Ernespie House is a traditional hotel that’s open for meals and afternoon teas for non-residents.
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Family Friendly
Fun activities, and local highlights that are guaranteed to keep all generations entertained.
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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Crawick Multiverse, Artistic Landscape
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.
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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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Walking & Hiking in Dumfries & Galloway
Coastal loops, waterfall walks, and hill hikes – all within easy reach of Serenity 22 Barend
We love the walking and hiking near Serenity 22 and in Dumfries & Galloway.
From gentle strolls to more strenuous hikes, there’s rewarding scenery every time! The Colvend Coast alone has enough variety to fill a week: tide-dependent beach routes, clifftop paths with Solway views, wooded gorge walks, and hill climbs with the Lake District visible on a clear day. Further afield, the Galloway Forest Park opens up longer, quieter routes through one of the least-visited landscapes in Scotland.
Many of the walks below are ones we’ve done ourselves. We’ve added distance, difficulty notes, and links to our reviews and full guides where we have them.
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Top 3 “must see” places near Dalbeattie, D&G
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…
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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.
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Dalbeattie 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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Visit to John Paul Jones Cottage Museum
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.”
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Loch Arthur Farm Shop and Café
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.
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