Days Out | Serenity 22 Barend

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Inside a rambling second-hand bookshop in Wigtown with wooden library steps and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

Wigtown: A Rainy Day Trip to Scotland’s Book Town

16 April 202616 April 202622 Barend

Wigtown is Scotland’s official National Book Town. It’s a small, quiet, charming little town with traditional houses interspersed with book shops.

Clock tower at the end of a Scottish High Street

Places to Visit in Gatehouse of Fleet

5 April 20256 April 202522 Barend

Gatehouse of Fleet is a lovely little village with only a handful of shops, but some definite points of interest and well worth a visit.

The picturesque main street has retained its old fashioned charm, with an assortment of small, mostly independent shops and cafés.

Visiting the Gem Rock Museum, Creetown (sad news, it’s closing)

31 March 202516 April 202622 Barend

Update: We were so sorry to hear the news that the Gem Rock Museum is closing its doors for the last time in October 2026. This museum has been a local gem (literally!) for 45 years.

39 miles W ~54 min drive DG8 7HJ

The Gem Rock Museum in Creetown is a unique and fascinating collection of gems, crystals, minerals and fossils. It’s a relatively small family run museum, but has an amazing amount of rare gems and rocks, many more than we expected!

Kirkcudbright Galleries in the Town Hall

25 March 202527 March 202522 Barend

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.

Arbigland “Nearly Lost” Gardens

19 March 202519 March 202522 Barend

Arbigland is an historic house with unusual and secluded gardens leading on to a quiet beach with stunning views across to Cumbria.

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 202412 April 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.

Breakfast outside on a picnic bench overlooking a wild landscape

Top 10 places to eat near the lodge

16 November 202314 March 202622 Barend

It’s actually a top 6 list at the moment! The Crab Pot opened, then closed again! Also one or two of our other favourite places have closed in the last few months, so we’ll be using it as an excuse to eat out at a few more nearby 😋

This list reflects our tastes and preferences, but we hope you’ll also enjoy going to eat at all of these places!

They’re listed in order of distance from the lodge, and there’s a short summary and a link to our review where applicable so that you can find out more.