Bathed in natural light, with blazing woodburners and underfloor heating as well as panoramic views of the stunning Galloway countryside, this high spec, recently-converted coach house is specially designed for large groups to live in the lap of luxury. The games building/mini cinema provides entertainment in any weather.
Friendly llamas, cats and hens.
The house is approximately 30 minutes drive from the glorious Solway coast.
The games room is another converted coach house and has table football, table tennis, small air-hockey, and chess table. It converts into a cinema to enjoy wine, woodburner & popcorn.
The house easily sleeps 12 people in 6 bedrooms . For 2 more guests, a sliding partition between the bunk & twin room can be opened, to allow the use of 2 extra beds, 2'6'' wide, (limited floor space), and there are 2 sofabeds , One in each open plan sitting/dining area (small doubles - suitable for one adult or 2 children each). The huge oak dining table seats 16. There are 6 bath/shower rooms, including the 3 en-suites. Underfloor heating adds to the comfort.
Two open plan kitchen/dining/sitting rooms each have woodburner, flat screen TV & dvd player with surround sound.
The house can be divided into two separate units for Mon to Frid rentals outwith school holidays, each with 3 bedrooms, and sleeping 6 (+1/2 on guest beds/sofabed) for individual rental - contact owner for prices.
The east end, incorporating the new extension with its wildflower meadow roof running into the top garden, has one upstairs bedroom with kingsized bed and ensuite wetroom. A ground floor room has twin beds with zip and link mattresses to form a super-kingsized bed, and en-suite. Another ground floor room has a small double (4 ft wide) bed. There is a shared bathroom on the ground floor & big open plan kitchen/dining/seating room with huge glass windows/sliding doors, and a generous oak table. There is a 4ft wide sofabed in the sitting area (suitable for one adult/ 2 childeren).
The west end has 3 upstairs bedrooms - en-suite double bedroom, twin room & bunk room (sliding partition between the twin & bunk room allows room for 2 extra guest beds, with limited floor space, or the sofa bed on this side could be used for 1 adult/2 children. There is a shared bathroom upstairs and a downstairs shower room as well as the open plan kitchen/dining/ sitting room. There is a huge arched glass doorway, through which the horses & carriages once passed. The bunk beds are hand-built & sturdy with 3ft wide mattresses, suitable for adults or children.
The gardens have 2 stone barbecues, fresh herbs & a giant stone horseshoe seating area at the top level with magnificent views to the hills as well as the wildflower meadow roof. It has some steep slopes and drops, and there are livestock in the surrounding fields, so young children need supervision. There are plenty of private seating places & a big outdoor table & chairs, with barbecue & herb garden, at each end.
Another building houses the laundry with drying facilities and secure storage for equipment or motorcycles. Cyclists, walkers, fishermen, hikers & motorcyclists particularly appreciate these facilities.
It feels as if the Galloway countryside is all your own to explore, as it is still relatively undiscovered by tourists. It is like a 'miniature Scotland' with hills, lochs, rivers, woodland, great beaches and a milder climate than the east side of the country. Outdoor activities are numerous, including watersports, fishing, hiking, several golf courses, the famous 7-Stanes Mountain Bike trails, Galloway Activity Centre & Laggan outdoors with the longest zip-wire in Scotland.
Along with many other activities & places to visit, children can visit the Chocolate Factory, ring a bell for the ferryman to row them to Threave Castle and peer into the scary dungeon, visit Mabie Farm Park, feed our friendly llamas and hens & take Annie the llama for a walk, help collect eggs & pick vegetables in season. In good weather, Alan offers motorcycle sidecar trips.
The house is near the village of Kirkpatrick Durham, a conservation village, where many artists reside.
Castle Douglas, renowned as 'The Food Town', is 5 miles away, with many independent shops & two supermarkets.The nearest pub serving food (kids eat free) is 1.5 miles away, in the village of Springholm.
We offer residential courses in writing, photography and art with very experienced & encouraging tutors.
The house and games room/studio are available for hire by people wishing to run their own courses or retreats.
Cot, highchair, stair guard, fireguards, linen, towels and logs are all provided free.
We minimise the use of chemicals in the house and it should be suitable for most sufferers of Multi-Chemical Sensitivity (please call beforehand). Two downstairs bedrooms & bath/shower rooms make the house suitable for people with walking difficulties. Please call us to enquire about suitability for wheelchairs. Alan & Juliet enjoy a challenge so, if you have any unusual requests, be it special needs or simply wanting to know the best place to fish, you are welcome to contact us.
