Thing's To Do
We are really lucky to have some great places to visit, eat and drink in such a short drive from our lovely lodges. To help you plan your trip with have picked out some of our favourites which we have listed below.
Mountain biking
There are some great places to go mountain biking around Dumfries and Galloway, if you want to go local there are some great tracks around the Cally Woods which you can cycle from the lodge.If your feeling more adventurous try one of the “7 Stanes”, we love Kirroughtree which has a bike hire centre and café on site.
💎 Gem Rock Museum
We love this place as it offers an incredible display of gemstones, minerals, and fossils. There is also a great cafe to have lunch and a shop to buy some gems afterwards which my two kids love doing!
Crafty Gin Tour
Why not spend the day drinking gin? We have a fantastic local distillery which you can where you can tour the factory and sample their product!
The Wee Pottery
Always a hit with our two children and a great indoor activity if it does rain is the
wee pottery, Amy and the team always do a great job of looking after you.
T: 01557 337216
Bookings enquiries@theweepottery.co.uk
Chocolate Factory
Great for kids as it has a fantastic soft play and café, you can even have the full chocolate experience and make your own chocolate! T: 01557 860 608 sales@thecocoabeancompany.com
Ernespie farm
Definitely a favourite in our family! It has a great soft play for the kids and a wonderful café it's well worth a trip if you're in the area.
Galloway Alpacas
Great family day out which is a little bit different. Experience meeting Alpacas
in an amazing location. You can simply do a meet and greet or take them on a trek.
My two girls would highly recommend it!
T: 07598797220
Bookings Info@gallowayalpacas
Threave Garden
Great National Trust for Scotland site, amazing gardens which are open all year round. The site also has a great cafe we would recommend for lunch and also offers the chance to see Osprey nesting in the wild.
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/threave-garden
Walking
If walking is your thing then there are lots of options right from your door, with so many options we have attached a separate walking guild which you will find in the lodge and the end of this page.
Beaches
Being so close to the coast there are some great beaches in the local area which can be enjoyed all year round.
Our favourite three: Carrick, Sandgreen, Mossyard which are all within 5 miles of the lodge.
Places to Eat in and around Gatehouse of Fleet
Swally & Scran
Only just opened Gather is a new restaurant offering great seafood.
This place get really busy so you need to book tat least the week before if you want to eat here which we highly recommend.
Tel: +44 (0) 1557 330789
Masonic Arms
Masonic Arms
A great local pub with friendly staff and hearty food. We’d highly recommend the Sunday carvery — it’s a favourite with guests and always hits the spot. It’s popular, so we suggest booking ahead to avoid missing out.
Telephone 01557 814 335
Galloway lodge
Galloway Lodge
A firm favourite with many of our guests — we love the coffee! They also serve a great breakfast and lunch, which we’d highly recommend. There’s a popular burger night on Friday and Saturday evenings that both adults and children enjoy.
Telephone 01557 814 001
The ship
A classic local pub with great food, friendly service, and a relaxed atmosphere — perfect for a casual lunch or evening pint.
Tel: 0771 341 2030
The Murry Arms
Recently renovated to its former glory, it now high-quality food using local ingredients, ideal if
you want a special treat.
Tel: 01557 840206
Little Farm Shop
A friendly farm shop offering homemade produce, fresh baking, and seasonal pizza nights — a hidden gem just outside town.
My kids love the milk shakes
Tel: 01557 840206
Some of the above restaurants are also doing takeaway, please contact them directly to confirm.
Take away
There are several good local takeaways in the area and below I have just listed three of our favourites.
Thai Kitchen (Kirkcudbright) – 07465 812331
Jade Palace Chinese take away (Castle Douglas) – 01556 503730
Polar bites Fish and Chips – (Kirkcudbright) 01557 339050
Online delivery
Don’t know about you but we love when we are going away to book an online food delivery to be delivered around the same time as we get there, all of the main retailers deliver to the area but we find Tesco has the most slots. We would also recommend trying to book at least a week in advance as they do get booked up quickly in the supplier months.
Lets Celebrate !!
Are you celebrating a special occasion during your stay at Gatehouse Luxury Lodges? Whether it’s a milestone birthday like a 40th, 60th, 70th, or simply a get-together with loved ones, we’ve partnered with local businesses to make your celebration stress-free and delicious.
Check out our guild below.
EV Charging Now Available!
We’ve just installed the first of our two new 7kW EV chargers right here onsite — so there’s no need to worry about where to charge during your stay.
It’s super simple:
Just plug your car in,Scan the QR code on the sign, And the Fuuse platform will take care of the rest — no app download needed!
Chargers are first come, first served, but with two available, there’s usually no issue.
Cost: 45p per kWh
Need more charging options?
Just a short drive away, Gatehouse of Fleet’s main public car park (DG7 2HP) now has 8 charging devices with 16 connectors, all part of the ChargePlace Scotland network.
For live status updates, route planning, and tips from other EV drivers, we recommend using Zap-Map — either on desktop or by downloading the app.
Planning on Getting Married?
To help with your planning, we’ve compiled a list of trusted local suppliers to ensure your special day runs smoothly.
ACCOMMODATION HIGHLIGHTS
Luxury self Catering Lodges
What we mean by luxury self catering
Dog friendly holidays
Your local guild on what to do
Building the dream
How we build our lodges
Walking Guide
Walks in the local area