Scottish Tourist Board 4-Star Self-catering holiday accommodation in Dumfries & Galloway
Scottish Tourist Board 4-star self-catering holiday lodges
at Barend in Dumfries and Galloway
Galloway Lodges' Green Certification
Green Tourism Policy
Galloway Lodges is a small family-run business that understands the importance of protecting and preserving the beauty of the land and its habitats. We are proud to pledge to help the environment by adapting to a greener and more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Our commitment, along with our guests, is to support nature and the planet for future generations; we must all preserve natural resources and protect the eco-system for a better quality of life by:
- Recycling waste;
- Using eco-friendly products;
- Reducing our consumption of single-use plastics and disposables;
- Being more energy and water efficient;
- Supporting local businesses for shopping & dining;
- Sourcing as many products as possible locally;
- Using more public transport or walking and cycling whilst respecting the Scottish Outdoor Access Code;
- Helping and enjoying nature and our cultural heritage experiences;
- Emailing guests, using our website and social media.
Galloway Lodges Commitment
- Reducing our carbon footprint
Galloway Lodges are proud members of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, RSPB, The South Scotland Wildlife Hospital(donate monthly) and volunteer at the RNLI shop in nearby Kippford.
We are also a Green Champion with Business Energy Scotland.
Our website is continually updated with local things to do and places to go.
Galloway Lodges remain committed to capturing and developing new green initiatives where possible.
Reducing our carbon footprint
All our lodges are equipped with:
- double glazing
- thermostatic valves on radiators
- recycling opportunities
- LED bulbs
- sensor motion lights outside
- loft insulation
- A+ energy efficient appliances
- on-site lighting has reduced light emission for lowered light pollution
Social Responsibility and Ethical Sourcing
- Ecover, Fairtrade and bulk buying
- Whenever possible, we consider sustainability and support local businesses, crafters and artists.
- Where appropriate, we reuse items such as furniture and electrical items.
- We purchase washing up liquid, hand soap, cleaning fluids, etc. in bulk and refill containers.
- We buy Ecover products.
- We have cut down consumption of single-use plastics.
- We use Fairtrade coffee, tea and sugar.
- We advertise local produce markets, artists and businesses in our Welcome Pack, emails and on our website.
- We offer our guests wildflower seeds and crafters' gifts in our Welcome Packs.
Responsible Visitors' Charter
- Encouraging responsible tourism
Let’s work together to help save our planet.
Galloway Lodges need your help to become even more eco-friendly and here are a few things you can do during your stay here.
Conserve Energy
- Switch off lights and TV when not needed.
- Close windows if heating is on
- Turn heating down to around 19 degrees C – 21 degrees C
- Boil only what you need in the kettle
- Use controls on radiator to control the temperature in each room
- Indicate when bed linen/towels do not need washing – using the label provided
- Use eco-setting on dishwashers
Rubbish and Waste
- Recycle waste using the outside bins and follow coloured advice labels
- The information sheet in our Welcome book shows what you can recycle
- Read the information in the bathroom regarding bathroom waste
- Use ‘Bags for life’ whenever possible
Water
Please conserve water by using wisely:
- Turn tap off when brushing teeth
- Use eco-setting on dishwashers
Our toilets use the
dual flush method.
The Environment
- Help the environment - take litter home
- Dog mess should be bagged and binned
- When out and about, use the Scottish Outdoor Access code
- Guard against fire
- Turn outside lights off to help prevent light pollution
Transport
- Leave the car for the day, take a walk or use public transport (available nearby)
- Bring your bicycle
- Support local pubs, shops, cafes, farmers' markets and purchase local produce
The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere
The biosphere is the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms and here in south-west Scotland, we are lucky to live in the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere of which Galloway Lodges is a member.
This biosphere is a world-class environment recognised across the world encompassing our great cultural heritage, wildlife and landscapes and offering local communities, visitors and businesses learning opportunities to live in a sustainable way.
It aims to protect and value the biological and cultural diversity of our region through the conservation of landscapes, wildlife and habitats. It supports a better understanding of global challenges and sustainable development by fostering a sustainable economy and society as well as climate change by supporting the resilience of communities in facing climate change impacts.
Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere is a special place for:
- Wildlife and natural beauty
- Heritage and culture
- Recreation and enjoyment
- Local produce
- Inspiration
- Tranquillity
- The Biosphere is a special place for wildlife and natural beauty. Our region offers such a contrasting landscape - from hills, lochs and burns to wide rivers with forests and farmlands to sandy beaches and a rugged coastline. This landscape supports a diverse wildlife from deer to red squirrels. It is a natural beauty for all to enjoy.
- The Biosphere is a special place for heritage and culture, stretching back to the birth of Christianity in Scotland, to the wars of independence of Robert the Bruce and including ancient stone circles and burial cairns. All these have played their part in the communities we have today.
- The Biosphere is a special place for recreation and enjoyment. It’s a great area to explore off the beaten track or just locally. From fishing, golf or mountain biking to walking in the forests, along coastal paths or climbing mountains, our Biosphere is steeped in wildlife and history.
- The Biosphere is a special place for local produce. The countryside and the region of south-west Scotland have a diverse and unique character that is reflected in the varied selection of food, crafts and drink available and are well known, for example, for the Belted Galloway cows that are adapted to living in the upland pastures and are a heritage breed. The area has many local produce markets and distilleries to cater for everyone’s taste.
- The Biosphere is a special place which provides inspiration. Many are the creative minds who have made their home here over the centuries including poets such as Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Novelists, craftspeople, sculptors and painters have loved what the countryside and surrounding areas provide.
- The Biosphere is a special place for
tranquillity. In 2009, the Galloway Forest Park was designated as only the fourth Dark Sky Park in the world at that time and it was also the first in the UK as a whole. The Forest Park encompasses coastlines, forests, open hills, waterfalls and lovely riverside estuaries and hamlets. It’s a peaceful place, offering visitors time to observe and contemplate in the marvel of the area. It is possible to spot in excess of 7,000 stars and planets with the naked eye as well as the Milky Way.
Biodiversity describes the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable. Learn below how you can appreciate the biodiversity of Galloway.
Galloway Lodges and Biodiversity
A nature-lover's and birdwatcher's paradise
Here at Barend, Galloway Lodges are set amongst six acres of a variable landscape and our own private Loch. There are large grassed areas with many mature trees and shrubs, offering a range of habitats for a variety of creatures and an abundance of wildlife.
Barend Loch is home to grass carp, swans, mallards, waterhens, frogs, toads, newts, slow worms, coots and is visited by herons, geese, cormorants, otters, swallows, eider ducks and kingfishers, amongst others.
Water lilies and irises are plentiful and there is a lovely walk around the perimeter with benches to enjoy the surroundings.
A copse has been created with nesting boxes, bug hotels, log hides, leaves and squirrel and bird feeders.
Hedgerows, stone walls (dykes) and wildflower areas are home to a range of flowers including buddleia, pink campions and well established shrubs such as Californian lilacs, brachyglottis, pieris, dogwood, elderflower, forsythia, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, brambles, junipers, gueider rose, cotoneasters, hollies, ivies and lovely spring snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and bluebells, wild primroses and orchids, ferns, bracken, laurel and bamboo. These all nurture the bees, wasps, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.
The trees at Barend run from established oaks to rowan saplings as well as silver birch, larch, alder, conifers, walnut, hawthorn, blackthorn, sycamores, ash, hornbeam, beech, willow and yew. A tree surgeon attends frequently on site.
All the above encourages wildlife to enjoy our space too. Living and visiting are Rabbits, Badgers, Red Squirrels, Deer, Foxes, Bats and so many species of birds including Sparrows, Robins, Blue tits, Coal tits, Great tits, Nuthatches, Chaffinches, Woodpeckers, Bullfinches, Siskins, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Crows, Magpies, Swallows, Owls, Redwings, Tree creepers and more. This is simply a bird watcher’s paradise.
Sandyhills Bay is just a short walk from the Lodges and sits on the Solway Firth (East Stewartry Coast). Moreover, it is a National Scenic Area with a varied coastline of rugged rocks and caves. A coastal path runs from Sandyhills to Kippford via Rockcliffe, offering a fantastic opportunity to take in all the flora and fauna of the area with views across to the Lake District and even the Isle of Man.
RSPB Mersehead is a few miles away and caters for migratory birds, with food abundant from the mud flats and sand. It has a Visitor Centre, birdwatching hides and trails.
The Needles Eye at Sandyhills reveals veins containing minerals such as Uranium, Lead, Copper, Arsenic and other metals. The earliest rocks of the area were laid down around 440 million years ago.
The tidal range is 6.7 metres with two tidal cycles per day. The climate is generally mild and sheltered having a Gulf stream temperature.
Cultural heritage
The earliest known archaeology of the area are Bronze age axes that date back to the second millenium BC. The nearest evidence of prehistoric settlements can be found at Castlepoint in Rockcliffe and Port o' Warren at Portling on the coastal path.
Habitats and wildlife
The area of Port o' Warren is nationally important to seabird colonies with its Cormorant rookery, Guillemots and Razorbills. The marshes and mudflats with intertidal habitat feed and shelter waders and wintering waterfowl. Rough Island at Kippford is a Bird Sanctuary cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.
You'll never be short of amazing places to visit, things to do or wildlife to wonder at when you holiday at Galloway Lodges.
Equality, diversity and inclusion policy
Galloway Lodges is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion within the business and to our guests and eliminating unlawful discrimination. It is good practice and makes business sense to create an environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all.
Our aim is to be truly representative of all sections of society and our guests and to feel respected and able to give our best.
We aim to provide equality, fairness and respect to all our guests and not to unlawfully discriminate because of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.