Kestrel Lodge
- 4 guests
- 2 beds
- 1 bathroom
- Pet Friendly
Description
Kestrel Lodge is an excellent lodge, situated a ten minute drive away from Dumfries, in the stunning countryside of Dumfries and Galloway.
The lodge is on a good plot with views across to countryside fields and woodland.
With private and quiet surroundings offering ample storage for outdoor equipment.
The front door leads into a spacious hallway, where you can kick off you boots and coats and step into the open-plan living space.
The lounge is a small area, with a sofa and two chairs situated around the TV.
A place where you can relax after a long day sightseeing.
Adjacent to this is a cosy sitting area with seating for four people.
Gather around and enjoy a lovely family meal, or take advantage of the provided books and use this as a quiet space to read.
The kitchen has ample preparation space for making a delicious home cooked meal, with all the appliances you could need on-hand.
Towards the rear of the lodge are two bedrooms: one double and one twin, ideal for small families or a group of friends.
With a family bathroom offering a bath and shower over, so you can prepare for your day in style.
There is a set of patio doors in the sitting room which lead out to a decking area with a view of the countryside and plenty of wildlife to watch.
Binoculars provided for keen birdwatchers.
Sit out and enjoy the morning countryside air with a cup of tea and watch the sunrise.
This is also a great place for stargazing on a clear night with a hot cocoa as there is little light pollution.
Kestrel Lodge is in an ideal location with three of the 7-stanes mountain bike tracks easily accessible from the lodge (you can store your bikes in the shed or some sites offer bike rental), Mabie is just a 10 minutes drive, Dalbeattie is a 14 minutes drive and Ae is 18 minutes drive.
Caerlaverock Castle, a beautiful 13th century castle with a surrounding moat and cafe serving tasty treats and The Solway Coast a beautiful scenic coastline are both only a 25 minute drive away.
A whisky distillery that offers tours, an outdoor activity centre which is host to one of Europes longest zip wires and Mabie Farm Park, a family fun farm park with lots of activities for both the young and old including donkey rides, pet feeding and go karts are all nearby.
The location is also home to many beautiful walking and cycling routes.
Dumfries town centre has a range of local shops for browsing, and pubs and restaurants for fine food along with a large shopping centre and supermarkets for all your grocery needs.
There is also a Tourist Information Centre with very helpful staff to help you enjoy your holiday.
Kestrel Lodge is the perfect property for a peaceful holiday in the countryside amongst nature but is close enough to all local amenities.
Your dates
Everything you'll need
- Baby Friendly
- Garden / Patio
- Ground Floor Bedroom
- Ground Floor Accommodation
- Off Road Parking
- Baby Friendly
- Garden / Patio
- Ground Floor Bedroom
- Ground Floor Accommodation
- Off Road Parking
- Pet Friendly
- Smoke Free
- Near Walks
- Washing Machine
What guests are saying
If I could have given Zero I would.
We have stayed at lodges here in the past, and they were spotless and well-maintained (no's 15 & 16). Unfortunately, not so this one, and I have pictures as evidence. The external picture on the website shows a neat & tidy, well-maintained exterior. When we arrived the paint/stain was dull and starting to crack and peel. There was bits of litter scattered around the entrance, the windows were filthy and encrusted with insect nests, shrubs were overgrown and impeding the satellite signal. The living room was supposed to have a 2-seater sofa and two armchairs. We found the armchairs the next day outside the bathroom window, soaked through. This meant one of us was always marooned at the kitchen table. We did however, have a damp stain on the ceiling instead. In the kitchen there were no tea towels, and I had to wash the crockery and cutlery before we could use them. The cooker top was unhygienic; the large chopping board that is supposed to fit over the edge of the worktop was on the cooker and when I lifted it, all of the rings had ingrained dirt around them as though something had boiled over and not been cleaned up properly. Far worse, in my view, was the rust and flaking paint along the top of the grill. Again, I have pictures. We ate out every night, as I could not contemplate cooking there. There were no bath towels in the double bedroom, and although I found some in the airing/storage cupboard I had no way of knowing if they were clean or not. In the bathroom there was dirt and/or mould around the top of the bath. I did try to contact the owners on the numbers in the (tatty) guidance notes but heard nothing for nearly 36 hours, and then it was from someone no longer responsible for the property but who was able to contact the owner. We heard from her on day 3 of our 4-day stay. She was working somewhere with no phone signal apparently and was full of apologies, sadly no action. To add to the general air of a lack of maintenance, the Portable Appliance Tests, as evidenced by the stickers on plugs, were over 12 months out of date. The final issue was the stain on the living room ceiling, which proved to be active on the morning of day 3. Luckily I had managed to find a bucket which we left under the offending leak. Why did we stay and not turn around and go home? We arrived after a 400 mile drive bringing my 92-year old Mother-in-law to see her sister who lives nearby. If the distance had been less than 100 miles we would have turned around there and then. This trip left a nasty taste, in more than one respect. The lodge has an air of being unloved, as though the owners have given up and lost interest.
Sadly the lodge could be doing with a lot of maintenance and money spent on it .
A lot of items are needing replacing eg cooker , and other items in the kitchen. For the price we were charged we expected a lot better. We particularly did not like getting up in the morning and seeing silver trails from slugs across the sitting room carpet.
The lodge is in a good position but would benefit from significant refurbishment, as it is looking tired in a number of areas.
The Wi-Fi was not working during our stay, and we were unable to connect using the details provided. The main electric heater was not working, and neither were two of the three additional heaters. Fortunately, the weather was mild during our stay, but this may have been more problematic in colder conditions. The cooker is quite old and would benefit from updating. There were no instructions provided for the microwave. Due to the lack of Wi-Fi and a weak signal, our television viewing options were limited. Much of the external woodwork would benefit from treatment and maintenance. The towels provided could also be improved, particularly the bath towels. Overall, while the location was good, a number of maintenance and facility issues detracted from our stay.
Good to know
House Rules
Good housekeeping bond
This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £300
Smoking
Not permitted
Property notes
There is a £300 GHB on this property.
Please note: Due to the rural location of the property mobile data may be intermittent.
Stay Information
Check-in / Check-out
15:00 / 10:00
Property ref
989531
Parking
Off Road Parking
Guest & Pet Policy
Pets
Allowed
Children
Children and infants welcome
Accessibility
Ground floor