Dumfries and Galloway
Fawn's Velvet Lodge
Introduction
Fawn's Velvet was rotting when Dunskey took it on, damp through, mould on the walls, the old stables block in darkness. The estate's builders Alan and Nathan Sparrow stripped it back to brick, relined every wall and floor, and rebuilt it with serious insulation and underfloor heating run from a renewable source, which makes it one of the warmest lodges on the estate and the greenest by some distance.
It sits in a sunny corner by the Victorian walled garden, entered through the historic cobbled stables courtyard. The living room carries a coastal mural by the artist Megan Elizabeth, the master bedroom and its bathroom take the whole top floor, with a monsoon walk-in shower and a full bath, and the second bedroom is set into the old stable block itself, where the original manger now does duty as shelving under an antler chandelier. Outside there's a lawn made for morning yoga, a fire pit, and the outdoor bathtub under the open sky.
Prices & Availability
Facilities & Services
The kitchen is well stocked and fully equipped, with views into the garden and a starter pack of dish soap, sponges, kitchen roll and laundry detergent. There's a washing machine, smart TV and WiFi, underfloor heating throughout, outdoor furniture, a fire pit and a BBQ with tools. Logs are unlimited for the length of your stay. Every booking includes a welcome hamper of bread, eggs, coffee, artisan cheese, jam and baked goods, plus laundry, linen and Dunskey's own toiletries. Guests get complimentary use of the boat on the estate loch, and chef-made ready meals can be ordered in.
Location
The lodge sits beside the walled garden at the heart of Dunskey Estate, 2,000 acres of coastal Galloway on the Rhins peninsula, entered through the old stables courtyard. The maze and the garden's Victorian glasshouse are on the doorstep, Portpatrick village and its harbour are a few minutes' drive, and the glen path runs past a waterfall to two private bays. Stranraer, eight miles east, covers supermarkets and the railway, with the Cairnryan ferries to Northern Ireland 20 minutes away and Glasgow around two hours by car.
Good to know
Fawn's Velvet sleeps a maximum of four across two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite, the master with both bath and monsoon shower. Minimum stays run to three nights year round, rising to seven over Christmas and New Year, with flexible check-in dates. Up to two pets are welcome, with a £60 deep-clean fee per stay. The estate grounds, maze, walled garden, lochs and beaches are closed to the public, so everything beyond the courtyard is shared only with other lodge guests. A car is the sensible way to arrive.
What's nearby
Portpatrick has the pubs, the brewery, the putting green and the start of the 212-mile Southern Upland Way, whose clifftop opening stretch leads north to Killantringan Lighthouse, built in 1900 by David A Stevenson. The ruin of the original Dunskey Castle, a 1500s tower house, stands on the cliffs south of the village. Dunskey Golf Course sits beside the harbour, Logan Botanic Garden grows its subtropical collection 20 minutes down the Rhins, and the Mull of Galloway, Scotland's southernmost point, is about an hour's drive.
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