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Deer me! Wildlife watchers, walkers and small folk will find this roomy woodland Dumfries and Galloways park a right tonic for tired souls: pods, waterside pitches, fishing in the mill pond…and scores of species to spot including deer, foxes, red squirrels and over a hundred species of bird (some are rare, so don’t get twitchy if you don’t see them all).
Surrounded by a working farm and almost 300 acres of wooded parkland, Barnsoul Caravan Park has woodland paths and trails for the determined nature spotter; kids can get in on the action too by using the park’s Wildlife Spotter and Barnsoul Trail activity sheets. (Make it a condition that they have to fill in the sheets before you let them loose on the Big Wood natural playground: it’ll give them a nice dollop of motivation.)
Take your pick from a tent pitch overlooking the pond, an electric pitch for your wheels, or some restful accommodation already there when you arrive: Barnsoul has a family camping pod with fishing pond views and heated pods overlooking the Old Water Valley and with picnic bench, fridge, toaster and kettle (just bring your sleeping bag). The pods each come with their own firepit and disposable barbecues are allowed in the camping fields: just ask on-site wardens Rita or Brian for blocks to keep barbecues off the grass.
Facilities are restful too: a brand new campers’ kitchen; picnic benches; shower block with individual cubicles, vanity unit and free hot water; chemical loo disposal points; a launderette and an outside drying area.
Still too much energy from the junior campers? Barnsoul is only six miles from Dumfries and within easy driving distance of the 7Stanes mountain bike centres. Grownups might also like to know that the park is four miles from Crocketford with a village shop and two hotels for meals, and that there’s a Tesco and a Morrisons in Dumfries.
Site type
Languages spoken
✓ English
Within 30 – 40 minutes of Barnsoul Caravan Park there are enough options for even the pickiest or most energetic camper: bike trails, farm parks, watersports, adventure sports, castles, gardens, and – what we always like to see – a chocolate factory complete with children's chocolate workshops, the CocoaBean.
Dalscone Farm Fun and Mabie Farm Park are both within 15—20 minutes’ drive of Barnsoul and have the expected farm animals as well as play areas and trampolines; we like the sound of the quad bikes at Mabie…Also in the area there’s the Cream o’ Galloway Visitor Centre: if you think that sounds ice cream-like, you’d be spot on: this is a visitor centre dedicated to the award-winning local ice cream and has an ice cream experience (eating it is ours), farm tours, adventure playground and more quad bikes. Shurely that’ll tire the little devils out…
If not, the Galloway Activity Centre and the Laggan Outdoor Centre have watersports, grass sledging, waterballing and a wealth more energetic activities, and are both within 35 – 40 minutes’ drive (or make ‘em walk).
More sedate and grownup activities can be had with trips to the nature reserve and fourteenth century Threave Castle with its accompanying house and gardens, or mooching round the market towns of Castle Douglas, Annan and Kirkcudbright. Ospreys are spottable in summer from the five bird hides at Threave and shops, pubs and visitor attractions are spottable in the market towns all year round. Castle Douglas is a famous foodie village if you haven’t yet filled up on ice cream, with about fifty businesses involved in the local trade.
Dumfries and Galloway is full of nature as well as good food: once you’ve got the kids to fill in their activity sheets at Barnsoul, take them into the wild at Galloway Forest Park or to the RSPB reserve at the Mull of Galloway. If you don’t see any at Barnsoul, the Galloway Red Kite Trail around Loch Ken is one to take your binoculars to.
And we haven’t even mentioned the mountain biking yet…There are five of the 7stanes trails in Dumfries and Galloway and more trails at Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate. We recommend not doing these full of chocolate or Galloway ice cream.
Water quality at nearby bathing waters
| Distance | Type | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandyhills Sandyhills, Dumfries & Galloway |
13.9m | Sea | Good | Poor | Good | Good |
| Rockcliffe Rockcliffe, Dumfries & Galloway |
15.0m | Estuary | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Southerness Southerness, Dumfries & Galloway |
15.4m | Sea | Good | Good | Good | Excellent |
Must see
- Robert Burns Centre (5.6 miles)
- John Paul Jones Cottage Museum & Visitor Centre (14.4 miles)
- World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop Centre (27.9 miles)
Cycle routes
Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.
Other
- The Glenkiln Sculptures (2.6 miles)
- Around Dumfries (5.6 miles)
- Mabie Forest: Lochaber Trail (5.9 miles)
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Staying in: |
| 9.4 |
Overall rating based on 26 reviews |
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Rating distribution
100% would recommend this site to a friend. 96% would stay here again. |
More ratings
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| Sorted by stay date (latest first). | |
Another Fab Trip!! 17 Sep 2014 missypook (Family with young children, 3 reviews, 1 photo) Confirmed
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From the manager...
Thanks for the 10/10 review! Glad you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you back again soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for the great 10/10 review! We are happy you had a great stay at Barnsoul and hope to see you again soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for taking the time to review Barnsoul. We hope to see you back again soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for the 10/10 review! Glad you had an enjoyable stay and we hope you visit us again in the future :-) |
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Awesome!!!! 25 Aug 2014 missypook (Family with young children, 3 reviews, 1 photo) Confirmed
From the manager...
Thank you for writing this lovely review! We are glad you had a great stay at Barnsoul and the kids enjoyed themselves. We hope to see you again soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for reviewing Barnsoul Caravan Park. Sorry we couldn't make the sun shine during your stay, if we could we would! Hope to see you back again soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for a great 10/10 review! We hope to see you again soon |
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From the manager...
Thanks for taking the time to write this review! We are glad you had a great stay at Barnsoul. Sorry you disliked the darkness of the tent field, however we like to keep the light pollution to a minimum so you can all see the great night sky. We have one of the darkest skies in Europe which led to the UKs first dark sky park at the Galloway Forest Park only a short drive away. Thanks again and we hope to see you soon :-) |
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From the manager...
Thanks for the review! We are glad you liked the park and we hope to see you again soon :-) |
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Alas, no reviews for your selected filters. But reviews are brilliant - they help thousands of other people to find the right holiday. Be bold, be the first to review this site. It only takes a minute.
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
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
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
Hard standings
Seasonal pitches
Tourer storage facilities
Rules
Barbecues allowed
Campfires allowed
Commercial vehicles allowed
Dogs allowed
Dogs allowed all year
Themes
Budget/backpacker
Forest
Leave the car at home
Peaceful
Spectacular scenery
Walkers' paradise
Wildlife haven
Nearby leisure
Canoeing/kayaking 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
Tennis nearby
Watersports 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
Camping pods
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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Dumfries: Whitesands Coach Stop — 5.6mi
Castle Douglas: Carlingwark Street Coach Stop — 12.2mi
Lockerbie Coach Stop — 16.1mi
- Train stations
-
Dumfries Rail Station — 6.0mi
Lockerbie Rail Station — 16.2mi
Annan Rail Station — 20.7mi
- Ferry ports
- Nichol End (Derwentwater) Ferry Landing — 41.2mi
- Airports
- Glasgow Prestwick International Airport — 45.0mi
Please do not follow directions from your satnav by using this postcode as it takes you on a very narrow, windy road.
Coming from north, east or south
From the A74(M), follow all road signs to Dumfries. Once at Dumfries, follow the ring road and continue towards Stranraer on the A75. Heading out of Dumfries, keep on the A75 for approximately four miles.
When you will see a sign for Shawhead take this turning to the right off the A75 and follow the road. You will pass the primary school on your left; carry on up to a T-junction. Turn right. Follow this road for approximately 50 yards and turn left. Follow this road over a small bridge, and continue for about a mile up to our entrance on the left.
Coming from west
Follow the A75 to Dumfries. Once through a village called Crocketford, continue for approximately 2.5 miles then come off the A75, by taking the turning for Shawhead (there will be a snack van on your right, on the A75).
Follow the road towards Shawhead. You will pass the primary school on your left; carry on up to a T-junction. Turn right. Follow this road for approximately 50 yards and turn left. Follow this road over a small bridge, and continue for about a mile up to our entrance on the left.
Permitted arrival/departure time
| Camping and touring | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arrive: | 3 p.m. – | 10 p.m. |
| Depart: | 11 a.m. | |
| On-site accommodation | ||
| Arrive: | 3 p.m. – | 10 p.m. |
| Depart: | 11 a.m. | |
From 3pm
Cancellation policy
No refunds within 4 weeks of arrival date.
Please note that your deposit is paid to Pitchup.com and is non-refundable.
Payment of balance
The balance is due 4 weeks before arrival, or if the arrival date is sooner than 4 weeks then the balance should be paid as soon as possible.
Barnsoul Caravan Park will contact you to arrange payment.
Payment methods accepted on the park
MaestroMasterCard
Visa
Terms and conditions
Site booking terms and conditionsCheck availability at Barnsoul Caravan Park…
Max. persons: 2x
Dimensions: Max 2.0m x 3.0m (6.6ft x 9.8ft)
Ground type: Grass
Our tent field sits in an elevated position looking onto the mill pond and the Big Wood.
Max. persons: unlimited
Dimensions: Maximum 21ft in length
Ground type: Hardstanding
Vehicle must not exceed 21ft in length, no width restriction.
Max. persons: 6x
Dimensions: unlimited
Ground type: Grass
Max. persons: 4x
Apex pods with foam single mattresses. Layout can be modified to sleep different combinations (one platform, a double and two singles). Please bring your own sleeping bags, towels and camping equipment.
Apex pods are provided with lights, heater, fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave. Each pod has its own firepit allowing you to cosy up at your own campfire.
Our visitors can fish for free in the pond - the perfect opportunity to catch your dinner?
| Max. persons | 4 x |
| Features | |
| Car | 1 included |
| Fridge | 1 included |
| Firepit | yes |
| Heating | yes |
| Kettle | yes |
| Microwave | yes |
| Extras | |
| Extra car (1 max) | £2/€2.54/AU$3.67/$3.22 per night |
| Dog (2 max) | £1/€1.27/AU$1.84/$1.61 per night |
Max. persons: 4x
Dimensions: 2.4m x 4.2m (7.9ft x 13.8ft)
Our fabulous new Little Lodges are a big hit with our customers and complete with separate Bunk bed sleeping area for the kids.
Complete with fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave.
With open views to our fishing pond and the countryside.
| Max. persons | 4 x |
| Dimensions |
2.4m x 4.2m (7.9ft x 13.8ft) |
| Features | |
| Car | 1 included |
| Fridge | 1 included |
| Car parking by pitch | yes |
| Firepit | yes |
| Gas and electricity included | yes |
| Heating | yes |
| Kettle | yes |
| Microwave | yes |
| Outdoor furniture | yes |
| Toaster | yes |
| More… | |
| Extras | |
| Dog (unlimited) | £1/€1.27/AU$1.84/$1.61 per night |
| Extra car (1 max) | £2/€2.54/AU$3.67/$3.22 per night |
Thanks for the review! Glad you had a fab trip and we hope to see you again soon :-)