Your first sight of Newlands Barn, 3 miles from Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway, is from quite a distance, which gives you some idea of the panoramic views you will enjoy once you get up there. Accessed by a little country road and then a good, short track, it has a commanding position on the hillside, and from its enclosed garden, visited by hosts of songbirds, or from its large conservatory, you look away across the wooded valley to the distant hills beyond.
It is, quite simply, the most charming of houses, light, spacious and full of character. Much of the action takes place on the ground floor, which is handy for those who prefer to avoid stairs. In addition to the conservatory/dining room, accessed through a large, comfortable lounge with open fire (both 3 steps down), there is a well equipped kitchen with Aga and electric cooker, a utility room/office, bathroom with separate shower and twin and single bedrooms. The master bedroom, with adjoining shower room, is upstairs.
And just for a bit of local colour, the railway runs through the cutting behind the house, totally invisible, beyond a wall and fence and not obtrusive - two passenger trains an hour count as rush hour.
The countryside in these parts is delightful and lends itself to many enjoyable pursuits. Walking, of course - the Southern Upland Way may be joined at Sanquhar or Dalry - riding stables just south of Thornhill, golf courses, and plenty of choice as far as fishing is concerned, rising from £18 per day for trout on the loch nearby to £180 per day in the best Drumlanrig salmon pools. The Mid Nithsdale Angling Association offers a range of visitor tickets at reasonable prices.
Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate, open to the public and with excellent mountain biking trails, is about 2 miles distant and there are shops and pubs in Thornhill, while Auldgirth too has an excellent inn.
Further afield, you can drive through the Galloway hills to picturesque Dalry and New Galloway, head down via Loch Ken to the Solway coast with its sandy beaches, or penetrate further west into the Galloway Forest Park, with all manner of water and woodland based activities available around Glen Trool.
Newlands Barn is the perfect place from which to discover the many attractions of this peaceful and unspoilt area.
Bed linen, towels and the first £25 of each of electricity and oil-CH are INCLUDED in the rental. An extra put-you-up bed is available (charge). Up to two dogs are welcome by arrangement, but must be kept downstairs and under control at all times. No smoking in the house. Wi-Fi is available, subject to provider.
