What do Guests Love Most About Visiting Ross Bay Retreat?


October 25, 2023

So many of our guests have been to Ross Bay return year after year, some guests over 12-15 times. It is lovely  to welcome new guests so they too can enjoy the full Ross Bay holiday experience and hopefully return like the migrating birds every year. We know why we love it here but what is it that attracts visitors to Ross Bay Retreat and keep them coming back year after year? We were curious to find out!

Ross Bay Aerial View

So, we thought we would ask, check our guest comments and reviews. With so many lovely positive comments from our guests staying at Ross Bay Retreat it has been very hard to summarise them all. However, the most often repeated comments and guest quotes about why they love coming here, return time and again, include the following:

Peace, Tranquillity, Wildlife, The Views & The Cakes

  1. The peace, the quiet and tranquillity here at Ross Bay Retreat
  2. The variety of wildlife, the farm animals and overall biodiversity with access to it all right here on the doorstep
  3. The superb views at Ross Bay and watching the ever changing seascape and skies (even at night)
  4. Some regular guests come for just for the freshly homemade cakes! The Victoria Sponge gets a lot of thumbs ups followed closely by the Lemon Drizzle cake!
Victoria Sponge

Guests ‘Love’ the Victoria Sponge

The Incredible Views at Ross Bay Retreat 

The majority of comments that regularly appear are all about the views, the dark skies at night and wildlife. All of these can be seen directly from the holiday cottages looking out across Ross Bay and to the sea beyond. These can be experienced from each of the cottages, the outside patio area and adjacent shoreline. 

Selection & Snippets of Guest Comments & Reviews 

  • “One never tires of the beauties of the bay, an ever-changing scene in sun or cloud, high or low tide, glassy-still or tossing waves” 
  • “We spent most of our week just relaxing around Ross Bay, either sitting on our balcony watching the tides come & go or pottering about on the shoreline. Also walked from the cottage along to the clifftops to admire the views which were excellent” 
  • “We both took a book to read, neither of us turned a page we were totally mesmerised by the ever changing picture through the balcony doors. The balcony with it’s see through panels is pure genius” 
  • “The location of the farm around the bay was idyllic. Watching the sunrise from the bedroom and the tide ebb and flow was magical. So much wildlife to see from the obvious seabirds to hares and deer” 
  • “I loved sitting out on the patio with my morning cuppa watching the sun glistening off the sea and listening to the birds while the family were still asleep. On a clear night the amount of stars visible was incredible” 
  • “Highlights: Sue’s welcome cake, Mossyard Beach, Kirkcudbright (and its farmers market), Red Kites displaying in the wild near the river Dee at Glenlochar, Carrick Beach/viewpoint, walking around Big Ross, to name but a few” 
  • “Would recommend anyone looking forward to a luxury break to book Ross Bay. It was just a wonderful place with gorgeous views over the bay and fantastic star gazing at night, will definitely be going back” 
  • “The location, two words go a little way to describing it are ‘absolutely stunning’. We had one bad weather day, even that was a remarkable experience, sat watching the waves and the rest of the weather from within the gorgeous property” 

These are just excerpts from some of our most recent lovely guest reviews and comments, to see more please visit our review page.

Dog Friendly Beaches Ross Bay

Dog Friendly Beaches near Ross Bay

The Wonderful Local Walks 

There are some superb walks to be taken from our front door or slightly further afield. Guest love bring their dogs and we have a veritable playground of headland, coastal paths and walks to explore. Here are a few noted by our guests.

Walking direct from the cottage up and around Ross Bay and up to Big Ross and or the lovely The Ross Bay Peninsular Circuit walk

  1. Carrick Beach, small sandy beach just up the coast from Ross Bay
  2. Brighouse Bay, short walk from Ross Bay
  3. Mossyard Beach, small beach with rockpools at low tide, not to be missed. Activity centre nearby.

There are many other lovely walking options and pet friendly beaches nearby particularly when out with dogs.

What are the Most Popular Local Visitor Attractions?

There are a host of activities, places to visit, ‘see and do’ options all around Ross Bay in Dumfries and Galloway. Many of these local attractions can be found on our interactive map but here are a menu of guest favourites that can be enjoyed.

Threave Gardens

Threave Gardens

Our Guests Enjoy Visiting:

The Gardens at:

The Forests at:

On Wet Days Popular Options Include:

Many other visitor attractions, local favourites and best kept secrets can be found in and around the Dumfries & Galloway coastline and inland to the ancient woodland and forests of the Galloway Forest Park, the spectacular hills, lochs and rivers.

Loch Ken - Galloway Forest Park

Loch Ken – Galloway Forest Park

What to ‘See & Do’ when staying at Ross Bay Retreat

Please see a number of ideas and inspirations in our Ross Bay Retreat blog articles. These include:


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