off to stay near Kircudbright this thurs and fri with my wife, weather looks a little rubbish, strong winds and some rain.
Will probably run around loch Tool, any other suggestions of things to do, places to go, cafes, restaurants or pubs worth a visits.
Shletered gravel routes etc as can put bikes in.
thanks
Number one thing to do is pronounce it correctly: Kirr-Coo-Bree.
We stayed in Newton Stewart earlier in the year and ended up driving to Castle Douglas to get a meal. Found a nice locally owned Greek restaurant if you like that kind of thing! (Nikos - I think) But the whole area does feel like a bit of travel back through time to the 1970s...
But the whole area does feel like a bit of travel back through time to the 1970s…
....Imagine what it was like in the '70s! Yes its a bit lacking in high end entertainment, but its much the same as any other fairly isolated part of rural UK. Cant help much with places to eat, but i'm sure you can get a reasonable bar meal at the Selkirk Arms still.
Best thing to do is explore the coast, by bike or foot, from KBT round to Fleet bay is wonderful, as is the area from Auchencairn east around the Urr estuary. Screel Hill or Cairnsmore of Fleet for a short hillwalk (maybe not if its really minging weather) with great views; The Forest Park has enough Gravel to keep a gravel bike occupied for a week, you can pedal all the way from Fleet viaduct to Glen Trool or beyond, and back via Newton Stewart and Kirroughtree. If you like neolithic sites, tons of them, Cairnholy is great. Dirk Hattericks cave is worth seeking out, the autumn colours in the cree and fleet valley woods should be should be beautiful just now!
Selkirk Arms is a good meal.
Second Fleet Bay, we also used to like the area around Ross Bay (huge hairy crabs!) and Brighouse, right around to Knockbrex.
Cream of Galloway is a must no matter how terrible the weather. Best ice cream in Scotland IMO.
The walk around St Mary's isle is nice enough, from KbT.
(Ex KbT resident here...)
Theres the Light Festival on in Kbt this weekend, which is great if youve got kids with you (makes for a nice wander around the town at night even if not though).
As above re. gravel / forest tracks - The ride from Gatehouse of Fleet into the forest via the viaduct and along to Loch Grannoch is worth doing. I sometimes ride from GoF down through the woods, past Cally Palace and to the shore at Sandgreen. Its a nice loop - can nip into Cream o' Galloway on the way by for sugar and calories too.
Selkirk Arms is about the pick of the bunch in Kbt for food, its good.
Short drive West along the A75 to Laggan, the restaurant there 'Gather' is excellent (*disclaimer, they're a client but its an unbiased recommendation!).
Second the recommendation for Gather - good food, beautiful spot.
Found a nice locally owned Greek restaurant if you like that kind of thing! (Nikos – I think)
Nikos is great - the owner is really accommodating and will go out of his way to make sure you have a nice meal (he managed to get my kids to eat Greek food!!!). For a slightly more upmarket experience, Mr Pooks in CD is well worth a visit. The food there is excellent. As others have said there is great gravel riding pretty much everywhere in Galloway. Some of the back roads are rough enough they almost qualify as gravel by themselves! Heading east from Kircudbright along the B727 towards Dalbeattie then back along the coast road is a really nice ride that you can enhance with some gravel sections.
Yes to Gather, in CD there's a bakery which does really good sit in food, timings are a bit off. There's burgers in Gatehouse if fleet. Cream o Galloway definitely. Selkirk arms in kbt is fine. The wee shop in auchencairn does some great food and there's decent walks around.
Even the Barrhill in kbt is a nice wee walk, although not so much fun when Mr. Boyd makes you do cross country round it.
Also ex-KBT resident.
Riding wise on gravel lots of routes in Galloway forest park if you look at heat maps - good loop from mossdale along old railway track to loch grannoch I think, clatteringshaws then down the raiders road to otters pool and return. Loads of good road riding round "the borgue" and up over to lauriston, loch ken, clatteringshaws, theres a big gravel loop at glen trool. All scenic stuff, also isle of whithorn. D&G has great road, gravel and MTB - the latter at kirroughtree is good with waymarked trails and hire bikes. Galloway forest park has dark skies accreditaion as well if its clear. I heard great pub food up at st johns, dalry. Great coastal walks all round that area. Bit of a drive but the Rhins of galloway down to the lighthouse is worth a trek is weather pants, logan botanic gardens good. Castle Douglas good for cafes, good indian, balcary point good for a clifftop walk if windy, galloway outdoor centre on loch ken might be running some outdoor courses, sailing etc.
coastal drive round borgue, achencairn, to kippford where there some nice short wooded and coastal wanders with two pubs and cafe to choose from all serve decent grub.
Even the Barrhill in kbt is a nice wee walk, although not so much fun when Mr. Boyd makes you do cross country round it.
Got away with a lot that man...
Mr pooks is apparently very good.
Couple of distillerys to go to. Hills n Harbour and Bladnoch.
Newton stewart museum occasionally staffed by our very own mr terrahawk.
Got away with a lot that man…
Yip. I remember have a stand up arguement with Mr Christie in the royal in CD over a "girl".
Kirkcudbright resident here, Art gallery in town has a Raymond Briggs exhibition on at the moment,
Castle restaurant is far better than the Selkirk (run by a rabid tory btw and food is nothing special) but you'll need to book as its only got a few tables, its a mate who runs the restaurant - he's called Paul and is a exceptional chef.
Barhill woods above town is nice for a wander and you'll come across all my trails i've built over the last 30 years, there's a red squirrel hide and you'll be guaranteed to see red squirrels.
Masonic arms pub in town is the only decent place for a pint , run by friends, L-J and Simon.
Kirkcudbright walks here, the walk out the lifeboat station is nice and from there out to Torrs Point as the path has been improved
Good walk round the cliffs at Brighouse bay, Good walk up neilsons monument (4 miles from town), excellent views if weather allows.
You'll find plenty to see around the town as Festival of Light is on this weekend Take a walk around the town and perhaps visit Broughton House, home of the hornet and the Glasgow boys
And finally, don't park in front of my mums house/garage in union st (nr to castle), she gets really pissed off with folk parking up on the pavement and blocking my access 😉
Got away with a lot that man…
Pervy Boyd, could tell a story about him and a female pupil in my year, I used to go out his daughter Vivian back in 1989.
Lovely place, famous for it's art and good light (for painting). You'll find plenty to do I'm sure. Although a run, bite to eat and a few pints (maybe with an afternoon snooze) sounds like a great day to me.
@somafunk really like those Barrhill trails good work.
Saw Vivian last year she was best mates with my sister.
Not been up the Barhill woods for 3 odd years but my mum walks through it every day and keeps the trails clear of branches etc, she keeps me informed of the new stuff being built by the local jumpy crowd. I was never that fussed about jumps, much preferred leaving my lungs on the side of the trails as I battered round and round the various routes till collapse.
We’ve been going up there for a weeks riding every year for a few years now & have some favourite eating spots we almost always go back to:
1. Masonic Arms in Gatehouse
2.Nikos in CD
3. Moores Chippy in CD and sit in the park to eat them
4. Jewel in the Crown for curry in CD - only had a takeout but it was excellent
5. The Old Schoolhouse along the a75 near Cally - great food but only open in the day and not every day
Mr Pooks has gone a bit too designer these days - nothing much on offer for kids or traditional eaters (my lads are burger and chips when we go out and you’re not getting anything along those lines there any more! 😬)
