Hello, woofly to meet you. For those of you who don’t already know me I am Abii Doodle, some would say the spoilt Labradoodle from Kirklauchline Cottage, I would say the boss around here!
I decided to take over from Mum and write this blog for all my four legged K9 friends (she has lost her inspiration at the moment and is too busy looking after those feathered things and those darn cats!).
We accepted dogs at Kirklauchline cottage right from the start of self catering holiday letting, at my insistence, of course! Since then we have had lots of dogs staying with us enjoying all the things here, in the Rhins of Galloway that I can enjoy everyday. We have had big dogs, small dogs, fluffy dogs, skinny dogs, old dogs and even Labradoodles!
We moved here from Yorkshire 2 years ago and I lead a very different life now, it is so different to living in a busy city.
Before we moved here we used to visit the area as much as we could and love this part of Scotland. I will be 7 years old at Christmas by the way and have spent most of my doggy life between Yorkshire and Scotland, I travel well and have the whole of the back seat of the car to myself.
So here is my official guide to places to visit, run, splash, bark, enjoy, chew bones and relax around Portpatrick and the Rhins of Galloway.
Beaches – Where do I start! I am so lucky to live here with so many wonderful beaches right on the doorstep. The beach at Ardwell Bay is 5 miles away from Kirklauchline cottage. Down a bit of a bumpy track to the car park. Once you arrive there you can park up and head out of the car, across the dunes and onto the golden sand. The beach there is huge, sandy, soft and quiet. There’s hardly ever anyone else there so it is a fantastic place to run and dip into the surf. For those of you who know me well you will know I don’t do water! Water is for drinking and that’s it! I have seen some K9 friends in the Sea there, having a great time swimming around. I would love to join them but just can’t bring myself to take the plunge! 
Sandhead beach is a vast beach, of around 7 miles it is a great place to run and splash afterwards mum and dad can enjoy lunch or a drink at The Tigh na Mara, where I am allowed in the public bar or can sit “Al fresco” in the garden at the back. There’s also a shop and post office in the village so if your significant humans forget any of your treats they can stock up on Bonio whilst they are there!
Not far from there is Port Logan, another of my favourites. That beach is massive and I mean massive, lots of golden sand and lots of places to run. Afterwards your humans can visit the fish at the unique Logan Fish Pond. Doggy friends have to wait outside, you don’t want your nose biting off by a huge cod do you!
Larbrax and Killantringan beach are near Portpatrick and as soon as we head down the farm track I start to get so excited as I know where we are heading. When the tide is out this beach is bigger than massive it’s huge and woofly gorgeous! Such a doggy paradise. Each time I go to that beach I come home with a ball! I find tennis balls, footballs, rubber balls, all sorts! They must wash up from Ireland. I love that beach. Sometimes mum and dad take a flask of soup down there and sit on the rocks, we have a lovely time. 
There are so many others, far too many to name them all. Mum has a map in Kirklauchline cottage and she has drawn an arrow on each beach. No restrictions here at any time of the year. No dog free beach zones. It is Doggy paradise.
Gardens – In the Rhins of Galloway there are six gardens. K9 friends are allowed, on a lead, to Ardwell Gardens, Castle Kennedy Gardens and Glenwhan Gardens. Ardwell has a great walk around the pond, with lots of wildlife to see and lovely views. A handy tip though, beware the grass! I got swallowed up by the grass the last time I went there and ended up shoulder deep in the small pond, dad had to rescue me and all mum could do was laugh! She had a lot of making up to do! Castle Kennedy has miles and miles of walks and as long as I’m on the lead I can enjoy it with mum and dad too and enjoy drinks and cake after our walk – yummy. 
Some local places to eat also allow dogs. In Portpatrick dogs are welcome in The Crown, they serve great food, have hand pulled beer and a lovely log fire (our latest doggy guest enjoyed eating crisps in there so I hear!). They even provide dogs with a bowl of fresh water. For those who prefer the fresh air there’s lots of seating outside too, right opposite the sea. The Waterfront also welcomes Dogs in the bar and their outdoor seating area also with a bowl of fresh water. 
The Mount Stewart has a lovely Log burning fire and is happy to accept well behaved dogs. They have a lovely elevated outdoor seating area too where you can look down across the village and the sea. Great food and local beer and a fresh bowl of water. My friend , Fudge, went there at Christmas and was given a huge bowl of Turkey trimmimgs!
Walks, lots of them. I’m shattered some days! Theres lots of coastal walks- the start of the Southern Upland way is in Portpatrick and there are some lovely bays along the way. Dogs need to be kept on the lead but there’s so much to see and to breath in the fresh air. Dunskey Glen walk is another great walk from Dunskey farm and also the walk up the steep cliff side up to Dunskey castle is well worth a visit. There are great walks around the Mull of Galloway and RSPB reserve too. Drummore to Maryport walk along the coast path via Cailiness Point is worth a visit. You park beyond the coastguard cottages at Drummore, walk on the path or along the beach, the sands at low tide are doggytastic.
From the doorstep at Kirklauchline there is one of my favourite walks – it is around 1.6 miles and is a circular walk door to door. Mum keeps me on the lead until we are passed the fields with the cows in but then after that I can run. Part of the walk is on the road (no traffic I might add) so I am on the lead for that bit too. I sometimes go on that walk with my friends Razzle and Fleck, springer Spaniels that live close by.
There’s a pet shop in Stranraer that sells all sorts of doggy treats – food, treats, toys, coats, leads, anything really. If you fancy a new jazzy collar that’s the place to go! another one opens for business this weekend too – , visit them too on Facebook.
The Vets in Stranraer are very good. I always get very nervous when I go there but they always give me Gravy Bones so it’s worth it! I once had to go on Christmas day as I was poorly and they sorted me out and made me feel better, I slept all day, a bit like dad after his dinner and drinks!
At Kirklauchline cottage we cater well for dogs we have a bath in the shed to wash dirty sandy feet!
We leave a bowl of fresh drinking water for new arrivals and have a supply of poo bags. Dogs do need to bring their own beds, towels and toys, I draw the line at sharing mine. Our garden is fully secure and enclosed, as long as you close the gates, and the decking is a relaxing place to chill out after a hard day walking and splashing about. Then the log burner inside is just amazing, get dad to light it as the sun goes down and dogs make sure you get prime position right in front of it, you wont be disappointed!
Finally there is a new Dog walking and boarding service opened at Kirklauchline Croft, just across the field from here (relocated from Blackpool). If anyone fancies bringing their dog on holiday but needs their dog looking after for some of the time during the holiday then please contact Lehla at Happy Paws to arrange this. Perhaps your dog is a little bit older and can’t manage all the miles of coastal walks on offer here. Let them relax with Lehla instead. is also on Facebook so please visit their page and see their great pictures and posts. 
Hope you enjoyed my first ever doggy blog and remember you can follow me on twitter or mum is and on facebook we are also .
So pooches give your owners a nudge, point them towards my blog and tell them you want to run on unrestricted beaches here in the Rhins of Galloway so they must pander to your every need and bring you on holiday. Visit us here in South West scotland and surPAWs yourself!
Our latest guests said “as long as your dog is well behaved and under your control, you’re welcome in most places – very nice too”.
Anyway, snooze time for me now and I will leave you with some pictures of my Doggy friends who have visited Kirklauchline Cottage.
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