South West Scotland for Families

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Get your kids out amongst nature at the beach at Brighouse Bay. Spend time looking for sea creatures in the rock pools and building castles on the soft sand – remember your bucket and spade!

This is also your family’s first chance to try pony trekking (you’ll get another chance on day three too). Book a trek at Brighouse Bay Trekking and Riding Centre, which is next to the beach.

• Opening – All year
• Café - No
• Toilet facilities – No

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Unleash your creative streak and spend some chilled out time as a family creating your own unique souvenirs to take home. Select your favourite item from a range of figurines and ceramics, including coasters, egg cups, piggy banks and plates.

This is a good activity to try towards the start of your holiday as many of the pieces you can choose from need to be left at the pottery to be glazed and fired. They’ll be ready to pick up within 3 – 4 days (some pieces can be taken away on the day too – just ask).

• Travel time – by car from Gatehouse of Fleet around 20 minutes
• Opening – Please check opening

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The south of Scotland is famous for its world class 7stanes mountain biking centres. At Kirroughtree, in the lush Galloway Forest Park, you’ll find fun mountain biking trails ranging from green (easy and suitable for the whole family) to black (severe and a real test of your skills).

You can hire bikes at the Break Pad Bike Shop & Hire which is located beside the visitor centre or from Kirkcowan Cycles in Newton Stewart.

• Travel time – by car from Mossyard Farm Pottery: around 25 minutes
• Opening – Please check opening
• Café – Yes
• Toilet facilities – Yes

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Exploring a real-life Scottish castle is pretty cool, but a visit to Threave Castle is even more of an adventure than most - its set on its own private island and you take the passenger boat across the river to reach it. The boat jetty is a 15 minute walk from the car park too, making this a real family adventure. Your kids will love playing games and exploring the castle ruins when they get there too.

• Travel time – by car from Gatehouse of Fleet: around 20 minutes
• Opening - Seasonal
• Café - No
• Toilet facilities – there is an adapted toilet by the car park on the mainland but there are no toilet facilities on the island.

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With chocolate-making classes, indoor and outdoor play areas and an airy café serving up tasty meals and snacks, kids will be in heaven at this lovely chocolate factory. Sit back with a hot drink as you watch your children concentrating on making their own chocolate creations – they get to keep what they’ve made too! This is a great stop for lunch.

• Travel time – by car from Threave Castle: around 15 minutes
• Opening – All year
• Café - Yes

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Enjoy a family horse and pony trek through the luscious Galloway countryside. Kids will love getting to know their pony and enjoy the freedom of riding through the countryside atop their surefooted companion.

• Travel time – by car from the Cocoabean Company: around 10 minutes
• Opening – All year

Travel time back to Gatehouse of Fleet: 15 minutes

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Enjoy the drive around the coast to Whithorn. Kids will enjoy seeing the colourful houses in the town, exploring the Whithorn Story museum, visiting the recreated Iron Age roundhouse and exploring Whithorn Priory. The centre has a café where you can enjoy lunch too.

• Travel time - by car from Gatehouse of Fleet: around 50 minutes
• Opening - Seasonal
• Café - Yes
• Toilet facilities - Yes

Other great attractions in the Machars of Galloway include Garlieston Beach and Wigtown Bay, where your kids can play on the sand, and Monreith Animal World, where you can see curious animals.

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Step inside the towering, white lighthouse and climb the 115 steps to the top of the tower. Kids (and adults) will be amazed by the stunning views from their lofty vantage point – you can even see across the water to Cumbria and Ireland. Look out for swooping gannets, fluttering butterflies and leaping dolphins from the RSPB reserve which surrounds the lighthouse too!

Other great attractions in the Rhins of Galloway include Logan Botanic Garden, full of exotic plants, and Castle Kennedy Gardens, which often has ranger-led activities for kids.

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This huge farm park will keep your kids entertained for hours. Just some of the huge range of activities on offer includes meeting small animals in the Farmers Yard, having a blast in the indoor Play n’ Wild Barn, bouncing on the jumping pillows, quad biking, bumper boats and much more.

• Travel time – by car from Gatehouse of Fleet: around 1 hour 35 minutes
• Opening – Seasonal
• Café – Yes
• Toilet facilities – Yes

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With a huge adventure play area for older children and soft play for little ones, Pirate Pete’s is a kids’ wonderland. Other great activities to try include the all-action laser storm, video games station, fairground rides in the outdoor fun park and mini golf. If you’re hungry, grab a bite to eat in Sam’s Diner, the Ice Cream Parlour or Scoopalicious ice cream kiosk.

• Travel time – walk from Craft Daft: around 15 minutes
• Opening – Indoor Play and Laser Storm: all year. Outdoor Fun Park: seasonal.
• Café – Yes

Travel time back to Gatehouse of Fleet: 1 hour 35 minutes

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Watch your kids’ faces light up in wonder as they see wild red deer roaming at the Red Deer Range. Scotland is famous for its majestic red deer and the range is home to around 60 of these beautiful creatures. Watch them from the shelter of the wildlife hide and look out for regular Meet the Deer events.

• Travel time – by car from Gatehouse of Fleet: around 35 minutes
• Opening – Please check opening
• Café and toilet facilities – There's no café or toilet facilities at either the Red Deer Range or Wild Goat Park. You can stop for a comfort break at the nearby Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre (5 minutes’ drive from the Red Deer Range) which also has a lovely café. Alternatively there are plenty of places to stop for something to eat in New Galloway (15 minutes’ drive from the Red Deer Range).

Other great family attractions in the Galloway Forest Park include the 7stanes mountain biking centres at Kirroughtree and Glentrool. Nearby places to hire bikes include the Break Pad Bike Shop & Hire at Kirroughtree visitor centre or Kirkcowan Cycles in Newton Stewart.

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Just a five minutes' drive from the Red Deer Range you’ll find the adjacent Wild Goat Park which is home to around 50 British Primitive goats. This ancient breed of goats are full of character and sure to delight your kids with their cute looks and cheeky antics.

Stop here for a picnic and enjoy watching them roaming around you. Remember not to feed the goats though – they’re on a strict diet!

• Travel time – by car from Red Deer Range: around 5 minutes
• Opening – Please check opening
• Café and toilet facilities – There are no café or toilet facilities at either the Red Deer Range or Wild Goat Park. See Red Deer Range for places to stop for a comfort break.

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Make unforgettable family memories at the Galloway Activity Centre at Loch Ken. Kids and adults can have a go at a range of outdoor activities, from archery and laser tag on dry land to stand up paddle boarding and having fun with inflatables in the loch’s wobbly waterpark. You can book anything from a 1.5 hour session to a half day, a full day or even an all-inclusive residential package here.

• Travel time – by car from Wild Goat Park: around 25 minutes
• Opening – All year
• Café – Yes

Travel time back to Gatehouse of Fleet: 45 minutes

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Meet animals including Shetland ponies, llamas and sheep and watch your kids’ excitement as they feed their favourites. The park also boasts plenty of fun attractions, including paddle boats, an indoor play barn, trampolines, jumping pillows and much more.

Enjoy a picnic al fresco in the farm park (bring a portable barbeque to make full use of the on-site BBQ area too!) or pop into the tearoom to choose from a great selection of soups, sandwiches and sweet treats. Dumfries also has plenty of lovely cafés if you fancy heading into town.

• Travel time – by car from Gatehouse of Fleet: around 50 minutes
• Opening – Please check opening
• Café – Yes
• Toilet facilities – Yes

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Surrounded by its own moat and built in an unusual triangular shape, kids and adults alike will have a blast exploring the ruins of Caerlaverock Castle. There are multiple levels within the castle to explore as well as a short nature walk through the woods to the site of the old castle.

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Stop in at this lovely centre to begin your wildlife adventure. Enjoy a family ramble across flower fields in the summer months, looking out for butterflies and swooping ospreys as you go, or visit from October to April to see thousands of migrating birds, including Svalbard barnacle geese and swans.

• Travel time – by car from Caerlaverock Castle: around 10 minutes
• Opening – All year
• Café – Yes
• Toilet facilities – Yes

Travel time back to Gatehouse of Fleet: 1 hour 5 minutes