Thistle Dubh ("Doo")

Beautiful place!

Very quiet! Barend Bar and restaurant shut down last year! Now has the horse trailer bar, which is open daily from 3 pm to 9 pm. The beach is just a 5-minute walk away! My dog loved it! The Bainloch deer park was the best day! We went in a jeep and loved it!! Would recommend this lodge as it was cosy and comfortable. The owners left us some prosecco and jam, which was a nice surprise when we arrived! Very nice place! Thanks for letting us stay for the week!!

A lovely property and extremely well equipped and comfortable.

Every thing has been thought of. The balcony was nice to sit out with a coffee and be entertained by the rabbits and birds. The area is lovely with lots to explore and the beach only a10 minute walk. Unfortunately the on site pub and restaurant were no longer operating at the time of our stay which was disappointing, however there are some nice restaurants nearby within driving distance.

We had a lovely, quiet, and relaxing stay at the lodge.

On arrival, we were warmly welcomed with fizz, milk, biscuits, and jam — a really thoughtful touch that set the tone nicely. The lodge itself was clean and tidy throughout, and the kitchen was very well equipped with plenty of utensils and essentials, making it easy to cook if you wanted to stay in. And lovely decked balcony to sit out on. The bedrooms were comfortable and well presented, although the beds were quite firm — a bit too firm for our personal preference. Similarly, the sofas in the living area were very low, which may not suit everyone. One thing worth noting is the no-phosphate policy for toiletries and cleaning products. While understandable from an environmental perspective, this wasn’t communicated before our stay and would have been helpful to know in advance. But with that being said they do supply dishwasher tabs,washing up liquid,washing pods, hand soap etc.. . The holiday park itself is very peaceful, though it doesn’t have a permanent bar there is a mobile bar, Only Booze & Horses, which operates from Thursday to Sunday — a fun addition, with occasional food trucks too. If you’re bringing a dog, it’s worth being aware that there are quite a lot of rabbits around the lodge grounds. This could be a challenge if your dog is reactive to small furry animals. For dining out, we highly recommend The Steamboat Inn, about a 15-minute drive from the lodge — their Sunday roast is absolutely fabulous, with beautiful views of the Solway Firth and well worth the trip. Overall, a peaceful and enjoyable break with just a few small things to be aware of depending on your preferences.

We spent a very comfortable week at Thistle Dubh.

All our needs were catered for and the lodge was very well stocked. The area is beautiful and we even had lots of sunshine.

Great find, one of the best equipped places we have stayed.

Had everything we needed and more (bottle of Prosecco in the fridge, loved the oat cookies). We had to contact the owner, they were quick to respond and very friendly. Would definitely recommend and book again.

Absolutely amazing, the attention to detail is incredible even down to the Prosecco in the fridge a Christmas tree and decorations done for us was perfect.

Will definitely be staying again and as I stream on TikTok have given the details out to lots of my followers. 10/10 all day long. Book now you’ll love it.

This is our second visit to Thistle Dubh, and again, it was an absolute joy.

Gorgeous lodge, spotlessly clean and so cozy and welcoming, with everything you could need for a break away from home. We are already planning our next visit. Thank you so much. Mike and Val.

Thistle dubh provides a fully equipped holiday retreat in a beautiful scenic area.

.. the owners have thought of everything to make the holiday experience pleasurable...Barend gives its own scenery whilst providing access to many fantastic walks and sandyhills beach. All in all it is the perfect holiday lodge.

Great log cabin with all the home comforts, great location we will be back soon.

Dog loved the balcony watching all the wildlife.

We had a lovely relaxing stay at this beautiful cosy lodge.

It has everything you could possibly want. We went over to the crab pot and had a wonderful meal would recommend the catch of the day fish beautiful and fresh. We went to the deer park next door that was excellent the young man who took us round was so passionate and knowledgeable. The Lodge is in a beautiful and peaceful setting was fun watching the rabbits we even got a spectacular night sky and saw shooting stars. Thank you for a magical stay.

We have stayed at this property over the years without any issues however on this occasion it wasn't the case.

Arrived to find a smell a urine throughout the property. The floors had been recently mopped so opened the doors and re mopped the floors with clean soapy water and used car de-orderiser. (Maybe dirty mops had been used by the cleaners) seemed to sort the issue. As we'd been before a number of times not what we expected. Spent the evening relaxing before retiring to bed in the main bedroom only to find the bed frame broken under the mattress which was only noticeable once in bed. (Other bedrooms were available a small double,single. ) we managed overnight. Following morning spent 3hrs + trying to ring Sykes/owners. Due to the disappointment we left. After spending a £1000 Tesco home shopping delivered. We have then basically been told none of the above happened and that we broke the bed. Why we we do that after returning for years. Both retired professional people. Absolutely shocking experience with Sykes cottages. Using since 2018 staying at the same property for most of this time. The one time we tried to make & resolve a complaint they / owner Took them 5 days to call back!! Owners contacted however stated Sykes were the agent to sort out issues. Then I received emails not to contact the owner. I even suggested I would return to the property to discuss the issues. SYKES/OWNERS have been happy to take our money however cant resolve an issue. I have phoned,emailed,what's app...... We will never use Sykes again after spending nearly £7000 over the years as a repeat customer. Very disappointed ** JUST DONT BOOK** then you won't be disappointed.

A fantastic lodge in a wonderful setting.

The lodge has everything you need with a well equipped kitchen and living room. We took our dog and she loved being able to sit out on the balcony deck and watch the rabbits run around. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach which is also dog friendly and easily accessible.

The cottage provided us with everything we needed to make our stay memorable - even down to hand wash by every sink and there was plenty of everything.

We had an issue with WIFI on our arrival but the owners were so responsive and helpful in getting it sorted which was great. Would thoroughly recommend

We had an incredible stay at Thistle Dubh Lodge following a beautiful ceremony at Gretna Green - This was the perfect getaway for peace and tranquillity.

Surrounded by bunnies, this place felt magical. Of course, this was all down to the sheer comfort of the lodge. Absolutely everything you could possibly need for a self catering holiday was provided. All we had to do was rock up with our groceries. The rest was all taken care of. You literally want for nothing. Like a home from home - but with a bigger and better kitchen than my own. The bed was so comfortable and we loved the bedding too. Sitting out on the balcony with a cup of tea in the evening was bliss - the site was quiet and offered the silence we were craving. We would definitely stay again and have already recommended it to many many people.

Fantastic Lodge.

The balconies were great for sitting out and watching the wildlife. Cosy and quiet.

A lovely holiday chalet in a beautiful location near to Sandyhills beach and other places of interest.

Very clean and tidy, with ideal facilities for a family holiday in the area. Many thanks for the prosecco and other welcome gifts!

This is a fabulous property where which we have visited many times.

Lovely cabin in a fabulous location.

We have had a seven day stay at the thistle Dubh .

it’s a great place to stay to get away from the the hustle bustle and noise of every day life,the owners have put a lot of work into the lodge to make it a home from home stay.it is a very quiet and peaceful place with some great walks at the beach and into the countryside. There is some good places to eat and visit not to far away.all in all it’s a great place to go to get away and relax.

Loved our stay at this picturesque log cabin in Scotland.

So well equipped, we wanted for nothing during our stay - even down to the provision of eco-friendly toiletries and cleaning products etc. Would not hesitate (in fact have already been happy to) recommend this property for anyone looking for a break away from noise (other than birdsong and woodpeckers); hustle and bustle (other than rabbits scurrying around) and crowds (particularly during our time there in March). A real haven and treat. Thank you so much for allowing us to stay - especially at such short notice. We are so glad your property was available.

Absolutely fantastic lodge….

comfortable and spacious, a real home from home. We had welcome gifts of Prosecco, shortbread biscuits, and jam! The lodge was warm and decked out in pretty fairy lights. The area was maintained to a very high standard and situated in beautiful countryside near the beach. All in all it was such a great week for us and our Maltese friends… we will definitely be returning!

It was a lovely property.

Clean, comfortable and very well-equipped. The thoughtful welcome gifts were certainly well appreciated. The only issue we had was with the downstairs tv...we found it difficult to turn on and off with the remote. Overall , we had an amazing stay and would certainly book it again in the future!

Not the first time staying here must have changed owner but still one of best holidays

Great property had a fabulous stay all the home comforts, we I’ll be back in the near future.

The owners have thought of everything real home from home, we have booked up for the same time next year.

Lovely cottage, great owner, had a fantastic stay.

The lodge is warm, well maintain and with loads of space

A pleasant place to stay with easy access to a nice beach.

The site is very quiet and clean and it has a decent pub for bar meals and a few quiz nights etc. We had never stayed on a holiday park before but we will certainly consider it again after this experience. The log cabin itself was a little 'home from home' and it reminded me of skiing trips to the Alps, which was very nice.

Great chalet.

Lovely position with good facilities. Peaceful setting but close to pub and beach.

Beautiful property, great location.

Genuinely felt like being at home - it was so well equipped and comfortable. Highly recommended - we will be back.

It's a lovely cottage,with everthing you could wish for, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of a holiday in dumfries and Galloway.

My only negative is that the woodwork inside needs a bit of T L C like bathroom door not fitting properly and other small things.

Accommodation is lovely and very well equipped

The owners had catered for all our needs,and that made us feel very welcome, we loved our stay there ,and wanted to stay longer,we will definitely be back,it was an overall great stay?

thank you

Thank you for sharing your Lodge with us.

Having stayed in the Dumfries and Galloway area for our holidays for over forty years, this Lodge is up there with the best! Spot on. Looking forward to next years visit.

We have just returned from this lovely holiday home.

It was like home from home. the owners have thought of everything. We had an on line shop delivered from Tesco. The setting is beautiful on a park just up the hill from the beach. Also Dalbettie woods and bike trails all within easy reach of the lodge. We will be returning to this lovely holiday lodge.

Had a great week at Thistle Dubh.

The lodge itself is amazing, very well equipped and clean. It had everything we needed for a relaxing week, the views from the balconies are incredible. Great location, close to the beach and short drives from plenty of other scenic walks. Would definitely love to come back.