Easter Holiday Activities in Dumfries & Galloway
Book your self catering cottage at Auchenbrack or Thornhill for the perfect Easter Holiday break in glorious Dumfries and Galloway.
Activities for the whole family this Easter around Thornhill and Moniaive, Dumfries and Galloway…
If you’re planning a stay in Dumfries and Galloway this Easter Holiday then we’ve got everything you need for the perfect break. Whether you’re coming up solo, with the dogs, with a partner or even bringing the whole family, our corner of Scotland has plenty to offer.
Step 1… Book your stay
Check availability and secure your booking for one of our gorgeous, self catering cottages to start your Easter Holiday in style. Our peaceful and remote cottages on the Auchenbrack Estate are the ideal base from which to explore South West Scotland. Or, why not take a look at Hotel Cottage, our Air Bnb in Thornhill. You can check availability and make your booking directly on our website. All of our holiday cottages are dog friendly and have dedicated parking spaces and plenty of room to store bikes and other sporting equipment.
Step 2… Plan your activities
There’s always plenty to do in Dumfries and Galloway and our region of Nithsdale is no exception. If you’re looking for some inspiration for activities this Easter Holiday, we’ve put together a few of our favourite and slightly more unusual things to do during your stay. Sometimes it’s nice to do something a little out of the ordinary, and we often get asked for ideas for our guests to do something a bit different and have an experience that they can’t get anywhere else. As well as some of the gorgeous, traditional Scottish experiences on offer in our region, we’ve got some innovative local companies and attractions that you simply won’t find anywhere else! It’s a part of what makes Dumfries and Galloway so special and why we love it so much here.
Cream O’ Galloway Ice Cream
Situated just a short drive beyond Dumfries, is the amazing Cream O’ Galloway Visitor Centre.
The centre has loads on offer and is suitable for the whole family. It’s also a great place to book an unusual experience activity for couples or a group of friends.
Our absolute top tip for this amazing local attraction is to get yourself booked on to one of their regular Ice Cream Making Workshops. Lasting around 90 minutes, this workshop gives you the chance to make your very own ice cream from scratch! You’ll be provided with all of the ingredients, the most important being the base of fresh dairy cream from the Cream O’Galloway herd. This is a great farm with some fantastic ethical policies too so it’s well worth checking this out as a part of your visit. You’ll select your own flavours and can make your very own concoction as the team take you through all the steps to make the perfect ice cream. You get to eat it afterwards of course! You can have up to 3 people per station and it’s an absolute joy of a day out. They run adult only sessions where you can add alcohol if you like, or family friendly ones, which are suitable for children over 5.
You could also book yourself in for a Cheese Making Day Course or an Ethical Dairy Farm Tour during your stay. Or just go down and enjoy a delicious ice cream at their parlour, have a game of Crazy Golf and take a walk along one of their gorgeous nature trails.
This place gets a strong 10/10 from us! It’s essential to book your activities in advance if you’d like to get on one of the courses or tours. You can book direct and find out loads more information on the Cream O’ Galloway Website.
Galloway Activity centre
Feeling more adventurous? If outdoor activities are your thing and the weather is in your favour, we’d highly recommend a visit to the Galloway Activity Centre at Loch Ken.
There’s plenty here to keep both adults and kids occupied for a day. Choose from some of the exciting activities on offer (but make sure you book first!)
For the water activity lovers, try your hand at sailing, windsurfing, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking or, our personal favourite, book a session on the fantastic Wobbly Water Park!
If you’ve got a head for heights, they have a fantastic climbing tower and the awesome giant swing (pictured here - image courtesy of Scotland Starts Here)
For those who would rather keep their feet on the ground, why not have a go at traditional archery, or go and get involved in a game of Laser Tag.
They have an excellent waterside cafe too so you can go in and grab yourselves some lunch, a hot drink or a snack to keep you going whilst you look out onto the beautiful waters of Loch Ken.
What if it’s raining?
We’ve got you covered (literally) with a great option for a rainy day. Wet weather activities in Dumfries and Galloway are plentiful. As well as the Cream O’ Galloway workshops being held indoors, you could go and check out the fantastic Dark Space Planetarium in Kirkcudbright.
Take a trip to Outer Space
This attraction is a must-see for grown ups and kids alike. One of the jewels in the crown of our designated Dark Skies Park, the Dark Space Planetarium at Kirkcudbright is absolutely fascinating and is well worth a drive down to the Solway coast for a day during your visit.
With a whole host of interactive exhibits, some beautiful displays and space facts to impress even the most ardent Brian Cox fan, this one is not to be missed.
For the stargazers, the budding astronomers, astronauts, rocket scientists and nature lovers, this is a really excellent place to visit. The state of the art planetarium dome immerses the visitor in a full space-age experience you’ll want to do over and over again.
Booking is very much recommended, especially during the holidays as they do have a limited capacity.
And don’t forget, we’ve got some great things to do a little closer to home too…
So many great things, in fact, that we’ve got a whole page dedicated to it. Take a look at our activities page here…
