Kippford, a beautiful village only 15 minutes stroll down the hill, consists of a waterside street of very pretty granite & whitewashed houses, a sailing goods shop, a yacht club, two lovely pubs and a craft shop. The local pottery, golf course, seasonal tearoom and grocery are adjacent to the park.
At the end of the village are two beautiful sand, shell & pebble beaches, sheltered by rock outcrops. One looks up the estuary towards the village, the other has a stunning view over the outer bay and islands, and is often used for fishing on the rising tide. There is also a footpath which leads although along the coastline to Rockcliffe.
There is no more pleasurable place to spend the evening than watching the sun go down over the yachts, admiring the surrounding hills, and enjoying a quiet drink
Pubs
Anchor Hotel, Kippford
A pleasant hotel on the waterfront with wonderful views over the estuary to Screel and bengairn Hills beyond. Food is served inside and also outside when fine. Open daily from 11am. There's a wide selection of local real ales, and a recently refurbished eating area. The newly extended menu includes more fish dishes.
www.anchorhotelkippford.co.uk
The Mariner Hotel, Kippford
On the estuary. Bar and restaurant meals. Beer garden. Real ales.
www.dalbeattie.com/mariner/index.html
Beaches
Kippford has shell and shingle beaches at the end of a quiet coastal walkway and Rockcliffe, which is just a short walk along a coastal footpath from Kippford has a gentle shelving sandy beach with access to the remains of a Dark Iron Age Fort and Rough Island.
More details on our Beaches Page...
Walks
Our ‘Activities' leaflet details the three main walking areas around the Park, however without leaving our own land you can enjoy a 600 metre woodland walk (dogs permitted off a lead). Walking through our lovely woods you may see our breeding population of Red Squirrels. From the top of our ‘Doon' hill you have views over 10% of the length of Britain, from 50 miles to the south over the Solway Firth into the Lake District hills, and 30 miles north into the Galloway Hills!
Click Here to download our activities leaflet
Kippford & Rockcliffe a forest and coastal walking area. The round trip takes around 1 ½ to 2 hours and offers wonderful views, including the ‘Muckle' and ‘Mote of Mark' a 5th centaury hill fort with marvellous views of the ‘Rough Firth'!
[Route Map]
Dalbeattie Forest highly regarded by walkers and cyclists alike, this is one of the ‘Seven Stanes', Southern Scotland's famous forest areas. It is continually being upgraded by Forest Enterprise and has a large selection of walks with many fine views, commencing just 300 meters from the Park entrance.
Mountain Biking
Dalbeattie Forest now boasts a world class Mountain Bike Track, part of the 7 Stanes. There are several levels ranging from easy to hard, these commence 300m from our front gate.
