A warm Yorkshire welcome in the heart of Galloway.
Your hosts, Anthony and Joseph Duncalf, are pleased to welcome bed and breakfast guests at our lovely country home and mini guesthouse near Wigtown (Scotland's national Book Town) in the heart of the beautiful Galloway Machars. At the close of our second Summer season, we are delighted to have welcomed a number of our first guests for a second (or even third!) visit - some have even booked already for 2010!
Croft House is a traditonal Wigtownshire country home, dating from the mid 19th century, and situated in a quiet rural location, on land once owned by the Earls of Galloway, mid-way between the ancient Royal Burgh of Wigtown (national Book Town, and medieval county town) and the village of Kirkcowan, about 7 miles from Newton Stewart. More recently a part of the Mochrum Park estate, the house features in the book 'Torhousemuir: Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter' by John Whiteford, whose family lived here for some 50 years. The house stands in its own large cottage-style garden, with a decked seating area enjoying panoramic views across the surrounding countryside, and underwent an extensive programme of refurbishment prior to opening to the public early in 2008. We aim to meet Visit Scotland's 4star B&B standards in most areas.
A bright and comfortable double room on the first floor, the main guest bedroom (now with king-size bed!) enjoys its own private bathroom (with shower) just across the corridor, and is equipped with tea/coffee facilities, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries. On request, we may be able to accommodate children or friends in an adjacent double bedroom, sharing the bathroom, but be assured you will never be faced with a hoard of strange faces over breakfast! Operating on such a small scale, we pride on offering a warm and personalised service to our guests - feel free to discuss any particular requirements when making a booking. If you wonder if we could help, please ask!
Bedroom 1 Dining Room Guest's lounge
Breakfast (offering a choice of cooked or continental options) is served, at a time to suit you, in either the cosy dining room or our delightful conservatory, with wood-burning stove - which doubles as our tv lounge, where guests are welcome to relax and unwind during the evening and enjoy unbroken views across the surrounding countryside. If you need to be up and away early, we are happy to leave a supply of cereal etc. for you to help yourself, or alternatively provide you with a sandwich etc. to take with you. Home-cooked evening meals are available by prior arrangement (Saturdays excepted), from £8 for 2 courses, and we can supply packed lunches on request. Many ingredients are locally sourced, some from organic farms - or even our own vegetable patch and free-range chickens! - and freshly prepared to a high standard; vegetarian options are always available and, by prior arrangement, we will make every effort to cater for more specialised diets, including lactose- or gluten-free.
Guests are supplied with a front door key, and are welcome to come and go as they please during their stay. You are more than welcome to explore the garden or sit and relax and enjoy the views. There is ample off road parking, and cyclists are welcome to store their bikes in our garage. Shooters and fishermen are welcomed - on request, we can usually offer a late breakfast for those returning from an early foray (NOT Saturdays)! We are gay-friendly, and singles are always welcome at a modest extra cost. Paddy and Zak, our retired greyhounds, are happy to welcome one well-behaved dog to accompany its owners, at a small extra charge of £5 per stay. For the sake of those with allergies, dogs are not allowed in Bedroom Two. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the house.
Croft House, May 2008
We are open all year round, with prices starting at £55 per night (winter season) for a couple sharing, or £35 single occupancy, rising to a maximum of £60 and £40 for single nights in high season. At peak times, we only accept minimum bookings of 2 nights. Discounts will apply for stays of 3 or more nights, and we also offer special seasonal packages at Christmas, Hogmanay and Easter etc. For those travelling by public transport, we can normally arrange to collect and drop you off in Newton Stewart, while we offer a 5% discount to those arriving by bike.
The Local Area
The surrounding area is rich in history, with an ancient Stone Circle (legendary burial place of Celtic King Galdus, from whom Galloway reputedly takes its name) just 10 minutes walk up the road, and other sites, such as Whithorn Priory (cradle of Christianity in Scotland) and Carsluith Castle, within easy reach by car. We are only 4 miles from the coast at Wigtown Bay, with the picturesque fishing village of Garlieston less than 10 miles away, and the local area offers several quiet beaches. Nearby rivers, including the Bladnoch and Cree are well known for salmon and trout fishing, with ample opportunities for Loch and sea fishing nearby. Bookworms will enjoy many happy hours browsing the numerous second-hand and antiquarian bookstores in nearby Wigtown - which also boasts an interesting street market every Saturday during the season. Scotland's most Southerly whisky distillery is situated just down the road in Bladnoch village, and offers regular tours and tastings for visitors. There are several reknowned gardens close at hand, including Logan Botanic Garden and Castle Kennedy, and favourite tourist spots such as Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway are all within easy reach. The area offers ample opportunity for walking, with a wealth of coastal and inland paths on the doorstep and the more challenging Galloway Hills less than half an hour away, and we have a good stock of local OS maps for you to borrow. The quiet roads are ideal for cyclists - we are on the Machars Cycle Route, and there are a number of excellent off-road cycle tracks around the area - and we can offer secure storage for your bikes. Birdwatchers will know the area is an important over-wintering site for a wealth of wildfowl, with a number of important nature reserves nearby. We are also within easy reach of the famous Red Kite Trail, while Wigtown County Buildings provide live tv coverage of Galloway's Osprey nesting site. There are a number of good local pubs in the area, offering a range of eating opportunities, from bar snacks to a la carte dining.
Further afield, Stranraer, with the ferry to Ireland, is only 25 miles away, with the bustling seaside resort of Ayr just over an hour's drive.
For further information or to make a booking, please contact us on 01988 402822, or by e-mail .
The garden and view from Croft House
Location
Croft House is situated approximately 4 miles outside Wigtown on the B733 road to Kirkcowan - just half a mile West of the Torhouse Stone Circle. Due to our rural location, it is advisable for guests to have their own transport.
Croft House is a traditonal Wigtownshire country home, dating from the mid 19th century, and situated in a quiet rural location, on land once owned by the Earls of Galloway, mid-way between the ancient Royal Burgh of Wigtown (national Book Town, and medieval county town) and the village of Kirkcowan, about 7 miles from Newton Stewart. More recently a part of the Mochrum Park estate, the house features in the book 'Torhousemuir: Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter' by John Whiteford, whose family lived here for some 50 years. The house stands in its own large cottage-style garden, with a decked seating area enjoying panoramic views across the surrounding countryside, and underwent an extensive programme of refurbishment prior to opening to the public early in 2008. We aim to meet Visit Scotland's 4star B&B standards in most areas.
meals are available by prior arrangement (Saturdays excepted), from £8 for 2 courses, and we can supply packed lunches on request. Many ingredients are locally sourced, some from organic farms - or even our own vegetable patch and free-range chickens! - and freshly prepared to a high standard; vegetarian options are always available and, by prior arrangement, we will make every effort to cater for more specialised diets, including lactose- or gluten-free.
