ABOUT Buckle House and Us
Buckle House is owned by Andrew and Nikki, a local farming family who would like to share their love of Dumfries and Galloway with you. Buckle House is a Victorian Terrace on the Main Street of Gatehouse of Fleet, originally the town shoe shop, where we have been informed by the locals the town children came to buy their new school shoes, the shop always had two different designs to choose from! The house has two large double bedrooms with kingsize beds, with plenty of room for travel cots if required and a smaller room with bunkbeds. The large kitchen is fully equipped and the dining room comfortably seats six.
No. 7 Tannery Wynd, Gatehouse of Fleet
We also have a new property available in Gatehouse of Fleet, a small ground floor flat on Tannery Wynd which sleeps 3. The property has a fully equipped kitchen, a dining area and a comfortable, cosy living room for relaxing after a day exploring the region. Located just off the main street it is in walking distance to the pubs, shop and cafes in the town.
The Garden at Buckle House
There is a small enclosed garden which is ideal if you choose to bring your pets on holiday, it has seating to enjoy Al Fresco dining or a bbq. There is also a summer house to be able to enjoy the garden in the cooler months, with a storage shed for your bikes if you choose to bring them. It has direct access to the park and Cally Woods for longer walks.
Shopping for Groceries
There is a small Spar shop below the Galloway Lodge in Gatehouse of Fleet and Galloway Stores a few doors up the Main Street which includes the Post Office. If you need a bigger supermarket there is a Tesco Metro and Coop in Kirkcudbright and a larger Tesco and Coop in Castle Douglas. There is also a small Sainsburys and an Aldi in Newton Stewart.
Free WIFI
Buckle House has superfast broadband, see information in the house for details
GALLERY
Getting Out and About
The house is ideally located for exploring the local area, with the Galloway Forest to the North, with its internationally recognised dark skies (one of only four in the World) and the Solway Coast to the South, with its beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. Close by are Castle Douglas, known as Dumfries and Galloway Food Town and Kirkcudbright, known as Scotland's Artist Town with many art related festivals and trails throughout the year and Wigtown, known as Scotland's Book Town to name but a few.
Local Walks
There are many spectacular walking trails around, including Kirroughtree (part of the 7 Stanes cycle trails), Glentrool, Screel, Dalbeatie Forrest (also part of the 7 Stanes). There are many walks around Galloway Forrest Park. There are also many paths though Cally Woods directly behind Buckle House, one of which leads to Sandgreen beach (approx 6 miles round trip).
Eating out
In Gatehouse of Fleet we have lovely coffee shops including Galloway Lodge, who make their own preserves (available in their gift shop) a locals favourite haunt for lunch or Burgers on a Friday night, also Mill on the Fleet and The Scone House. The Masonic Arms the local pub which serves home cooked meals of an evening from 6pm, with The Murray Arms just around the corner also serving meals. As of 2020 there is now a new restaurant, 'Gather' at Laggan just outside of Gatehouse of Fleet which has beautiful views over the coast.
In Kirkcudbright we have The Selkirk Arms serving lunch and evening meals (very popular it's definitely best to book) The Station House Cafe and Cookery School (who have made to order pizza night every Sunday evening) The Kirkcudbright Gallery also has a very good cafe upstairs. There are many other cafes and pubs worth exploring.
In Castle Douglas we have Mr Pook's Kitchen, serving fine dining for both lunch and dinner. There are many coffee shops including Designs Cafe and Earth's Crust Bakery which also bake delicious breads and cakes to take away.
Outdoor Activities
Gatehouse of Fleet is ideally located on the doorstep of the 7 stanes mountain bike trails. There is the Galloway Activity Centre on Loch Ken where you can do a variety of watersports and other activites. There are many beaches within a short drive from Buckle House, including several known locally as good for windsurfing and kitesurfing, with many sheltered bays for kayaking. Locally there are also several opportunities to go horse riding.
Wildlife
Dumfries and Galloway is very lucky to have a thriving Red Squirrel population, which can be seen in Cally Woods and the Galloway Forest Park. The Red Kite Feeding Station in Laurieston ensuring there are always Red Kites to see in the area. Kirroughtree and Barhill Woods in Kirkcudbright have wildlife feeding stations.
Best Beaches
There are several beautiful beaches, our family favourites would have to be Carrick, Cardoness and Mossyard. Further afield we have Kippford, Sandyhills and the RSPB Mersehead to the East and the wide open spaces of Luce Sands Beach to the West is another beach perfect for watersports.
Recommended places to visit
There are a few place locally that are great for children, these include Mossyard Pottery Painting, The Cocabean Factory with a large indoor soft play area and a great outdoor play area and also chocolate making workshops and The Cream of Galloway, which also has a large outdoor play area including go karts, zip wire, crazy golf, huge elevated trampolines and of course the delicious 'Cream of Galloway' ice cream made on site.
Other intersting places to visit include the Crafty Distillery at Newton Stewart where you can learn about the making of 'Hills and Harbour' gin and sample the wears! They also have coffee and snacks available too so you can make a day of it. Mull of Galloway lighthouse is a little further afield but well worth the drive as the scenery en route is stunning.
In castle Douglas you can visit Threave House and Gardens, a popular and beautiful Scottish National Trust site and close by is Threave Castle, which can be reached by ringing a bell at the waters edge to summon a rowing boat (great fun for children and adults alike!)
GUEST REVIEW
