When was the last time we took a fortnight’s holiday? Summer 2013 in the Austrian Lakes. All our holidays since then have been short breaks, many of them under a week. This summer in particular...
Places to visit in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is an area of Scotland that borders England and yet it can often be overlooked by visitors. After just a week travelling around the area, I would recommend turning left at Gretna Green and...
Kelpies and kirkyards in Kirkcudbright
I have always struggled with the pronunciation of Scottish place names. Dougie hoots with laughter when I read names from the map phonetically. Who knew that Milngavie is pronounced ‘mil-guy’ rather than ‘mill-un-gav-ee’? Likewise the...
Douglas comes home to Threave Castle
Earlier this year readers of the BBC’s Countryfile magazine voted Dumfries and Galloway the ‘Holiday Destination of the Year’ award. You can’t have a more resounding recommendation than an accolade from such a trusted,...
Wigtown: Scotland’s National Book Town
Book towns were established in 1961 by book dealer Richard Booth from Hay-on-Wye. Whilst this one is the biggie in the UK there is a smaller book town in the village of Sedbergh in the Yorkshire...
A room with a view at the Balcary Bay Hotel
Each of the independent hotels we chose from the Luxury Galloway website has a unique selling point. It hardly seems appropriate to stamp these beautiful, esteemed establishments with such a modern term as a USP...
Taking a dip in Churchill’s bath
Out of all the hotels on the Luxury Galloway website, the one I was most curious about was Knockinaam Lodge. Built in 1869 as a hunting lodge, its secluded location, on the south-west tip of...
Scotland’s Chef of the Year at the Blackaddie House Hotel
One of the four hotels we picked for our romantic road trip around Dumfries and Galloway was the Blackaddie House Hotel in Sanquhar. It’s owned by Ian and Jane McAndrew and if you love...