**EAT**
**Banquet Time**
Thirty minutes north of Dumfries, Dabton House is a rambling, rentable Georgian residence with 11 rooms, making it a destination in itself. Complete with a pink-sandstone façade, rolling grounds, and a grand dining room seating up to 22 guests, it offers an unforgettable experience. Guests can enjoy candlelit dinners (from £45 per person) gathered around a polished dining table that’s pure period drama.
Standout plates include grilled halibut with crushed new potatoes and lemon butter sauce, and the strawberry cappuccino dessert featuring garden berries, homemade ice cream, and meringue. It’s a treat that had us all coming back for seconds.
**Pub Grub**
A mile south, the pretty village of Thornhill welcomes visitors with wide streets and Victorian villas. Here, The Buccleuch & Queensberry Arms Hotel (bqahotel.com) serves comfort classics in hearty portions. The Scottish steak (£31.50) was perfect after a busy day exploring the area.
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**STAY**
**Country Charm**
At Dabton House (from £2,500 a night self-catered, based on 22 sharing; dabtonhouse.co.uk; nearest station Kirkconnel, 15 miles away), you’ll feel like you’re being welcomed into a family home straight out of Jane Austen’s novels. Each bedroom has its own individual style—many secretly hope to land one with a clawfoot bathtub and a view of Drumlanrig Castle.
What to do? As little as possible. Drift between the library, the drawing room with its grand piano, and the snooker room, then spend evenings curled up around the fire. Surrounded by acres of woods and gardens, it’s as peaceful as it is palatial.
Being Scotland, rain was not unusual, so slipping into the sauna at Dabton became a welcome daily ritual. If your calves are feeling sore after a day’s hike (this is fine walking country), a massage therapist can be arranged easily.
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**LOVE**
**Take a Hike**
The Castle View walk is a 5km circular route starting from the Larchwood Cabin Café in the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle (visitscotland.com). The gentle climb offers breathtaking views of the River Nith, the castle’s turrets, and the purple hills beyond.
Along the way, you’ll pass a loch, a ruined hydro plant, and artist Andy Goldsworthy’s striking 2009 red-sandstone sculpture *Leaping Arch*, resembling a giant croquet hoop.
**Time Travel**
The baroque clock tower of the Tolbooth Museum watches over the town of Sanquhar, situated beside the River Nith, just 20 minutes by car north of Dabton House. This museum is perfect for inquisitive kids, featuring tools from the region’s once-thriving mining industry, and a recreated jail cell from the old prison.
Though small, it’s packed with character—and free to enter.
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For more on Dumfriesshire and things to do, visit [scotlandstartshere.com](https://scotlandstartshere.com).
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