Scottish Family Adventure (Part One) - Dumfries and Galloway

I love a staycation, so with 18 days of the Easter school holidays before us, my partner Kevin and I decided to take our two boys William, aged 9 and James, aged 7 on a road trip through Scotland. Now you may be thinking that planning any sort of trip that involves long car journeys with young children is utter madness however armed with a weeks’ worth of snacks and various digital devices we set off up the M6 on the 7 hour journey from London to our first destination, Newton Stewart - gateway to the Galloway Hills. Newton Stewart is a haven for hill walkers and mountain bikers and within driving distance to some beautiful beaches, one being Mossyard with its golden sand and rock pools, where we stopped for a break on route to our holiday cottage.

The next day we awoke to sunshine and bright skies and headed to the visitor centre at Kirroughtree in the Forrest of Galloway, one of the world class 7Stanes mountain bike venues. We had our own bikes however there is a well-stocked bike shop there should you need to hire one, a café and outdoor play area. On recommendation from the friend whose cottage we were staying in we opted for the moderate blue route which took us off-road through the forest. The scenery was amazing with great swathes of yellow heather covering the hills, but it soon became apparent that the route was beyond our capabilities. After a few tumbles and near misses we decided to try the more moderate green route along the quite forest roads.

On the way back to our cottage we popped into the Crafty Distillery for a tour. This is a small intimate distillery boasting panoramic views over the Galloway Hills. Here they make the multi-award-winning Hills and Harbour Gin which is distilled using 11 botanicals including Noble Fir needles and seaweed (hence the name) which give it its unique flavour. The kids were allowed on the tour but obviously didn’t get to sample the gin!

On the second day of our trip we met up with friends who lived locally and took the boys coarse fishing on Loch Ken. The 45-minute drive through the forest of Galloway was very peaceful (apart from the cries of “are we there yet?” & “how much longer?” coming from the back seat). We encountered just one other car coming the other way. The boys were very happy with their catches of roach and bream and were much more patient than me when it came to fishing.

On day three, with it being Easter, we decided to treat the kids to a visit to the Cocoabean Chocolate Factory in Kirkcudbright. We indulged in steaming mugs of hot chocolate from the café while the boys took part in a chocolate workshop and made their own Easter eggs. They were kept entertained for the afternoon by the indoor and outdoor play areas. We then head back to our cottage for some rest ready for the long journey to the Isle of Skye.