Working Farm & Wildlife

Kirkmabreck is not only home to the cattle and sheep we breed but we are fortunate to be able to see much of Scotland’s wildlife just by looking out the window.

Pheasants march about with their chests out and roe deer pop out from the edge of the woods.

Less welcome are the foxes especially at lambing time when they kill our lambs mostly not even eating them. Occasionally you may be lucky to see an elusive stoat or weasel and take your time at the bottom of the farm road as a wee red squirrel can often be seen darting about.

Travel a little further and you can admire the migrating geese and other waders that live on the Wigtown bay salt marshes or go into Wigtown County building to view the Wigtown Osprey.

Photograph of sheep on the hillside Photograph of Maisie Photograph of a rainbow on the hillside. Photograph of cattle on the hillside. Photograph of a winter sunset Photograph of cattle in Winter Photograph of the farmland Photograph of a sheepdog at work Photograph of cattle grazing in a nearby field

Working Farm

Being situated in the heart of the farm steading means anyone staying with us can witness day to day farm life, with the work changing according to the seasons.

However being in the centre of a working farm also means that there are certain times of year when there will be increased levels of activity.

Checking stock during lambing requires an early start on the motorbike and getting grass in to make silage for winter cattle feed means a constant flow of tractors for a couple of days.

The cottage’s double glazing and insulation have really minimised what can be heard inside the cottage, but this is a busy working farm and we wanted to make sure that visitors are aware of this, so that anyone coming to stay with us will not be disappointed.

Some Introductions...

In addition to the farm animals and the wildlife there are a few other introductions we need to make - Jock, Meg, Maisie, Bob, Flik, Stevie and Bombur. They are all very friendly if not just a wee bit attention seeking.

Maisie is our Jack Russell, but don’t tell her that! Nobody told her she was a terrier and even the pet lambs terrify her.

Bob and Flik are Border Collies and working sheep dogs. They work hard and are obedient (most of the time). They both have lovely natures and love attention but experience has taught us that you always have to be careful with working dogs and small children so we would ask any visitors to do the same.

Bird Watching

In the sky you can regularly watch Buzzards soaring and our new visitor the Red Kite with its distinctive tail.

Peregrine Falcon’s screeching as they teach their young to fly or diving through the air at record speeds to catch their lunch.

Travel a little further and you can admire the migrating geese and other waders that live on the Wigtown bay salt marshes or go into Wigtown County building to view the Wigtown Osprey.

Bird Watching

Wildlife Spotting

Roe deer, pheasant, stoat, weasel, red fox, brown hare and red squirrel have all been spotted visiting the farm.

Find out more about the animals that visit Steading Cottage, Kirkmabreck on our wildlife spotting page.

Wildlife Spotting

 

 

Visitor Attractions

Creetown Gem Rock Museum, Newton Stewarts' Walking Festival, Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town (pictured above across the bay!).

7Stanes Mountain Bike Trails, Galloway Hills, Galloway Forest Park & Dark Sky Park. There is a wide range of outdoor activities all within a short drive of Steading Cottage.

Visitor Attractions

Getting Here

Steading Cottage overlooks the village of Carsluith just along from Creetown near Newton Stewart in the Wigtownshire region of Dumfries and Galloway, South West Scotland.

Use our interactive map to view our location plus we have also included links to local travel information.

View Map