Visitor Attractions in Dumfries and Galloway

Bird and Wildlife Watching

Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages are an ideal holiday location for nature lovers. The estate itself has woodland, garden, field and tidal river habitats and if you are lucky and patient otters, roe deer, red squirrels, bats and kingfishers could be spotted without leaving the site. Goldeneye, wigeon, teal, goosander, shelduck, lapwing, curlew, redshank, and greenshank can also be seen on or near the river. One guest reported seeing an Osprey.

Dumfries and Galloway is a beautiful and varied area rich in birdlife. Here you can find mountains, moors, lochs, woodlands, coastal, river and farmland habitats. Two miles away are the shores of the inner Solway Firth, one of the most important winter estuaries for birds in Britain, holding up to 40,000 wildfowl and 83,000 waders.

• Bird and Wildlife Watching >

Beaches and Coast

The part of Dumfries and Galloway around Kirkennan is known for its beautiful coastline and beaches. Some beaches close to the holiday cottages include:

Red Haven is one of our favourite beaches. It is approximately 4 miles away and can be reached by a short walk from the carpark (20 minutes approx.) It is a good site for a picnic.
Horse Isles Bay (2.5 miles to parking then 45 min walk) is a beautiful and secluded sandy bay. Walking further will take you to another sandy bay White Port beach facing the Solent. Both are normally deserted.
Rockcliffe (9 miles) is a small village with its own sandy bay.
Portling (just over 9 miles) has nice cliffs and pools and lots of sand – usually deserted.
Sandyhills (9.3 miles) is a wide sandy beach. There is plenty of parking near the beach for which there is a charge.

Beaches and Coast near Kirkennan

Historic Sites

Dumfries and Galloway is rich in historic sites and monuments. Easy to reach on a day trip from Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages include:

Burns House, Dumfries with information about Scotland's national bard.
Cairn Holy a prehistoric burial site in an atmospheric location with great views.
Caerlaverock Castle a well preserved medieval triangular castle.
Dundrennen Abbey a ruined 12th century home of Cistercian monks.
Orchadton Tower, Scotland’s only circular tower house. Always open with free entry.
Sweetheart Abbey a romantic 13th century ruined Abbey
Threave Castle a14th century tower of Archibald the Grim, sited on an island in the river Dee and reached by boat.

Historic Sites near Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages

Gardens

Dumfries and Galloway lies within the gulf stream and this, plus the plethora of historic houses have led to some great gardens and nurseries that are worth a visit. Interesting ones include:
Broughton House and Garden in Kirkcudbright. House and garden of the painter E A Hornell, one of the Glasgow boys. The garden was influenced by his visit to Japan.
Cally Gardens: a walled garden that operates mainly as a plant nursery with many rare specimens. [Check status before visiting as it is currently for sale]
Elizabeth McGregor Cottage: Garden Plants
Threave Estate and Gardens: In 2013 Threave was voted second in The Independent's '10 Best Gardens to Visit in the UK'. One day we aspire to have Kirkennan’s walled garden looking like Threave’s – but they have rather more people working on it so it may be a while!

Gardens to visit near Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages

Local Towns & Villages

Castle Douglas: Scotland’s Food Town has an active high street with many locally owned shops. It also has a micro-brewery Sulwaths where you can sample their produce and take a tour.
Dumfries: a historic market town on the River Nith, known for its connection with Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet.
Kippford: A pretty coastal village on the other side of the River Urr. Kippford is at the mouth of the river Urr and has a marina, a pub, an ice cream/gift shop and a scenic walk to Rockcliffe.
Kirkcudbright: A scenic town with a castle, harbour and artistic heritage
Wigtown: Scotland’s book town with many second hand book shops hosts a literary festival at the end of September/beginning of October each year.

Nature Reserves

Dumfries and Galloway is famous for its wildlife. Some places to visit include:

Caerlaverock Wetland Centre: A 1,400 acre wild reserve of the Wildlife & Wetlands Trust situated on the north Solway Coast.
Galloway Red Kite Trail and feeding station where kites are fed daily at 2pm.
Ken Dee Marshes: A RSPB wetland and woodland reserve with great views across the River Dee and Loch Ken.
Mereshead: An extensive RSPB wetland and saltmarsh area and haven for breeding waders, wintering waterfowl and year-round bird and wildlife-watching.
Threave Estate is a good place to see ospreys and bats.

Pubs and Places to Eat

Dumfries & Galloway is known for producing fine food, indeed the nearby town of Castle Douglas is known as Scotland's food town. Whether you are looking for an intimate meal for two, a hearty pub lunch, afternoon tea or just feel like having a takeaway, there's plenty of choice. Alternatively if you want to use our well equipped kitchens you can experiment with trying a range of local produce.

We are grateful to our guests for helping to compile a list of their local favourites easily accessible from Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages.

Local Pubs & Places to Eat >

Outdoor Pursuits

With wonderful wildlife walks, charming coastal paths, short strolls and strenuous hill climbs, the landscape around Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages is a Mecca for those that enjoy outdoor pursuits.

Of course in addition to walking, a plethora of other outdoor activities are also available including golf, cycling, fishing, boating and much much more.

Outdoor Pursuits >

Art Galleries & Studios

Situated close to the Artists town of Kirkcudbright, visitors to the Kirkennan Estate Holiday Cottages are ideally placed to visit the many art galleries and artists studios nearby.

It is said that originally, artists were drawn to the area due to the quality of light. Today artworks range from traditional and contemporary paintings to pottery, sculpture and photography.
You can also follow the Kirkennan Art and Craft Trail to enjoy a range of work by local artists without leaving the Estate. Some of these are available to purchase.

Art Galleries and Studios in South Scotland

Other Attractions

In addition to the attractions listed, there are also a range of other themed visitor centres in the local area of Dumfries and Galloway.

Bainloch Deer Park: 'It is well worth the fee to be driven in a 4x4 and have the deer come and feed from your hand. It was a fantastic experience' (July 15)
Cream o' Galloway: fantastic ice-cream with a visitor centre geared to young children.
Dalbeattie Museum: small museum run by volunteers in Dalbeattie.
Dino Park: recommended by visitors to Kirkennan for 'anyone with little ones'.
Dumfries Museum
John Paul Jones Museum