large holiday home Dumfries Galloway sleeps 8 cottages

large holiday home Dumfries Galloway - sleeps 8

Nestled in the rolling Galloway hills, the Old School offers luxury 4 bedroomed, detached, Victorian former school buildings which have been renovated to a high standard and extended to form a spacious, light and airy holiday cottage

As I cross the border from England I turn left just after Gretna Green and take the A75 westward into Dumfries and Galloway. The road changes as I travel past Annan toward Dumfries, the scenry starts to become more interesting and I start to relax as i get closer and the rolling fields on my right melt into the wide gentle coastline on my left. I leave the main road after Dumfries and find myself winding through the small lanes and single track byways that criss-cross over the Nith valley. The countryside has now become very pretty and the tracks wind through woodland and over streams and burns until I arrive at this lovely former School.

The Old School has been transformed into a light, bright airy holiday home which retains a lot of the character of the school with its large windows and vast living spaces treated with great style and contemporary flair to create a beautifully furnished accommodation that exudes charm and style. There are two living rooms, one large living space with lots of sofas and a wood burning stove, the other called the sun room faces south overlooking the grounds and offers that valuable second living space which is a great asset when there are 4 double bedrooms. The whole School wraps itself around a courtyard garden, but the heart of this holiday home is the great kitchen dining room which seems to be designed with the latest kitchen appliances with the character of an Aga and enough space for 2 or 3 chefs to work together at once.

The school is very close to Dumfries, home of Robert Burns for many years and the place of his burial, the town is the capital of the region and is set beside the river Nith. Very close by up the glen is an outdoor sculpture park, established in 1951 by Sir William Keswick who was a friend of Henry Moore's so there are four sculptures by him plus one each by Jacob Epstein and Auguste Rodin. It's a lovely place for a good walk or a cycle. Just make sure you take a picnic.

Plenty to do and see for families, Dalscone farm park and Mabie farm park are both close by and great fun, children love all the activities and feeding the animals. Drumlanrig Castle is an amazing stately home close by and there are many beaches, some very sandy others rocky. There are a lot of art galleries to visit and good visitor attractions. You can even hire a classic car from Motorparty to travel round for a day.

With the accommodation so beautifully prepared, plenty of room and space to cook, this old school offers the perfect accommodation for 2 families to come together for great holiday.