The Outdoor Hotel

The Outdoor Hotel offers a semi-wild glamping stay on a working sheep farm north of Dumfries, rather than pitches for visitors bringing their own tents. Its open-field setting gives the stay a back-to-nature character: you leave the car behind and walk into the farm to reach your bell tent, so wellies or sturdy waterproof boots are worth packing. Toilets are available, the farmhouse shop sells fresh breakfast, and there is a pub down the road. The emphasis is on staying out in the countryside while having your accommodation already in place.

For a local outing with a strong sense of place, Ellisland Museum & Farm at Auldgirth connects the Nith landscape with Robert Burns. He built the farmhouse in 1788 for Jean Armour and their family, and wrote Tam o’ Shanter during his time there. Riverside and woodland paths add an outdoor element to a visit, alongside the farm’s literary history. It makes a useful contrast to a day devoted to longer walks.

Elsewhere in the surrounding area, the Forest of Ae has waymarked routes for different levels of ambition. The three-quarter-mile Ae Naze Trail follows the water on a broad track with gentle rises, while the 3¼-mile Water of Ae Riverside Trail passes beneath Norway spruce and includes some short, fairly steep ramps. These are outings to plan separately from the farm, rather than routes starting at the accommodation.