22 Barend | Serenity 22 Barend

Dates filling up: 6 nights available 21-27 June, 2 nights in July, short breaks in August. Check availability.

Clatteringshaws Loch & Visitor Centre Review

29 September 202224 March 202622 Barend

A place of beauty and tranquility, Clatteringshaws Loch is a must for anyone who loves to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and soak up nature.

⚠️ The café and toilets have been closed since Feb ’25. 😔 If/when the café reopens, we’ll update this post.

Kirkcudbright Swimming Pool

29 September 202225 March 202322 Barend

Kirkcudbright Swimming Pool is open throughout the week and it’s not necessary to book. Just check the timetable on their website and turn up. It’s only a small complex but has everything you need: changing rooms, lockers, showers and a small seating area where you can get drinks from the vending machines.

Plates of food from mezze menu on a table

Nikos Mediterranean Restaurant & Cafe Review

29 September 202215 March 202522 Barend

June 2024: Nikos’ changed to The Olive Retreat, which later moved (under the name Sambuca) to further up the road!

Check out other places to eat near the lodge.

13 miles WNW ~20 min drive DG7 1DX

Recycling Bins Outside Serenity 22 Barend

How to Recycle in Dumfries & Galloway

14 September 202213 April 202622 Barend

While you’re staying at Serenity 22 Barend, we would very much appreciate you separating your waste into the 3 bins and 1 box outside the lodge so that it can be recycled.

Inside The Old School House, Ringford, near Castle Douglas

Review of Lunch at The Old School House

12 September 202212 September 202222 Barend

April 2026 – The Old School House closed around a year ago, and the team moved to Rosava’s in Castle Douglas. However Rosava’s also closed earlier this year 😞

Check out other places to eat near the lodge.

Distance from the lodge: 21 miles W ~30 min drive

On a previous visit to the area, we travelled to The Old School House Café/Restaurant (on the A75 a few miles SW of Castle Douglas), only to find that they were closed for holidays. This time we checked they were open and eagerly awaited our lunch.

Shezan Indian Takeaway in Dalbeattie

9 September 202223 November 202322 Barend

This one split opinion in the family! Two of us like spicy food and the rest can’t take the heat!

We sometimes order a few dishes and share them out rather than just having one each. This time we ordered:

Mr Pook's Restaurant Foraged Chanterelle Mushroom Tart

Mr Pook’s Kitchen Restaurant Review

9 September 202223 April 202422 Barend

Sadly, Mr Pook’s closed in September 2024 😞

However, another restaurant called Sambuca has opened at the same address: 38 King Street, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, DG7 1AD 😋

Check out other places to eat near the lodge.

Distance from the lodge: 13 miles WNW ~20 min drive

Mr Pook’s Kitchen website says they ‘showcase some of the best produce from Dumfries & Galloway using ancient, classic & modern cooking techniques’.

We went for a meal there one evening and we’re happy to thoroughly recommend it based on our experience. We noticed a children’s menu was on display outside, but we were child free this time!

View of Barend Loch and hills behind from the balcony of Serenity 22 Barend

Help Us to Look After Barend Loch

7 September 20228 March 202622 Barend

Serenity has a great view of Barend Loch, so we really appreciate all efforts made to keep the Loch healthy and looking good!

You can walk all around the loch and might be fortunate to spot Heron, Swans, Dragonflies and other wildlife 🙂 There are fish in the loch and guests at Serenity don’t need a permit to fish there.

The lodges at Barend use a treatment plant over the road for waste water. The plant uses Barend Loch as a final stage of water purification before discharging via a stream into the sea. There’s no smell and the outflow from the loch is regularly tested showing a very high standard of purity.

Here are three ways you can help us to look after Barend Loch: