Summer Family Days Out in Dumfries and Galloway

Summer Family Days Out in Dumfries and Galloway

With balmy days hopefully around the corner, here are our top four picks for family days out in the summer while staying at our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation or one of luxury holiday cottages on Corsewall Estate, a country estate in Dumfries and Galloway.

Galloway Activity Centre

From a young age, our children loved a day trip to Galloway Activity Centre on Loch Ken and they still do.  There are lots of activities on offer on land and on water from archery, climbing and high ropes to mountain biking, kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding.  Arguably the best fun is the wobbly waterpark – an instructor-led assault course on the water.  The best way to enjoy Galloway Activity Centre is to book a day of taster sessions.  I would recommend a mix and match of land and water activities – for example, sup boarding and the water park in the morning, followed by a hot shower and some lunch before heading out in the afternoon for archery or climbing.  The Galloway Activity Centre is just over an hour’s drive from our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation and our Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages.

Culzean Castle & Country Park

A National Trust for Scotland property, the magnificent Culzean Castle is perched high on the cliffs overlooking the Firth of Clyde and has fabulous sea views across to Arran and Ailsa Craig.  It’s just over an hour’s drive from Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages and our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation.

There are tours of the castle itself, which was designed by the celebrated 18^th century architect, Robert Adam. Outdoors there’s a huge country park to explore.  The walled garden, the swan pond, with a great adventure playground, deer park – home to both deer and llamas and there are lots of nature trails and walks.  Take one of the paths down to the beach and explore rockpools and caves.  It’s a wonderfully sandy beach – so you might be tempted to have a swim too.  It’s definitely a day trip, so either pack a picnic and snacks to keep you going or enjoy lunch in the courtyard restaurant.

Threave Gardens

Threave Garden, just outside Castle Douglas, is another National Trust for Scotland property.  Over the years, talented students from the Trust’s School of Heritage Gardening have created wonderful gardens here – it is divided into separate areas to showcase various styles of gardening including a rose garden, a rockery and a walled garden too.

Tie this in with a visit to nearby Threave Castle, the Osprey viewing platform and the pretty town of Castle Douglas, which has a growing number of independent food shops including the ever so tempting artisan bakery, Earth’s Crust. Visit  https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/threave-garden  Threave Garden is an hour and 15 minutes’ drive from our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation and our Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages.

Stoneykirk Aviation Museum

The Stoneykirk Aviation Museum offers a remarkable look into the golden age of British Aviation and is a 30-minute drive from our Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages and only 15 minutes from our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation.

Unlike other aviation museums, it focuses on the technology of Cold War military aviation and features displays of restored cockpits with the Avro Vulcan B1 XA903 being the star of the show.

The museum is open from 10am to 4pm on a number of Sundays from July to October but do check the website for up to date opening information.  We haven’t taken the family to this museum yet, but it sounds fascinating and we’ll definitely pay a visit in July.

Portpatrick Self-Catering Accommodation

We have availability in July and August at Cedar Lodge, our Portpatrick self-catering accommodation which sleeps 8, with short breaks from £785, which includes a 10% discount and 7-night stays from £1140 including a 15% discount.  Visit our website for the best price and flexible booking terms including free cancellation up to seven days before your arrival.