Biodiversity and wildlife

The cottages provide a perfect setting to explore the wild landscape at your leisure.

Species that you may see in the area include otters, badgers, red squirrels, brown hares and roe deer. Bird species in the uplands include hen harriers, barn owl, short eared owl, tawny owl, kestrel, curlew, and red and black grouse. Summer visitors include stonechat and wheatears, while along the burns you may see dippers, grey heron, grey wagtail, goosander and sand martins.

The grazed peatlands support many rare and delicate bog plants including orchids, blaeberries, cotton grass, milkwort, butterwort, lousewort, bog asphodel, grass of parnassus and many mosses and sphagnums.

Wild Eskdale, based in Langholm, now offers a range of wildlife experiences and tours, giving visitors the opportunity to see some of the most iconic and endangered species in Scotland. Golden eagles have recently been reintroduced into the area as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagles project.

History and archaeology

Glendinning is noted as the birthplace of the renowned Scottish engineer, Thomas Telford, born in 1757 and buried at Westminster Abbey.

Visit the remains of the Glendinning Antimony Mine, also known as The Louisa Mine , with which the cottages have a fascinating historical connection, or try your hand at panning for gold in the Glenshanna Burn.

For those with an interest in the history of the area follow the Reiver Trail including The Clan Armstrong Museum at Gilnockie Tower and Hermitage Castle to learn about the colourful and turbulent history of the area, or the waymarked Upper Eskdale Prehistoric Trail to see nine impressive prehistoric sites.

Events and Experiences

Langholm’s Buccleuch Centre, widely acclaimed to be the premier arts venue in Southern Scotland, hosts a year-round programme of music, drama, comedy and dance as well as regular film screenings.

Langholm Producers’ Market is held on the first Saturday of every month.

For walkers Langholm Walks offers a range of 14 waymarked walks of varying levels of difficulty, with maps and a guide book, and for mountain biking enthusiasts there are a number of 7 stanes Mountain Bike Trails in the South of Scotland.

For those wishing to venture further afield the location is an ideal base for touring an area rich in wildlife, history and archaeology. Visit the historic Borders towns, abbeys and castles, the Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir, Hadrian’s Wall to the south, or the Grey Mare’s Tail, a spectacular 200ft. waterfall, and the Devil’s Beeftub, near Moffat.

Local events include Spring Fling, a vibrant visual arts and crafts open studio event Less than half an hour’s drive away the popular centre of Langholm has a wide raat the end of May covering the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway.

The Muckle Toon Adventure Festival held in June, has fast become the outdoor adventure event of Southern Scotland offering amazing outdoor activities and sporting events, unbeatable scenery and hospitality.

The annual Langholm Common Riding, an ancient boundary marking custom carried out on horseback, takes place every year on the last Friday in July.