Local Activities
About the location
Kirkpatrick Durham
Castle Douglas 8 miles; Dumfries 10.5 miles; Wigtown 10.5 miles; Newton Stewart 17 miles.
Served by a quiet country road, ideal for walking or cycling, the house is only a few minutes’ drive from the A75 Stranraer to Carlisle trunk road. The villages of Springholm and Crocketford, both with pubs serving meals and a village shop, are within a five minute drive. Castle Douglas, the Food Town, provides excellent shopping, with a number of caffe’s, pubs, restaurants, gastronomic shops, outdoor shops (including shops for bike rentals), craft shops etc… Castle Douglas on its’ island in the River Dee and the spectacular National Trust Threave Gardens are all a must see. The Solway coast, with its wonderful scenery and extensive sandy beaches, is within a half hour’s drive and there are a number of excellent, and in some cases testing, golf courses all within easy access, including the championship links course at Southerness. Nearby are the Galloway Hills, offering walking to all levels as well as world class mountain biking.
Golf, fishing and wildlife spotting are well catered for and the sandy beaches, rocky bays and cliff walks of the nearby Solway coast provide fun for all ages.
Only 20 miles away, we border the Galloway Dark Sky Park with some of the lowest levels of light pollution in the world. Visit one of their three Visitor Centres. Make the most of it taking a walk with a torch! Or visit The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory which occupies a fantastic hilltop site on the edge of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park. This publicly accessible educational observatory has some of the darkest skies in the UK and has two large telescopes through which to observe the night sky.
A Dark Sky Park is a place with exceptionally dark night skies, a place where people have committed to keeping those skies dark, by controlling light pollution.
Since 2009, Galloway Forest Park has been designated by the International Dark-Sky Association as only the fourth Dark Sky Park in the world, and the first in the UK, named a Gold Tier park for its breathtaking and rare stargazing conditions. There are now over 100 Dark Sky Parks worldwide.
The Observatory is also situated within the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, which has been recognised internationally as a world class environment for people and nature. The UNESCO designation recognises the fantastic array of landscapes, wildlife, cultural, heritage and learning opportunities that south-west Scotland offers for communities, businesses and visitors to experience and celebrate in a sustainable way.
A short walk away (0 to 10 mins).
A short drive away (20-30 mins).
Places to go
Though immersed in the heart of Galloway with all the benefits that come with the countryside, Lochpatrick Mill is only an hour and a half by car away from Edinburgh and Glasgow. This puts it within easy reach of all things urban with access to the great museums, galleries, music, shops, markets, restaurants, sporting centres etc… of Scotland’s great cities.
Things to do
The sky’s the limit.