Further afield there are a large number of wildfowl and seabirds all along the coast and the R.S.P.B. reserve at Mersehead is close by, with Caerlaverock within a short drive where between October and March every year about 12,000 barnacle geese, the entire breeding population of Spitbergen, enjoy the mild Winter.
Less than twenty miles away you can enjoy the successful Galloway Red Kite Trail, where you can see the recently re-introduced Red Kites at their feeding stations - spectacular!
At Wigtown library you can enjoy their webcam giving you access to nesting ospreys.
 Fishing
Apart from Barend loch, which the site overlooks and where 14lb carp have been caught, there are many rivers and lochs throughout the area, and centres for sea angling at Kippford and Kirkcudbright.
 Golf
16 courses within
a 20 mile radius!
There are many wonderful, varied and quiet courses throughout the area. Colvend
(pictured) is an excellent 18-hole course, less than a mile from the site -
some chalets overlook the fairways.
Southerness, a Championship links course,
is only a 15 minute drive away.
The climate in this part of Dumfries and Galloway is beneficially affected by the Gulf Stream. It is a rarity
for the weather to prevent play on the golf courses, even in the depths
of winter.
Horse Racing
Carlisle and Ayr racecourses are just over 1 hour's drive away.
Sailing
Kippford, just 5 miles away, has a flourishing sailing community, and is the
headquarters of the Solway Yacht Club.
  Galloway Sailing Centre
Offering a range of activities from sailing, windsurfing, power boating, kayaking, canoeing, archery, quad biking, mountain biking and climbing, instructor training to family fun days - www.lochken.co.uk.
Touring and Sightseeing
There are many beautiful gardens in the area which are open to the public,
including the Scottish National Trust's Threave Garden, where the grounds
are open all year.
 Whilst on holiday visit the many wonderful
ancient and historic buildings and monuments in the area. At the nearby
Dalbeattie Museum you can discover the true story of First Officer Murdoch,
of Titanic fame.
Robert Burns lived in the region from 1788 until his death in 1796. He is buried in Dumfries. During his time here he wrote more of his works than he did in his native Ayrshire, including The Selkirk Grace, Tam o' Shanter, Scots Wha Hae, and Auld Lang Syne. You can visit Ellisland Farm where he lived, and even his favourite pub, The Globe Inn in Dumfries.
The
birthplace of John Paul Jones, founder of the U.S. Navy is nearby
at Arbigland, only a 15 minute drive from Barend.
There are interesting and scenic drives
like the 'Queensway' (pictured above) and the 'Raiders Road' which
will introduce you to the landscape of the Highlands without even leaving
the county!
Cream o' Galloway Ice Cream Production
and Cream o' Galloway Visitor Attraction
Rainton Farm is a totally organic farm seeking to incorporate the principles of sustainable development into all aspects of its work.
Cream o' Galloway Dairy Company manufactures luxury organic ice cream and frozen yogurt for markets in Scotland and South East England and the
Cream o' Galloway Visitor Attraction has made Rainton Farm accessible to 60,000 members of the public each year.
www.creamogalloway.co.uk
 Tutored Malt Whisky Tastings
Visitors to Scotland, quite
rightly, associate the country with whisky, and to meet a demand for
tutored whisky
tasting sessions, Gordon Colquhoun, a partner in Barend Holiday Village,
attended an intensive course at The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre on
the Royal Mile at Edinburgh. After "arduous" training he passed
with merit and was awarded a Certificate of Expertise in the Sale and
Service of Scotch Whisky.
We have been offering these tastings
for five years now, and indeed there is an alternative tasting for those
who decide
they did not learn enough
first time around!
In the tasting, guests will have a malt
from each of the 4 recognised whisky producing regions of Scotland, with
a bonus of
two exceptional
and rare whiskies thrown in for good measure. Talking of good measure,
Gordon disapproves of tastings which serve only a thimble-full of liquid.
Each of the six samples is half the normal measure, so guests will each have 3 full
measures of 35ml. The cost is only £8.00 per person, which we hope
you will agree is good value.
These are tastings only to educate the
palate and there is no associated selling!
Whisky tastings can be booked
at the bar during your visit or via reception when you make your booking.
Historic Dumfries & Galloway
There are many fascinating castles, ruins, and other historic sites within easy travelling distance from Barend. These include the 13th century moated Caerlaverock Castle, its triangular shape being unique in Britain, the 17th century Drumlanrig Castle,which houses an outstanding art collection, the 12th century Motte of Urr, the largest and best preserved Norman motte and bailey earthworks in Britain, the 15th century Orchardton Tower, the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland, and the 13th century Sweetheart Abbey, so called in memory of Lady Devorguilla of Galloway who was so besotted by her husband John Balliol ( founder of the famous Oxford College) that when he died she carried his heart, embalmed in a casket, around with her. She referred to it as her "sweet heart", and thus the term was born.
The earliest Christian monument in Scotland, the oldest surviving multiple arch bridge in Scotland, the ancestral home and birth place of Robert the Bruce, the place where Mary Queen of Scots spent her last night on Scottish soil, the birthplace of the founder of the US Navy, and a more modern attraction of the first Bhuddist temple in Britain, and many more historical sites are all waiting to be discovered and explored by you. Even further back in the mists of time, but even closer to Barend is the site of the Newbarns Project. This is an archaeological excavation on two adjacent sites of two Neolithic passage graves, 25 Early Bronze Age burials, and a pre-Roman Iron Age crannog. BHV sponsor this dig, and visitors are warmly welcomed, either for a tour of the sites or even, for the more enthsiastic and energetic, to take part in the excavations.
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Cycling and Walking
