Our Review | Serenity 22 Barend

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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.

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 20244 May 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.

A pint of Guinness with a design "printed" on the head!

Wanlockhead Inn, Scotland’s Highest Pub

18 June 202420 July 202422 Barend

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.

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.

Breakfast outside on a picnic bench overlooking a wild landscape

Top 10 places to eat near the lodge

16 November 202329 September 202622 Barend

Recently we came to the lodge with some friends for their first visit to D&G. At the end of our holiday, one of them commented ‘the eating places around here are a step up from the usual aren’t they’ (we were in The Boathouse, Glencaple at the time). We agree, and maintaining this list also gives us a good excuse to eat out in the name of research 😜😋

September 2026 – Updates incoming, we ate at another new place to us on our recent trip and will update this page soon!

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 by how close they are to the lodge, with a brief description and, where available, a link to our review so you can learn more.

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

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

11 November 202329 September 202622 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…

View of the stream and Solway from Criffel

Criffel Hike (out-and-back trail) Review

30 October 202316 March 202522 Barend

11 miles NE ~20 min drive DG2 8DH

Criffel is a hill in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It qualifies as a Marilyn.

The moderately strenuous climb is well worth the effort, rewarding you with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

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.