Here’s an interesting factoid with which to flummox your friends: it wasn’t just famous seaside resorts like Brighton and Bournemouth where well-to-do Victorian types hung out for their hols. Oh no. They sallied north as well, to the gorgeous coastline of Rockcliffe in Dumfries and Galloway for its warm climate, wealth of walks and unsullied scenery. Jolly sensible of them, we say, and something of which even fierce social critic Charles Dickens might have approved.
Twenty-first century sorts seeking the same high standards should sally forth to Rockcliffe’s Castle Point Caravan Site, set a short stroll from the sea and within easy ambling distance of three sandy beaches – and with some of the best views in the area. Which for Scotland is saying quite a lot...
Lovers of luxury can bed down in a deluxe and fully-equipped holiday home with those sea views; pets are welcome in some designated caravans. Meanwhile, tent and tourer types can have an electric grass pitch with access to Wifi, hot water and showers included in the price: as with the holiday homes, tent and tourer pitches come with sweeping scenery as standard.
Elsewhere at Castle Point, you’ll find a laundry room with washing machines and dryers, washing up areas, a lockable bike shed, a play area for the kids and a BBQ area with seating. For provisions, there’s a well-stocked food shop about a mile away at Colvend and a couple of small supermarkets in Dalbeattie around six miles away.
Nearby attractions and activities
Walking and wildlife are the order of the day here: clamber along the cliffs from Castle Point to Rockcliffe and along the Jubilee Path up the Muckle Knowe; you can also walk along the causeway at low tide from Kippford to Rough Island and its bird sanctuary or take to the hills at Screel, Bengairn and beyond. To be even more strenuous than Scottish hill-walking, follow the signposted trail from Rockcliffe village and climb the Motte of Mark for some stunning views over the Urr estuary and beyond to the Lake District and the Isle of Man.
As for wildlife, the area is full of species to stare at, including butterflies, bluebells and summer swallows, with Dumfries and Galloway an all-round nature haven: try the Galloway Red Kite Trail, stamping around with the stags at the Galloway Forest Park, looking for small critters in the beach rockpools or seeing the seabirds from the RSPB centre at the Mull of Galloway. Remember to flummox your friends with another Random Rockcliffe Fact: a very rare species of ladybird was discovered here in 2011, named Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata after the 24 spots on its wings – bonus points if you can say that very quickly.
If you prefer two wheels rather than two feet, Castle Point is close to the 7stanes, the seven mountain biking trails across the south of Scotland and there are numerous cycle trails nearby. Other active options in the area include pony trekking, fishing, sailing and tennis – Kippford is a well-known sailing centre and there are watersports, archery and other activities at Galloway Activity Centre and the Laggan Outdoor Centre. There are several 9 and 18-hole golf courses within reach too, with the closest at Colvend Golf Club on the Solway Coast.
After all that activity, relax and fill up with the many flavours of fresh Dumfries and Galloway produce: have a wander around the foodie village of Castle Douglas or stock up on the famous Cream of Galloway ice-cream near the village – there’s an ice-cream factory here with an indoor activity centre for rainy days.
Attractions near Castle Point Caravan Site
Must see
- John Paul Jones Cottage Museum & Visitor Centre (8.6 miles)
- Robert Burns Centre (16.4 miles)
- Mirehouse Historic House and Gardens (27.9 miles)
National Trust
- Wordsworth House and Garden (21.1 miles)
- Buttermere and Ennerdale (24.8 miles)
Cycle routes
Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.
Activities near Castle Point Caravan Site
Rockcliffe - Loch Barean - Portling - Rockcliffe (0.9 miles) Walking
Rockcliffe to Port o' Warren (0.9 miles) Walking
Rockcliffe (1.0 miles) Beaches
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quiet and relaxing clean and friendly Michelle_N (Young couple, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: We are a young couple staying in our own motorhome. Very quiet, nice walks, shower and toilet area were immaculate. Owners very friendly. Disliked: If we were to take our kids there is not very much for them. |
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Lovely site access road could be better not all pitches have views William D. (Mature couple, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: the location lovely walks down to the Solway- the fact that dogs are welcome - very little noise later at night - showers adequate Disliked: pitch was not 'hardstanding' - a bit tricky moving off after a very wet Saturday. Would have liked a noticeboard giving information of events in the locality/bus timetables etc. not all pitches have a view |
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cant wait to go back howatss (Young couple, 1 review, 0 photos)
Liked: campsite was so clean ad tidy, plenty of walks ad trails for the dogs as well.everyoe was so friendly i ad around the park. Disliked: nothing |
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Lovely site well positioned and clean as a whistle Brian H. (Family with young children, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: everything Disliked: nothing |
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Liked: The location and the helpfulness of the organisers Disliked: Only the rain!!1 |
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What a lovely site with great access to the beach Mike M. (Family with older children, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: The warden was really helpful especially as we turned up on the wrong day, she still found us a spot. Disliked: There was nothing we disliked |
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good quiet site,brilliant for walking,fishing,cycling etc. alan d. (Family with older children, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: enjoyed the views,quietness,chilling out..beach not too far away. Disliked: in heavy rain the pitch became a torrent of water. seemed like a river was coming through the tent. only 2 showers for the tent pitches,quite busy in the evenings. |
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A lovely site will return bernadette_h (Mature couple, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: The site situation, toilets and showers clean and always plenty hot water. Rockcliff beach, the walk to the lovely pub Anchor Hotel food was lush. Disliked: The wet weather ! but dont we all love the sun. |
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Excellent scott h. (Mature couple, 1 review, 0 photos) Confirmed ?
Liked: Area, pitch, scenery,friendly owners, clean toilets etc. Super showers. Disliked: Drizzle (only a wee bit) |
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Leisure on site
Bar or club house
Cycle hire
Evening entertainment
Fishing
Fitness centre
Games room
Indoor swimming pool
Kids' club
On-site restaurant/cafe
Outdoor swimming pool
Play area
TV room
Take away
Tennis
Watersports
Amenities on site
Bath available
Car parking by pitch
Disabled facilities
Drying room
Food shop
Free wifi
Ice pack freezing
Internet access
Launderette
Parent & baby washroom
Pick-up from public transport
Public telephone
Shower available
Tents for hire
Toilet block
Washing-up area
Wifi
Utilities
Charging facilities
Chemical disposal
Gas cylinders available
Recycling available
Renewable energy
Touring and motorhomes
Electrical hook-up points for tourers
Seasonal pitches
Tourer storage facilities
Max. motorhome length: 9.0 metresRules
Campfires allowed
Commercial vehicles allowed
Dogs allowed
Dogs allowed all year
Themes
Peaceful
Spectacular scenery
Walkers' paradise
Nearby leisure
Climbing nearby
Cycle hire nearby
Cycling nearby
Fishing nearby
Golf nearby
Horse riding nearby
Indoor pool nearby
Leisure/theme park nearby
Mountain biking nearby
Restaurant nearby
Sailing nearby
Tennis nearby
Groups welcome
D. of E. welcome
Family friendly
Motorcycle friendly
Rallies welcome
Single-sex groups welcome
Student groups welcome
Nearby amenities
Bar nearby
Public transport nearby
Shop nearby
Type
Medium (26-50 pitches)
Camping 2.0
Jumbo tent pitches
Ordnance Survey maps (GB and Northern Ireland only) are available at lower levels via the drop-down menu.
Nearest transport
- Coach stations
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Castle Douglas: Carlingwark Street Coach Stop — 8.3mi
Twynholm (Dumfries & Galloway): Coach Stop — 12.6mi
Maryport: Curzon Street Coach Stop — 15.1mi
- Train stations
-
Maryport Rail Station — 15.2mi
Flimby Rail Station — 15.4mi
Workington Rail Station — 16.9mi
- Ferry ports
- Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing — 30.9mi
- Airports
- Glasgow Prestwick International Airport — 56.0mi
Directions
Either follow the A711 to Dalbeattie and then the A710 to Rockcliffe (recommended if you have a caravan) or the A710 from Dumfries for a mores scenic trip. Follow the signs to Rockcliffe. At the brow of the hill just as you pass the Rockcliffe sign, turn left down Barcloy Road. Follow the road straight onto the farm road. The entrance to the caravan site is in the farm yard.
Permitted arrival time
After 12.00 noon. If after 8.00pm please ring the warden.
Cancellation policy
We encourage visitors to use cancellation insurance.
Cancellations earlier than 6 weeks will incur no penalty except for loss of your deposit to Pitchup.
Within six weeks, a refund that reduces with notice given (to zero if less than two weeks) is available. However, if another customer makes a booking for the period in question a larger refund will be made. The campsite will endeavour to be fair.
Please note that your deposit paid to Pitchup.com is non-refundable.
Payment of balance
Balance payment in cash on arrival.
Cards accepted on the park
None.
Terms and conditions
Site booking terms and conditionsPlease note
For hire caravans there must be at least one person over 21. We do not accept parties of under 21 year-olds in our caravans.
Check availability at Castle Point Caravan Site…
Grass 10m x 10m grass pitch including 16-amp electric, with excellent views. Hot water, showers, wifi hotspot, access to drying area and lock-up bicycle shed are included in the price. Also includes access to picnic tables, barbecue, dish-washing area, laundry and disabled toilet. Please note that this pitch is not ...
Max. persons: unlimited
Grass 10m x 10m grass pitch including 16-amp electric, with excellent views. Hot water, showers, wifi hotspot and lock-up bicycle shed are included in the price. Also includes access to dish-washing area, laundry and disabled toilet.
Max. persons: unlimited
Grass 10m x 10m grass pitch including 16-amp electric, with excellent views. Hot water, showers, wifi hotspot and lock-up bicycle shed are included in the price. Also includes access to dish-washing area, laundry and disabled toilet.
Max. persons: unlimited
Fully equipped high-quality six-berth caravan with sea views, balcony, table and chairs, refrigerator, shower, toilet, heating, HD TV, DVD, hob, microwave and well equipped kitchen. Caravan is six berth (one double bedroom, one twin bed room, and a double fold out bed in living area) with access to free wifi ...
Max. persons: 6x
Fully equipped six-berth caravan with sea views, balcony, table and chairs, shower, toilet, heating, HD TV, DVD, microwave, double glazing, extra insulation. Caravan is six berth (one double bedroom, one twin bed room, and a double fold out bed in living area) with access to free wifi hotspot. Bedding is ...
Max. persons: 6x
This is very unusual. We certainly empathise and would refund to anyone if it were ever to happen again. The sustained bad weather (more rain fell this summer than any other in recorded history according to the Met Office) aggravated by another period of heavy rain resulted in part of the ground being very wet. Wetter than anyone on the site can remember. We do not expect it to happen again but just in case plans to circumvent the problem are being made. In this case we could have offered a different pitch when it deteriorated.
We should have made it clear to our customer that there are in fact 4 more showers a short walk away (near the laundry and WiFi hotspot). There is also a new one being built in the block mentioned.