Family Friendly | Serenity 22 Barend

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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.

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…

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.

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.

The Birch Tree Hotel, Dalbeattie

5 April 202412 July 202422 Barend

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.

Sculpture of a Stag at Bainloch Deer Park Visitor Centre & Bistro

Top 3 “must see” places near Dalbeattie, D&G

11 November 202327 October 202522 Barend

We keep coming back to Dumfries & Galloway because we have favourite places to return to, and keep discovering new attractions we want to see.

Before that, we spent years going on holidays and rarely returning to the same place twice!

So, if you only come to Serenity 22 Barend once, here are our top picks…

Lunch at Abbey Cottage Tearoom by Sweetheart Abbey

28 October 202316 March 202522 Barend

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.