When can I check in and check out of The Outdoor Hotel?

Camping and touring Arrive: Anytime – 8 p.m. Depart by: Anytime Read more

The Outdoor Hotel

Wide spaces to stretch out (added by manager 02 Oct 2018)

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Eco-friendly wild camping with free firepits and wood
A couple of minutes' drive from the local village and 20 from Dumfries
Modern amenities: individual cubicles with shower, toilet and sink

This one’s a must for mountain bikers and fans of Robert Burns alike: the Open Gate Campsite is a wild site in the wilds of Scotland, two minutes’ drive from the village of Auldgirth in the county of Dumfries and Galloway. It’s also 20 minutes away from Dumfries and the humble sandstone house where the great Rab wrote many of his finest verses, and within an hour of three of Scotland’s acclaimed 7stanes mountain biking centres. So you can be spouting verse and skidding the slopes in a single day… The team behind The Open Gate keep things simple and relaxed: no manicured lawns or tailored hedge partitions here, just a big wide field to set yourself up in and stretch out. If that stretching should include outdoor feasting around the flames, firepits and logs are supplied free of charge. Continuing the wild but civilised theme, there’s a flotilla of brightly hued wheelbarrows for you to carry kitbags, cooking pots, clarinets, etc down to the field, keeping the site safely and quietly car free. A modern shower block has individual cubicles with a hot shower, compost toilet and sink with cold running water; organic and eco-friendly shower gel is also provided. You’ll be smelling of roses then as you roam into the village where there’s a café and a pub with hot food... If you feel like a pre-dinner ramble, The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, a 30-acre cosmology-inspired sculpture garden is a 10-minute drive or just over an hour’s walk away, but you’ll need to get your timings spot on, as it’s only open one day a year.

Site type

Languages spoken

English

Features

No dogs allowed

Adults only

Campfires allowed

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/unit

Composting toilet

Disabled facilities

Dog park

Drying room

Food shop

Free wifi

Ice pack freezing

Internet access

Launderette

Parent & baby washroom

Pick-up from public transport

Portable toilet

Pub toilets

Public telephone

Shower available

Toilet block

Washing-up area

Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome

Family friendly

Motorcycle friendly

Single-sex groups welcome

Student groups welcome

Rules

Adults only

Barbecue provided

Barbecues allowed

Campfires allowed

Commercial vehicles allowed

Dogs allowed

No dogs allowed

Themes

Peaceful

Wild camping

Utilities

Charging facilities

Chemical disposal

Electric car charging point(s)

Gas cylinders available

Recycling available

Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby

Dog walk nearby

Type

Farm

Small (11-25 pitches)

Nearby leisure

Cycle hire nearby

Cycling nearby

Fishing nearby

Mountain biking nearby

Restaurant nearby

Location

The Outdoor Hotel

Low Auldgirth

Auldgirth

Dumfries

Dumfries and Galloway

Scotland

DG2 0XJ

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

55.16397°N
-3.7034°W

Nearest transport

Coach

7.4 mi Whitesands

14.1 mi Police Station

Rail

7.4 mi Dumfries Rail Station

14.1 mi Lockerbie Rail Station

16.7 mi Sanquhar Rail Station

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

For shops, eateries and ample opportunities for stocking up on high end and locally made knitwear, Dumfries is a 20-minute drive away. Burns pilgrims can pay homage at the poet’s home, his statue and his mausoleum, and take refreshment at his favourite inns, The Hole I’ the Wa’ and The Globe, while walking the five-mile Burns Trail. For trails of the mountain biking kind, the rough country 7stanes courses of Mabie and Dalbeattie are half an hour away and it’s an hour to the Forest of Ae. If you’re in search of walks and wildlife, take a trip to Talnotry in Galloway Forest Park, combining rambles with meeting the herds on the Red Deer Range and Wild Goat Park, an hour from base. Also an hour away, various paths around the Grey Mare’s Tail Nature Reserve are where you can meet feral goats, spot kestrels and eagles, and stop off at Britain’s fifth-highest waterfall. Seeking further watery exploits? It's just under an hour to Loch Ken and the Galloway Activity Centre where you can combine laser tag and archery with windsurfing, kayaking and waterslides, then finish off with zipwire rides at height.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Sandyhills	19.7 mi	Sea	N/A	N/A	Poor	Poor
Southerness	20.4 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Excellent
Rockcliffe	21.1 mi	Estuary	N/A	Poor	Poor	Poor
Dhoon Bay	28.5 mi	Estuary	N/A	Poor	Poor	Poor
Allonby	29.4 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Good

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Robert Burns Centre 7.5 mi

John Paul Jones Cottage Museum & Visitor Centre 19.1 mi

World Famous Old Blacksmith's Shop Centre 27.6 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

In The Forest of Ae 4.5 mi

The Glenkiln Sculptures 7 mi

Around Dumfries 7.5 mi

Through the Woods to Morton Castle 7.5 mi

Drumlanrig Country Park 8.7 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

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Does The Outdoor Hotel have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is The Outdoor Hotel dog friendly? No View all features
What attractions are near The Outdoor Hotel? For shops, eateries and ample opportunities for stocking up on high end and locally made knitwear, Dumfries is a 20-minute drive away. Burns pilgrims can pay homage at the poet’s home, his … Read more
When can I check in and check out of The Outdoor Hotel?

Camping and touring

Arrive: Anytime – 8 p.m.

Depart by: Anytime

Read more