Restaurant - Serenity 22 Barend

Sleeps up to 8 - Loch view - Fast WiFi - Pet Friendly - Pub 4 mins walk - Beach 10 mins - Free Golf & Swimming

Discover Dalbeattie – the Granite Town

4 March 202518 March 202522 Barend

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.

Front view of Ernespie House Hotel, Restaurant and Bar

Dinner at Ernespie House Hotel, Castle Douglas

1 March 20252 March 202522 Barend

Ernespie House is a traditional hotel that’s open for meals and afternoon teas for non-residents.

Complimentary Focaccia and dips at The Olive Retreat, Castle Douglas

Dining at The Olive Retreat Restaurant, Castle Douglas

25 February 20253 March 202522 Barend

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.

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.

Breakfast outside on a picnic bench overlooking a wild landscape

Top 10 places to eat near the lodge

16 November 202326 March 202522 Barend

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.

Mackintosh at the Willow Glasgow Visit

26 October 202323 November 202322 Barend

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.

Luigi’s Restaurant in Dalbeattie Review

4 December 202225 June 202422 Barend

June 2024: Luigi’s appears to be closed. We’ll keep an eye on this and update this page if things change!

We visited Luigi’s Italian Restaurant on a midweek evening. It’s a small restaurant so we booked a table, but we could have just turned up as it was fairly quiet.

Nikos Mediterranean Restaurant & Cafe Review

29 September 202215 March 202522 Barend

13 miles WNW ~20 min drive DG7 1DX

June 2024: Nikos’ has changed to The Olive Retreat. It’s still a great place to eat!

Review of Lunch at The Old School House

12 September 202223 November 202322 Barend

Distance from the lodge: 21 miles W ~30 min drive

On a previous visit to the area, we travelled to The Old School House Café/Restaurant (on the A75 a few miles SW of Castle Douglas), only to find that they were closed for holidays. This time we checked they were open and eagerly awaited our lunch.

We arrived around 1:30pm on a Friday. We’d just managed to get in before they closed at 2pm for a few days staff holiday over the weekend, so were relieved!

It was much larger and spacious than we thought. We were a little concerned that it might be ‘too nice’ for us with all the family in tow ?, but we were quickly put at ease.

A friendly gentleman showed us to a free table, everything on the menu – plus specials on the boards – was very tempting!

Inside The Old School House, Ringford, near Castle Douglas

Mr Pook's Restaurant Foraged Chanterelle Mushroom Tart

Mr Pook’s Kitchen Restaurant Review

9 September 202215 March 202522 Barend

Distance from the lodge: 13 miles WNW ~20 min drive

Mr Pook’s Kitchen website says they ‘showcase some of the best produce from Dumfries & Galloway using ancient, classic & modern cooking techniques’.

We went for a meal there one evening and we’re happy to thoroughly recommend it based on our experience. We noticed a children’s menu was on display outside, but we were child free this time!