Gullsway

Walk through the entrance at Gullsway and you're stepping into a properly arranged house built for groups. A lower ground floor bedroom sits ready before you reach the main living spaces on the ground floor – a living room with woodburner and freeview TV, then a kitchen/dining room with two electric ovens, hob, dishwasher and full-size fridge and freezer, plus a utility room with washer and separate fridge. The sun room with its modern glass walls and views across the Nith estuary is the real draw. Upstairs: three more bedrooms on the first floor, one a double, two singles (one with a pull-out single bed as well), plus a bathroom with bath and shower cubicle.

The ground floor also has a double bedroom with shower cubicle, making it easier if someone needs to avoid stairs. Five bedrooms and two bathrooms means nine guests can spread out comfortably. Air source heat pump heating with solar panels keeps costs down, and essentials – electricity, bed linen, towels, wifi – are included. Initial logs for the woodburner are there too. Outside: enclosed garden with terrace and furniture, private parking for four cars. Dogs are welcome. No smoking inside. The house sits on the edge of Glencaple, a quiet settlement on the banks of the River Nith, only a pub's walk away for meals and drinks. Caerlaverock Castle and its nature reserve are three miles off, both worth a visit if you're keen on walking or birdwatching.