Dog Friendly | Serenity 22 Barend

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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.

Kilnford Farm Shop & Farmhouse Kitchen Cafe

17 March 202519 March 202522 Barend

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.

10 things we love about Serenity 22 Barend 😍

6 March 202512 March 202622 Barend

We’ve just got back from a few days at the lodge, and I thought I’d share some of the reasons why we love our lodge, and being at Barend…

Complimentary Focaccia and dips at The Olive Retreat, Castle Douglas

Dining at The Olive Retreat Restaurant, Castle Douglas

25 February 202511 April 202622 Barend

Sadly, The Olive Retreat closed due to a fire on Tuesday 8th July 2025 😞

The same team has open 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 in the next few weeks!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.