Why choose Low Craiglemine for your holiday?

ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS Foreign holidays may seem comparatively cheap just now, but in truth they cost the Earth - 2,415 kilograms of polluting carbon dioxide, for example, as your plane wings its way to Disneyland. More caring people are looking for an eco-holiday close to home. So - how about a week on an organic farm in the lovely Machars of unspoilt South West Scotland? At Low Craiglemine farm a 300 year old stone cottage with its own enclosed garden could be your base for exploring cairns, cup and ring marked stones, standing stones and stone circles; for bird-watching on the nearby cliffs, the wide mudflats of the estuary, or the ancient oak woods at the Cree Nature reserve; for browsing through the second-hand book-shops at Wigtown, Scotland's National Booktown; for visiting the local theatre, castles, gardens (produce for sale 1.5 miles over the fields), museums; for walking coastal paths and the Pilgrims' Way; for drawing/painting with the special clarity of Scottish light, cycling the peaceful peninsular lanes or sailing from the Isle of Whithorn... Or you might become absorbed into the changing cycle of activities on a working organic farm. Kirsty and Andy Hurst tend sheep and cows on their 130 acres (as well as Sapphire the Dexter cow, who stands about waist high, with her charming calf, Amber). Bees, goats, the goose, hens, cats and Nell, the sheep-dog all interact to keep harmony with-in the flow. As part of their commitment to the regeneration of the environment, Kirsty and Andy have planted over 8,000 native trees. On-going restoration of ponds and hedgerows also enhances the bio-diversity of the land. Andy's environmental ethos informs his other enterprise also - a sawmill, Galloway Timber, that uses local native hardwoods, rather than imported timbers. The flooring in the self-catering cottage and the restored shepherd's bothy comes from Andy's sawmill, and he made the garden furniture at which you can enjoy your picnic tea. You'll find their three teenage children active about the farm most days - Rowan may be caring for her pet calf; Cairn may be turning wood on his lathe in the workshop; while Kyle will be off sailing any chance he gets.Sea breezes keep Low Craiglemine midge-free, and you can wander at will down to the seashore or over the low green gorse-bright hills. Best of all you can step out of your front door at night and see a wide sky-full of stars, then sleep easy, knowing your eco-holiday is helping rather than harming our fragile Earth.