Threave Garden - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Threave House was built by William Gordon, a Liverpool businessman who had bought the Threave Estate as a summer home for his extensive family in 1867. He preferred this location for the house to the lower parts of the estate extending to the River Dee and including Threave Island and Threave Castle. There is also a visitor centre and plant centre. The wider estate is managed as a nature reserve and is home to bats and ospreys, and includes part of the Loch Ken and River Dee Marshes Special Prot

A majestic and beautiful historical castle situated on an island in the middle of the River Dee, this formidable castle is only reachable by boat. This massive tower house was built in the late 14th century by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway. It became the stronghold of the Black Douglases and still today, round its base you can see the artillery fortification, an innovative defence years ahead of its time

Buittle Castle, also known historically as Botle or Botel Castle, is a ruined castle in Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is located in the valley of the River Urr, 1 kilometre west of Dalbeattie. The castle is within the parish of Buittle, in the traditional county of Kirkcudbrightshire and is a scheduled ancient monument. The ruins remained in the possession of the Maxwells of Munches until 1984 when they were gifted to Balliol College, Oxford by Peter Maxwell QC of Munches himself a Balliol

Orchardton Tower is an unusual free-standing round tower, the only one of its type in Scotland. It operated as a fortified residence for a nobleman named John Cairns, who may have acquired the land after James II’s overthrow of the Douglases in 1455. is remarkable as the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland. Orchardton Tower is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Loch Ken, located in the picturesque Glenkens, is a 9 mile long freshwater loch, that is fed from the north by the Water of Ken. It is popular spot for water skiing, fishing, and sailing and these activities and more are served by the Galloway Activity Centre located on the banks of the loch. It is part of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere

The Harbour Cottage Trust was established in the former 'Harbour Inn' in 1957 and acquired a small collection. The building is now run as a gallery hired out to individual artists and exhibitors. The ‘gallery-run’ Summer and Autumn Exhibitions feature mainly local professional and amateur artists by invitation. An annual ‘Open’ Exhibition, aimed at encouraging and supporting new and developing artists, takes place early Summer and is open to any artist over the age of 16 wherever they live.