The Smiddy

Walk through the door of The Smiddy and you're immediately in a single open-plan space where everything happens—the living area with its wood burner and 43-inch smart TV flows into the dining space and kitchen in one room. Both bedrooms are on the ground floor: one has a double bed, the other two singles. A shower room completes the layout. The cottage started life as an old smiddy, and it's been fitted out as a straightforward holiday let with the essentials covered: heating, electricity, Wi-Fi, bed linen and towels included, plus initial logs for the burner. The kitchen has an electric oven, hob, microwave, dishwasher and fridge, so you can self-cater without limitation.

Outside, an enclosed lawned garden with sitting furniture and a dog run means one pet can settle in easily. There's parking for three cars on site and a bike store if you want to explore by pedal power. The cottage sits near Glasserton in the south-west, within reach of Whithorn's priory ruins and the harbour village of Isle of Whithorn. Wigtown, a couple of miles away, is known for its bookshops and cafés. Monreith Beach is close, and the Wigtown Bay nature reserve—home to geese, ducks and wading birds in autumn and winter—is a short drive for walking or birdwatching. The Bladnoch Distillery, operating since 1814, offers guided tours and a shop. Smoking is not permitted inside.