Kirdkcudbright (pronounced “kir-coo-bree”) – on the banks of the Dee Estuary – is a lovely little town to wander around, and a visit to the Kirkcudbright Galleries in the beautiful Town Hall building is highly recommended.
Read more
Author: 22 Barend
Arbigland “Nearly Lost” Gardens
Arbigland is an historic house with unusual and secluded gardens leading on to a quiet beach with stunning views across to Cumbria.
Read more
Kilnford Farm Shop & Farmhouse Kitchen Cafe
Kilnford is a family farm with a shop, cafe, deli, butchery, and crafts. It’s a really nice complex, which has restored old farm buildings in keeping with the area, and they’ve also got a good range of things for sale.
Read more
The Earth’s Crust Bakery Castle Douglas
An artisan bakery in Castle Douglas, that serves delicious organic savoury and sweet snacks.
Read more
10 things we love about Serenity 22 Barend 😍
We’ve just got back from a few days at the lodge, and I thought I’d share some of the reasons why we love our lodge, and being at Barend…
Read more
Discover Dalbeattie – the Granite Town
Dalbeattie is known as the “Granite Town” of Dumfries & Galloway / South West Scotland primarily because of its rich granite quarrying history. The name is believed to be from Irish Gaelic; Dail Bheithe.
Read more
Dinner at Ernespie House Hotel, Castle Douglas
Ernespie House is a traditional hotel that’s open for meals and afternoon teas for non-residents.
Read more
Nespresso? Dolce Gusto? Ground Coffee?
Is a good cup of coffee essential for your morning routine?
We’re happy to let you know that we’ve added a coffee machine in the lodge. Perfect for a caffeine boost while sitting on the balcony and gazing across at the beautiful view.
The machine works with Nespresso and Dolce Gusto pods by having a replaceable draw attachment. Just swap for the one that suits the pods you bring.
So, if you prefer pods, you can easily brew a quick cup. However, if you prefer a traditional brew there’s also an attachment for ground coffee.
There are coffee cups and also laminated instructions next to the machine ☕️
We hope you appreciate the new addition and that it enhances your stay.
Dining at The Olive Retreat Restaurant, Castle Douglas
The Olive Retreat closed due to a fire on Tuesday 8th July 2025 😞
The same team opened another restaurant called Sambuca at 38 King Street, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, DG7 1AD (where Mr Pook’s used to be). We’re looking forward to going and trying it out!
Check out other places to eat near the lodge.
13 miles WNW ~22 min drive DG7 1DX
The Olive Retreat is was a relaxed, family friendly mediterranean restaurant & café in the centre of Castle Douglas. We visited on a midweek evening. As it was fairly quiet we were given a choice of tables for two by the friendly waitress.
Lodge Improvements
We bought 22 Barend in July 2022. The previous owners had obviously cared for the lodge, but there were some improvements we wanted to make straight away. The first significant change we made was to rename it “Serenity”; it was called “Milvus Lodge” before (Milvus is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey). After considering a few different names, we settled on “Serenity” as it captures the feeling of the location, and what we look for, to get away from the hustle and bustle of life.
It’s our intention to make some changes to the lodge listed below, which we hope you’ll appreciate, particularly if you’ve stayed here before.
Read more