Wigtown is Scotland’s official National Book Town. It’s a small, quiet, charming little town with traditional houses interspersed with book shops.
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Rainy Day
Free Sauna Access for Our Guests
There’s nothing quite like a walk on Sandyhills beach in the Solway breeze, followed by the heat of a wood-fired sauna.
Book your holiday through our site for exclusive use of Barend Sauna!
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Visiting the Gem Rock Museum, Creetown (sad news, it’s closing)
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!
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Kirkcudbright Galleries in the Town Hall
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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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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Wanlockhead Inn, Scotland’s Highest Pub
After we’d visited Crawick Multiverse, we made the short(ish) journey to Wanlockhead Inn, Scotland’s Highest pub (1531ft / 467m above sea level)! It’s about 10 miles (20 mins) from Crawick Multiverse.
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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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Mackintosh at the Willow Glasgow Visit
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.
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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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Hill House Box by CR Mackintosh
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.
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