The Waterhouse is a newly built eco, oak framed timber pole house, supported by square oak posts. A stream runs under the deck and feeds a large pond, a major feature of a series of beautifully planted terraced gardens surrounding the house. Our cottage is not visible from the Waterhouse and high fencing and thick planting of trees, shrubs and climbers, make the site very private and peaceful.

Building on The Waterhouse was started in early 2006 and completed in May 2007. The building is of exceptionally high quality and has been built by our-selves, from our own design and using the skills of local craftsmen. It is nearly all home made, even the doors and windows.

It is surrounded by stunning, undulating countryside, beside a farm track and fields full of sheep and cows in summer months. It is only 3 miles from the coast and woodland and hill walks are minutes away as are a number of lochs

A WARM WELCOME

Holidays here are aimed at natural, peaceful living, eco-friendly, enjoying nature in the gardens as much as possible. The place is a little alternative, but very comfortable.

We hope to share some time with you and offer a complimentary 3 course meal with us in The Cottage Kitchen for guests staying a week. Your choice of night. Menus are available other nights and for guests staying for short breaks,at £15 and £20 for adults. Children half price.

We have not installed a TV in The Waterhouse, to avoid temptation, but the house does have a built in CD stereo system. We will be happy to offer occasional screenings, on request, on our Cinema System.

We want to create an unusual, unique, flexible holiday opportunity that with a second property will become a small, intimate centre we hope you will want to come back to. We do not wish to be a naturist club, and we do not belong to a club. We are open to all and wish to encourage naturist tolerance. 

The Gardens are very well screened and private and recent plantings will shortly make the site even more so. A farm track passes by that gets light traffic, but at present one hundred per cent privacy from farm vehicles is not possible in all of the gardens. The Jacuzzi is very private all year round and most of the site from May to October.  The living room faces south and has double doors and large oak framed glass windows on 2 sides, so it is easily possible to be naked most days indoors if not out, although the decking is a suntrap. A warm eco-friendly wood pellet stove also helps in cooler weather.

We plan to add 2 small properties next year, a wooden ”Wigwam” and a Gypsy caravan. These will both sleep 2, be much cheaper and suit short bookings more. They will add to the sociable, communal atmosphere and help create a mini-centre.

ACCOMMODATION 

The Waterhouse has a double bedroom with a chunky wooden bed and a glass door opening on to the deck. There is a second, small bedroom with built in, comfortable, wide bunk beds for children or agile adults.

The bathroom between bedrooms has a solar heated shower (with mains back up), WC, washbasin and heated towel rail.

The well-appointed kitchen, with gas hob and oven, is part of the open-plan living space, which has wrap around South facing windows overlooking the pond. This has a dining table for 4, a leather sofa and chairs. Large oak framed class double doors open onto a large deck for exclusive use by Waterhouse guests. All furniture is high quality, UK crafted and wooden, like the house.

The deck has tables and chairs where you can eat and relax, sun-loungers and a single hammock, umbrellas and a basic movable barbecue. This leads onto a communal, pond side sundeck with a heated outside jacuzzi that can be used anytime. We find this wonderful in winter months and we think The Waterhouse makes a perfect winter-break as well as Summer holiday, particularly from nearby cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Surprisingly Scottish “midges” and other biting insects are not very common and rarely a problem by the ponds. We spent most summer nights last summer by the waterside with hardly a bite. Perhaps it has something to do with the bats and swallows commonly skimming the surface

Heating is from a wood pellet biomass stove in the living room, which is like a wood burning stove, but with the push button convenience of an electric stove. Small space heaters are fitted in the bedrooms.

CONTENTS

The Waterhouse is fully equipped with cutlery, crockery, glassware, pots and pans, cooker, fridge freezer, electric kettle, toaster, tea towels, vacuum cleaner, smoke detector, and fire extinguisher.

Bed linen and towels are provided as well as a starter pack of basic groceries and cleaning materials.

Available on request- TV, Vacuum cleaner, Iron and board,Micro wave cooker.

ACTIVITIES

Dumfries and Galloway is one of the most outstandingly beautiful, least spoilt and least known parts of Britain. Galloway, in the Southwest of Scotland has a stunning coastline, with many beautiful, secluded, sandy beaches. The Southern Uplands contain breathtaking hills and mountains, with flora and wildlife to match anywhere in the UK.

The local towns and villages are outstanding, with the jewel being the Artists town and fishing port of Kirkcudbright, only 3 miles from us. The food town of Castle Douglas is 7 miles away and is an excellent shopping area for quality food and drink, including Sulwath Brewery that produces award-winning ales. The cultural life is excellent, with regular Music, Arts and Crafts festivals throughout the year.

If you like cycling, we have 2 bicycles for loan, to explore the beautiful surroundings. If tennis is your sport, we can loan rackets and organise use of local courts in Kirkcudbright. If you want a night out, we can arrange reliable childminders or get you concert tickets for the numerous events in the area. Before you come, we will ask about your interests and inform you of what is on offer during your stay. If you are interested in gardens for instance, we can organise visits to outstanding gardens, including those not open to the public. The south west of Scotland contains some of the most beautiful gardens in the country, including the sub-tropical, Port Logan botanic gardens, warmed by the Gulf Stream.

SAFETY

The water in the large pond is up to 2 meters deep and is dangerous to young children. It is not safe to swim in the pond because the pond is fed by a stream that runs through adjoining farmland.

The large deck outside the house will have removable gates installed on request to keep children in.

The deck housing the heated, 4 person Jacuzzi, which is communal, has no gates.

There is outdoor safety lighting.

The entire property is fenced and has large gates, which children would find difficult to open. These are kept closed at all times to keep cows and sheep out of the property.

GENERAL INFORMATION

In keeping with the environmental ethos of The Waterhouse and gardens, the building and contents have been designed to minimise carbon emissions and to be as natural a build as possible. All timber in the building and decks comes from local and/or sustainable sources. The living roof is clad in green sedum to lessen environmental impact on the landscape. The thick insulation is natural Thermafleece, sheep’s wool. Interior paints and varnish are safe and natural green products. The windows have heat reflective glass. To reduce energy use, all light bulbs are low energy and electrical appliances have been kept to a minimum. Water is heated using a solar panel and a bio-mass wood pellet stove is the main source of heat.

Separate bins are provided to Recycle paper, glass and cans and there is a compost heap for organic matter.

There is no telephone or internet connection in The Waterhouse. Reception for mobile phones is poor in the property but gets better as you drive towards town. The house phone can be used in emergencies or for incoming messages.

There is a launderette in Kirkcudbright.

There is disabled access to The Waterhouse, however, the terraced nature of the gardens, makes wheelchair use of the gardens difficult. The large deck is accessible.

The gardens are strongly designed for nature conservation with large numbers of bird species present, and over 100 species of wild flowers and masses of butterflies. It is a dog and cat free zone and as such we ask visitors not to bring pets except by prior arrangement.

Water is from a well with regulation filters.

We look forward to welcoming you here,

Martin and Sharon

1 STOCKERTON COTTAGE [BN]
KIRKCUDBRIGHT
DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY
SCOTLAND
DG6 4XS
Tel: 01557 331266 (Daily between 9am and 7pm)
E-mail: waterhousekbt@aol.com

EVENING MEALS:

3 COURSE MENUS AVAILABLE BY ARRANGEMENT
£20 per adult including complimentary drinks + Bring Your Own Bottle.
£10 for children 5 to 16 years.
Eaten with us in our dining room.