22 Barend | Serenity 22 Barend

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Front view of Ernespie House Hotel, Restaurant and Bar

Dinner at Ernespie House Hotel, Castle Douglas

1 March 20252 March 202522 Barend

Ernespie House is a traditional hotel that’s open for meals and afternoon teas for non-residents.

Nespresso? Dolce Gusto? Ground Coffee?

27 February 202517 March 202522 Barend

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.

Complimentary Focaccia and dips at The Olive Retreat, Castle Douglas

Dining at The Olive Retreat Restaurant, Castle Douglas

25 February 202523 April 202522 Barend

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

23 February 202523 March 202622 Barend

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.

Planned Improvements
Completed Improvements

Smart TV / DVD

15 February 202512 June 202622 Barend

The lodge has a 55″ Smart TV (Toshiba 55QV2F63DB 4K QLED VIDAA).

It has live TV channels available through Freely. There’s also a multiregion DVD player connected, and a selection of DVDs for you to choose from.

Feel free to sign in to any of the streaming services on the TV (Netflix, Prime etc.); just remember to sign out again before you leave!

Alternatively you can bring a Roku or similar, Games Console etc. to connect to the TV (there are 2 spare HDMI ports).

You might want to set yourself a reminder to sign out of your accounts and pack away your devices and any of your remotes at the end of your stay! (That’s what I do 😄)

If you forget to sign out (I have before now 🤦🏻‍♂️), most streaming services have a “Manage Devices” section in your Account Profile, where you can sign out remotely, e.g.

Threave House, Castle Douglas

24 July 202415 March 202522 Barend

We love Threave Estate and Gardens and enjoy visiting them. However, until now, we hadn’t managed to visit when the house was open.

Caerlaverock – the Triangular Castle

25 June 20244 May 202622 Barend

26 miles NE from Serenity (~45 min drive) DG1 4RU

We visited Caerlaverock Castle many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve visited many castles in the UK, but this one stuck in our memory, with it’s distinctive shape, moat and contrasting building style inside the castle walls.

A pint of Guinness with a design "printed" on the head!

Wanlockhead Inn, Scotland’s Highest Pub

18 June 202420 July 202422 Barend

After we’d visited Crawick Multiverse, we made the short(ish) journey to Wanlockhead Inn, Scotland’s Highest pub (1531ft / 467m above sea level)! It’s about 10 miles (20 mins) from Crawick Multiverse.

Crawick Multiverse, Artistic Landscape

18 June 20248 February 202522 Barend

Crawick Multiverse, near Sanquhar (pronounced “sang·kuh”) is a very interesting place to visit. I had a misconception of it when I first heard of it, thinking it was to do with science and geology. However, it’s actually a piece of “land art”. It was designed to reflect the cosmos in this area that’s celebrated for its dark skies.

Gone Fishing! near Barend, Dalbeattie

20 May 202412 June 202622 Barend

Barend Loch, nestled peacefully within the tranquil surroundings of the lodges, provides an idyllic setting for fishing.

Just 100 metres away, only a 4 minute walk!

Guests at Serenity don’t need a permit, and can enjoy fishing right on the loch opposite the lodge (however please only use barbless hooks). Legend has it that a monster 14lb carp was even caught here!