THE PADDOCK, pet friendly, character holiday cottage in Kirkcowan

The Paddock in Kirkcowan, Wigtownshire sleeps four guests in two bedrooms.

The Paddock is a single-storey property consisting of a kitchen equipped with electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine and dishwasher, and a living/dining room with seating for four guests, TV and electric fire. The bedrooms consist of a king-size and a twin, serviced by a shower room. Outside there is an enclosed rear garden with patio and furniture, and off-road parking is available. Within 0.3 miles, you will find a shop and pub and please note that one well-behaved dog is welcome but sorry, no smoking. WiFi, fuel, power, bed linen and towels are all included in the price. The Paddock is the perfect place to explore all that Scotland has to offer. Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £250.

Amenities: Oil central heating. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher. TV with FreeSat and DVD, WiFi. Fuel and power inc. in rent. Bed linen and towels inc. in rent. Off-road parking available. Enclosed rear garden with patio and furniture. One well-behaved dog welcome. Sorry, no smoking. Shop and pub 0.3 miles

Region: From the lush green farmlands of the Borders to the ruggedness of the Highlands, the Scots are proud of their land and identity. Scotland also has some of Britain’s best beaches with glorious stretches of clean sand over which to roam.

Town: Kirkcowan is a rural village in Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, set in the rolling Galloway countryside at the confluence of two salmon rivers, the Bladnoch and the Tarf. The village is named after a church, or kirk, whose churchyard hosts an interesting collection of headstones dating from the 1700s. In the 1800s, there was a healthy weaving industry here and a water-powered mill to help process the woollen cloth. The village today has a shop, a Post Office, church, children's play area, bowling green, village hall, doctor’s surgery, bicycle hire and the Craighlaw Arms Hotel, a 200-year old coaching inn. The nearby town of Newton Stewart has a sports centre, cinema, museum, library, hospital, supermarkets, shops and restaurants. Popular with walkers and anglers, Kirkcowan is situated on the 25-mile Yellow Cycle Route of the National Cycle Route 7, also making it a good holiday base for cyclists. It is surrounded by a network of quiet lanes, ideal for cycling, and for the more adventurous, it’s just 10 miles from the renowned Seven Stanes mountain biking trails of Galloway Forest Park. The Machars Peninsula has a varied coastline, including coastal grazing marshes and sandy beaches. It incorporates Wigtown, Scotland’s Book Town, as well as ancient Whithorn and its priory. Here you can discover the story of St Ninian who established Whithorn as his base, when he introduced Christianity to Scotland at the end of the 4th century. Wildlife abounds in the area, with opportunities to spot ospreys, red kites, deer and red squirrels, and you can also enjoy stargazing, as some of the darkest skies in Europe can be seen here. With superb walking, cycling and horse riding opportunities to be found across the peninsula, as well as excellent coarse fishing on the nearby Glendarroch Loch, there is much on offer for the visitor to this distinctive and varied part of the country.