Days Out - Serenity 22 Barend

Sleeps up to 8 - Loch view - Fast WiFi - Pet Friendly - Pub 4 mins walk - Beach 10 mins - Free Golf & Swimming

Mackintosh at the Willow Glasgow Visit

26 October 202323 November 202322 Barend

96 miles N 2 hours drive G2 3EX

Mackintosh at the Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow are the last surviving tea rooms designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and originally opened in 1903. (Not to be confused with The Willow Tea Rooms on Buchanan Street, which are Art Nouveau and Mackintosh themed but not designed by Mackintosh himself.)

For those with a love of all things Mackintosh the tea rooms are a real treat.

Visit to John Paul Jones Cottage Museum

26 October 202328 October 202322 Barend

8 miles E 17 min drive DG2 8BQ

Recommend using What 3 Words to find the entrance: comet.lump.sprouting

If you’re thinking “John Paul Jones – who’s he?” Then you’re not alone. 3 of the 5 people in our group hadn’t heard of him before visiting this little museum in the village of Kirkbean.

It’s the Historic Birthplace Museum of John Paul Jones, the “Father of the American Navy.”

Hill House Box by CR Mackintosh

24 October 20234 March 202522 Barend

123 miles NNW ~2h 30m min drive G84 9AJ

Hill House is over 2 hours drive from Sandyhills, but if you’re a fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and/or art nouveau it’s definitely worth it! The house is a true piece of art, and so it’s a fascinating experience to visit.

Loch Arthur Farm Shop and Café

20 October 202312 December 202322 Barend

Loch Arthur farm shop, near Beeswing in D&G, offers a great selection of crafts, gifts, and locally produced organic fruit and vegetables, plus pantry staples.

11 miles N ~17 min drive Beeswing, DG2 8JQ

There’s also a pleasant little café that offers a range of delicious items including homemade cakes.

Day Trip to Stunning Culzean Castle

18 July 202325 October 202322 Barend

Culzean (pronounced “cull-ane”, not “cull-zeen”) is a fair drive from the Lodge, however it’s well worth the effort to visit this amazing castle and country park. We set off around 9:30am and arrived at Culzean Castle at about 11:15am.

The huge grounds have a number of different car parks spread out over the estate.

Kirkcudbright Dark Space Planetarium Review

27 November 20225 December 202322 Barend

The Dark Space Planetarium is an interesting experience if you enjoy all things Space related!

It’s just over half an hour’s drive away from Serenity 22 Barend, in Kirkcudbright (24 miles WSW ~37 min drive DG6 4EG).

Threave Garden & Estate Castle Douglas Review

31 October 20225 March 202522 Barend

Many years ago, before we had our children, we visited Dumfries & Galloway with another couple and camped at Hoddom Castle near Ecclefechan. During that holiday we visited Threave Castle, but at the time we didn’t know about Threave Gardens.

We discovered it a few years back when looking for a holiday cottage near Castle Douglas and ended up staying at the Gate Lodge. That holiday eventually led to us getting the lodge at Barend!

Threave Garden & Estate is a great day out and one of the highlights for us was seeing red squirrels!

Clatteringshaws Loch & Visitor Centre Review

29 September 202215 March 202522 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.

⚠️ As of Feb ’25 the café is and toilets are closed. 😔If/when the café reopens, we’ll update this post.

Mabie Farm Park – Fun Day Out

2 September 20228 December 202222 Barend

A fun filled day out with animals to feed and lots of variety of play equipment for all ages.

Cream o’ Galloway Ice Cream Parlour

1 September 202210 March 202522 Barend

Cream o’ Galloway has been in the news in the last few months (Mar 2025). The Visitor Centre/Ice Cream Parlour that we visited when reviewing below is now closed. This is because the company was bought in January 2024, by a company called Brymor. Excerpts of a statement in Jan ’25 from Brymor are below.

“In January 2024, Brymor purchased the Cream O’ Galloway Ice Cream Brand.

Brymor manufactures and distributes premium ice cream, made on the farm on their site outside Masham, North Yorkshire and has been trading for 40 years.

It was evident from the outset that the manufacturing equipment [at the Cream o’ Galloway farm near Rainton, Gatehouse of Fleet,] and the whole site was tired and required significant new investment. Therefore, we are consolidating the manufacturing to the Brymor site.

Brymor has over 40 years’ experience in ice cream manufacturing … the brand will benefit from newer, more efficient equipment, as well as benefiting from the sustainable and environmentally friendly resources that Brymor has implemented over the last 4 years.

We will continue to distribute the Cream O’Galloway range from [The Cocoabean Company, Ashland, Twynholm, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4NP] … This means all local customers and holiday visitors can continue to use the full range of ice cream at The Cocoabean whilst enjoying the fabulous facilities, events and of course chocolate at the Cocoabean.”

Distance from the lodge: 29 miles WSW ~41 min drive

Cream o’ Galloway is a great place if you love ice cream!

They have a wide variety of flavours and a range of price options.

We spent a sunny afternoon there.