My second visit to Ghillies Cottage with the family. Not only is it in a beautiful spot but its a lovely and comfortable cottage. Nicely designed and well maintained with all the things you need even a couple of sharp knives.
The kids loved their rooms and the large bathroom with its stone floors and big views is a rare luxury. There are lots of local walks including a walk through the woods to the Castle Gardens. A short drive gets you to lovely old ruins, walks and villages. Caerlaverock Castle on a sunny day has to be one of the most enchanting ruins in Brittain.
In short Ghillies is an exceptional cottage in a lovely area.

Attention to detail was fabulous and the welcome basket outstanding.All rooms were delightfully presented and the bath was to die for.

My wife and I spent a week here with our American cousins and our dog. The location is both beautiful and quiet but there are easy drives to so many places of great interest all around. The house is warm and comfortable with some lovely design touches and our welcome from our hosts got the holiday off to a great start. We would all love to return and intend to do so.

Now you're looking for a holiday....a welcome break for a week or two from all of Life's little traumas. Somewhere to recharge the batteries. Somewhere away from the all the buzz, the booze and the bingo.
Somewhere like ...the countryside?
I can hear the kids in your family shouting already- "but what's there to do out there? Bet they don't even have Broadband!"
But if you're considering this cottage then your not the average parent/adult.
Your wise enough to know that the countryside has lots to offer, its just that you have to step outside the front door and enjoy searching for it, (though staying inside can be a treat, just to "listen" to the quiet- perhaps interrupted only by the drifting Red Kite squealing on its search for its next meal).
So all you're looking for is an affirmation that the base you have considered is a good one, no...better than that, you are looking for a great one. Is Ghilies Cottage a great choice?
And here is where I come in... based on a week's holiday with my wife, her parents, one of my sons and the two dogs, I can sincerely recommend the cottage offered up by Laura and David.
Access road is good- no requirement for a 4x4 here!
The enclosed garden is great to let the dogs (kids) have a good run around without leaving the confines of the grounds.
The rooms are all subtly furnished to maintain a rural theme but with high standards of facilities and cleanliness.
The location is ideal- walkers can start their travels from the doorstep, morning teas- the Green Tea Room was really nice- or bar lunches can be accessed in short journey times to quaint little villages like Moniaive.
Evening meals can likewise be visited within 10 minute journey times to Thornhill- Buccleuch and Queensbury is a fine example.
And if the Good Lady insists on a visit to the shops- (you know the one- "but I need to get a wee thing for Gran and Grandpa- and then she comes back with a pair of new shoes!)- then Dumfries should keep all the girls well satisfied, whilst the boys can walk the dogs alongside the River Nith.
The special Days Out trips are also well catered for- Drumlanrig castle is just up the road, Morton Tower is fun just trying to find it, Sweetheart Abbey is for a day out and you'll probably know all the rest anyway. But remember to spend some days just sitting in the back garden - weather permitting and having a right good chill out.
Ghillies Cottage will not let you down.
(And yes, it comes kitted with free Broadband/WiFi access)

We have stayed a number of times in the area and found this to be a real gem of a house to holiday in. Laura and her husband David are incredibly accommodating and live in the main farm house just up the road. Close by to help but not at all intrusive. The location is superb, up a quiet country road with a feeling of being right out in the hills, but with the small town of Thornhill a couple of kilometres away with all that you would need for provisions. A particular favourite was the Drumlanrig Cafe with excellent coffee and ice creams. The house is on the edges of the Drumlanrig Estate and with all on offer there and on the farmland which is open to wander about on, you don't need to travel far to find ways of amusing the whole family.
We had a fisherman, a cyclist (road and mountain), small and bigger children in our group and all found plenty to do. A highlight was the tour of the working farm in David's 4x4.
The house itself is detached with enclosed gardens, with plenty of storage for bikes, pushchairs, beach and walking equipment. Inside the house is lovely with a modern and fresh feel to the decor. The large bathroom was luxurious with a large bath and walk-in shower, and plenty of space for small children to be washed and run about. The downstairs shower room was also an essential with a fairy large family group.
A welcome hamper on arrival provided all that was necessary to have a breather after a long journey, and the kitchen was well-equipped to cater for the number in our group. Bedrooms were spacious and the sound-proofing between rooms (essential with small children) was excellent!
Lovely house, really helpful owners, a real holiday retreat.

We spent a fortnight at Ghillies Cottage welcomed by Laura who lives on a nearby farm with a bottle of wine and the keys.
The cottage is on a quiet country road, surrounded by fencing, dry stone wall and is secured with a gate, Laura will invite you to walk her lands which are extensive. There is an outhouse for bicycles and prams etc.
The property is larger inside than I expected the living room is well presented and spacious, the gas fire is efficient and adds character, the furniture is comfortable and the view onto farmland and rolling hills and woodland beyond.
The kitchen is modern, equipped with quality appliances as is the utility, a downstairs shower room serves the large downstairs twin bedroom.
Upstairs the master bedroom is again large and comfortable, two single bedrooms and a luxury roll top bath and walk in shower. Laura provides everything to get you started in the kitchen, bathroom and utility.
The cottage is approximately two miles from the village of Penpont which has a post office small shop and tea room, Thornhill a small town is about four miles away has every facility including a good baker, butcher and a Spar and Co-op, two good hotels offer fine food.
Walking is our pleasure and there are many walks to suit all, the river walks on the nearby Drumlanrig Castle estate are wonderful and from the doorstep there are walks through woodland and the more challenging hillsides.
Wildlife is abundant, red squirrels, bats, owls, hares, buzzards, oyster catchers and of course fish
Ghillies Cottage is comfortable, clean, modern, and good value, it is peaceful and quiet without being remote, it felt like a home and not just a place to lay your head.
Thanks again Laura, a wonderful family holiday, I've someone else to thank for the thirteen days of sunny weather we had!