks of your stay
Short midweek stays and weekend stays available Check HERE for availability
Keep Scrolling to find out more
Need To Know
🌻Dog Friendly with no maximum limit of dogs and free of charge
🌻Chance to see Badgers and Deer in the garden
🌻Minimum of 2 nights
🌻Check in is after 3, Check out is before 10
🌻Welcome pack on arrival
🌻Welcome basket with wine, chocolate and biscuits
🌻Electric heaters in each room
🌻Coal fires
🌻Plenty of blankets
🌻Hot water bottles
🌻Candles & torches
🌻Iron/Ironing board
🌻Towels
🌻No smoking in the property
🌻Bin collection schedule on the fridge
🌻Plenty of cooking utensils
🌻You are welcome to water the plants if you want to
🌻Toys. dog bed, bowls, poop bags for your pooches
🌻Fully loaded fire stick for the tv
🌻Full Tv Instructions in the welcome pack
🌻Free WIFI
🌻Outdoor CCTV
Galloway Holiday Cottages can be found on social media
FB - Galloway Holiday Cottages Insta- Galloway_21
Alternatively you can contact them by email Gallowayholidaycottages@hotmail.com
They are also on sites such as Bookalet, Trip advisor, AirBnB, but you get a better deal by going direct and avoiding the fees these middleman sites charge.
In Newton Stewart
If you don't fancy cooking you will find a few takeaways in the main area of the town, there are also supermarkets such as Sainsburys, Co-op, Aldi. Welcome pack contains takeaway menus.
Play Park right next to the cottage which has open fields, decent play area and I did notice some tennis courts
Museum
RSPB Site
You can walk alongside the river which was quite nice
Belted Galloway visitor centre and restaurant
Galloway Forest is 5 minutes away which has so much to do you can spend days there. It is also a Dark sky area
Garage with EV charger right next to the house it was pretty quick too and only took 20 minutes to charge our car.
Good links to beaches within a short drive(we checked out Mossyard and Port William)
On our trip we explored and visited the following places...
Day One
🌻Threave Gardens (The castle is currently closed) which is free for National Trust members, lovely walk around the grounds and you can take a peek in the house too.
🌻Osprey Watch at Threave Castle. To get to the platform it is a flat walk which takes around 20 minutes we got to watch one in its nest!
🌻Galloway Forest - We spent quite a lot of time in the forest, we explored the lochs, fed The Red Deer on the trail, fed wild goats, stood next to a beautiful waterfall and just sat taking in the beauty of it all.
There's loads and loads to do in the forest. If you go to feed the Deer take carrots Find out more on what you can do at Galloway Forest HERE
Day Two
🌻We explored Wigtown and its famous bookshops. The bookshop that is meant to be Scotland's largest (I'm sure there's a bigger one in Edinburgh) is pretty expensive so be warned. We spent some money in a different one. We also found the Martyr's cell and came across the extraordinary women of Wigtown trail which we thought was really interesting.
🌻After this we headed into Dumfries.
🌻Mabie Forest is stunning and we loved the Orchard trail, bursting at the seams with wild garlic.
🌻We came back through Galloway forest and stopped at the Deer again.
Leaving day
🌻We had some carrots left over so we again fed the deer then headed to cream O' Galloway for Ice cream (It is delicious) We also bought some cheese. I love everything this farm stands for and the way they work everything is just fantastic. You can also play crazy golf, walk around the garden, on certain days there's cheese making and ice cream making, factory tours and more.
🌻We charged the car at Gretna Green then we just headed home to get Adam to Police Cadets.
Other ideas for things to do in Dumfries & Galloway
🌻Mabie Farm Park is fab for the younger kids with animal feeding, paddocks with an array of animals, animal barn, Indoors you can find Pets Corner where you can handle some of the smaller animals, Play barn complete with climbing wall frames and lots more. Outdoors you can have lots of fun on the Astro-slide, Boating pond, Henry's Fort, Pedal Go Karts, Play Park, Bouncy Pillow, Choo Choo Express. Family of 4 is £38
🌻Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura
Set in an 18th centaury windmill, step back in time to discover some of the areas local history. From fossil footprints to wildlife from Solway marches and so much more. Unfortunately the Camera Obscura is closed still due to coronavirus. Free Entry to the museum
Visit the home of Robert Burns and walk in his footsteps. See where he got the inspiration from for some of his poems. Visit the farmhouse that Robert Burns Built himself for his family to live in, find out about daily life in the farmhouse kitchen, film about Robert & Jeans life, explore the farm buildings and wander the banks of the River Nith. Family of 5 £17.50
We were going to do this on the first day but after looking it up I just couldn't justify the £95 price for a 35 minute workshop. To keep the boys engaged and entertained at that price it would to be a good few hours. It looks great though.
🌻Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum
Located on the former RAF Dumfries airfield, enjoy an extensive collection of aircraft from Spitfires, engines and home front displays. We love places like this and I am sad we didn't get to visit this time but it is on our list. family of 4 £20
We drove past this on the way up and everyone looked like they were having so much fun.
Indoor soft Play, Slides, Massive sandcastles to play in, Go Karts, Feed the animals, Giant slide and lots more. Family of 5 £55
A moated triangular castle.
We have been here years ago when we lived in Scotland and it is definitely worth a visit, be warned though as it can be quite slippery and I slipped and damaged my knee whilst wearing all terrain walking boots. Half price/free entry for English Heritage members
Absolutely worth a visit especially if you are a member like us and into birds. With gorgeous views, frogs and toads and of course plenty of birds what's not to love. Members go free
Bound to be a popular option for our readers as they just love dinosaurs.
Dino sculptures, activities and even a fairy trail. a combined ticket for a family of 4 £37
We have been to Drumlanrig before and it is epic! Such a beautiful place. You can wander the gardens or take a castle tour. You can head into the Adventure Playground and burn of some steam. Garden and Playground family of 5 £24 Castle Tours on selected dates only and to combine all it would be £51 for a family of 5
If you have kids that love rocks then why not take a look around the Gem Rock Museum.
tickets are £5 each and last for a week.
Voted as the most family friendly museum in 2019 the Devils Porridge museum has various galleries to explore your way through. I have put this on my to do list for the next time we are in the area. Family ticket is £16