The Old School House

Walk into The Old School House and you find yourself in a detached cottage with space to spread across three storeys. Downstairs holds a living room with an open fire and 43-inch smart TV, a separate dining room, a second sitting room with its own fireplace, and a kitchen fitted with an electric oven, hob, dishwasher, washing machine and all the basics for self-catering. Upstairs, three bedrooms sleep six: a zip-and-link super king that can split into twin beds on request, and two double rooms. One double has an en-suite shower; the other is served by a bathroom with a bath and shower. Heating is oil-fired central, and you have electricity, bed linen, towels and Wi-Fi included, plus initial logs for both fireplaces.

The cottage sits within 3 acres of lawned garden with a sitting-out area, garden furniture and a barbecue. There's bike storage and parking for five cars on site. An unfenced stream runs through the grounds about 50 yards away. Portpatrick village, with shops, restaurants and a fishing harbour, is 3 miles off; Stranraer offers more amenities. This is outdoor country: the coastline has sandy beaches, rocky coves and clifftop walks, with everything from gentle paths to demanding hikes through landscapes where golden eagles, ospreys, red deer, red squirrels and pine martens live. The RSPB centre at Mull of Galloway draws thousands of nesting birds. Sea fishing runs from Portpatrick; trout and salmon fishing, shooting, horse riding and two golf courses are all close by. One dog stays free. The house does not permit smoking, and the stairs are steep and narrow in places.