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.
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Café
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.
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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.
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Dining at The Olive Retreat Restaurant, Castle Douglas
13 miles WNW ~22 min drive DG7 1DX
The Olive Retreat is 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.
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Threave House, Castle Douglas
We love Threave Estate and Gardens and enjoy visiting them. However, until now, we hadn’t managed to visit when the house was open.
Read moreWe love Threave Estate and Gardens and enjoy visiting them. However, until now, we hadn’t managed to visit when the house was open.
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Caerlaverock – the Triangular Castle
26 miles NE ~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.
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The Birch Tree Hotel, Dalbeattie
7 miles NW ~13 min drive DG5 4AH
Our Experience
We visited The Birchtree Hotel on a midweek evening in March. Initially we sat in the Bar area, unaware that there’s a separate restaurant area upstairs.
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Top 10 places to eat near the lodge
It’s actually a top 8 list at the moment! The Crab Pot is coming soon, we’ll review it in April. 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.
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Lunch at Abbey Cottage Tearoom by Sweetheart Abbey
12 miles NE ~20 min drive DG2 8BY
These small but pleasant tea rooms are right next to the Abbey ruins but are run independently and open at times when the Abbey is closed. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and also a small gift shop too.
Read moreDalbeattie Garden Centre, Shop, Tea Room
6 miles NW ~12 min drive DG5 4DS
Dalbeattie Garden Centre is reasonably priced and has a good selection of plants. The shop is surprisingly big and has necessary gardening items as well as toys and gifts.
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