Loch Ken – a Morning in a Kayak, Then Lunch in Castle Douglas
A few hours.
The route
Loch Ken is a long, quiet loch in the Galloway hills, and the Galloway Activity Centre on its shore puts beginners in a kayak for a morning, with an instructor, a wetsuit and a few games out on the bay.
Children from about eight usually manage it happily. Afterwards it's a short drive down the A713 to Castle Douglas for lunch at Designs, a gallery, bookshop and café with a garden.
Before you go
Book and pay for the kayak taster at the Galloway Activity Centre before you go, online or on 01556 502011: sessions 9am to noon or 1pm to 4pm all year, £65 a person at the time of writing with wetsuits included, and bookings cannot be cancelled.
The day
Loch Ken
A morning paddling round a bay of Loch Ken with an instructor, then a warm lunch among the books and pictures in Castle Douglas.
About four and a half hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
Galloway Activity Centre
The Galloway Activity Centre is on the shore of Loch Ken near Parton, about 10 miles north of Castle Douglas on the A713. Its kayak and canoe tasters run twice a day, 9am to noon and 1pm to 4pm, and the times include getting kitted up. After a short talk on the shore you're out paddling round the bay and playing games on the water, with an instructor beside you. It suits complete beginners, and wetsuits and all the kit are included. Bring swimwear for underneath, a towel and old trainers or other closed shoes that can get wet. It's £65 a person at the time of writing. Book and pay ahead, as bookings can't be cancelled. Sessions run all year, rain or shine. There's no strict lower age: eight-year-olds and up usually have no trouble, and younger children can go with a parent. Without a car, the 520 bus from Castle Douglas stops at the top of the drive, Monday to Saturday; check the times.
21 min by car
Designs Gallery and Cafe
Lunch
It's 21 minutes' drive south down the A713 to Castle Douglas, where lunch is at Designs Gallery and Café, 179 King Street, a gallery shop, bookshop and café down a lane that is easy to walk past. Park free in the council's Market Hill car park at the north end of town and walk down King Street. The café serves coffee, cakes and lunches indoors and out in the garden, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. It's closed on Sundays, and on 16 and 17 October 2026. If it's full, Streetlights Coffee House is a few doors along at 187 King Street. Over Christmas and New Year, check before going.
If it rains
The kayaking goes ahead rain or shine, in wetsuits; lunch at Designs is indoors.
Where to eat
Designs Gallery and Cafe, a café in Castle Douglas.
Streetlights Coffee House, a café in Castle Douglas.
Photograph by simonhird