Tig Cottage is nestled in the heart of the River Stinchar Valley, in the lea of Knockdolian, only three miles from the historic seaside village of Ballantrae.
Tig Cottage is in the Galloway and South Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, and there's plenty of tourist attractions, whether your interest is history, nature or just finding time and space to relax and recharge.
Explore the beauty of nature near Tig Cottage
The Water of Tig is a tributary of the River Stinchar, flowing through a gorge at the bottom of the garden. Listen carefully, and you'll hear the river singing you to sleep at night.
Knockdolian is the large hill that is visible from many parts of the Stinchar Valley. Hiking up its 870 feet on a clear day rewards you with views across the countryside and all the way over to the Irish Coast.
The wild, untamed coast at Ballantrae, shaped by the Southern Upland fault, has been the site of shipwrecks and smuggling exploits and is home to many different seabirds as well as being a site of special scientific interest.
Towns and villages to visit on your holiday
Ballantrae village has been visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson...and can now be visited by you! Small and beautiful, with the ruins of Arstinchar castle dominating the far end of the village, it's also home to the nearest garage and shop.
Girvan is the nearest large town with a supermarket and hospital. It has a busy harbour that has a variety of interesting boats as well as the RNLI lifeboat. Trips out to Ailsa Craig can be taken from the harbour, and there is a beautiful sandy beach classed as one of the top ten in Scotland. Many businesses in Girvan are "dog friendly". With a leisure centre, outdoor boating lake, and historic "Stumpy Tower" it's a more populous location that most guests to Tig Cottage visit at some point. Girvan is revamping it's tourism profile, and more can be found at www.gogirvan.com
Newton Stewart is just over the border in Dumfries and Galloway. A pretty, historic market town, it has a variety of high street shops and boutique arts and crafts stores, as well as a cinema. A number of walks around the area allows you to fully explore the area.
Our Reviews
Everything was there what we needed for a fantastic stay in Scotland....couldn't ask for a better location and not quite far from the Irish sea
Kevin, UK
Superb. The location is perfect if you want away from it all.
Drew, UK
Lovely peaceful location, clean and full of charm. Lots of attention to detail.
Steven, UK
Very nice hosts. Excellent and lovingly furnished. Beautiful area. Very quiet area, perfect for shutting down. It makes you feel at home.
Marcus, Germany
Historic sites to visit on your holiday in South West Scotland
The opulent Culzean Castle and Gardens are about 30 minutes from Tig Cottage. The former home of the chief of the Kennedy clan, it's now managed by the National Trust for Scotland. Dramatically situation at the end of the cliff, it's surrounded by beautiful parkland and gardens, entrance to which is included in the cost of admission.
Alloway, a small village just outside Ayr, is where the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns was born, and is now the site of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. The museum itself is interactive and takes you on a trail through the village before ending up in the cottage where Burns was born. The cottage of shoemaker Souter Johnnie (memorialised in Burns' poem "Tam o' Shanter"), is nearby and open for visitors; it now includes an art gallery featuring the work of local artists.
Two significant religious sites are within an easy - and scenic - drive of Tig Cottage. Whithorn, with its famous priory, is the earliest site of Christian activity in Scotland, and home to Scotland's first saint, St Ninian (378AD). Whithorn has immense religious and historical significance, and is still welcomes pilgrims today who travel the 146 mile long Whithorn Way to the priory. The second site is Cairn Holy, two chambered cairns that were built in the 4th millennium BC, with Cairn Holy II said to be the tomb of the mythical Scottish king, Gladus.
