Outdoor Activities in and around Newton Stewart

Come and enjoy a wealth of outdoor pursuits in an unspoilt area of great natural beauty.

Centrally located in Galloway, an area popular for its hill-walking, cycle touring, mountain biking, fishing, shooting, golfing and motor-cycling, the Bruce Hotel, through its local links, is able to give easy access to discounted facilities and visitor attractions.

And of course many of the best things in life are totally free, including wonderful scenery and a friendly welcome!

Loch Trool near Newton Stewart in Galloway

* Newton Stewart Golf Club
* Wigtownshire County Golf Club at Glenluce
* Stranraer Golf Club
* Portpatrick (Dunskey) Golf Club
* St Medan Golf Club Port William.
There are also 9-hole courses at Wigtown, Whithorn and Gatehouse of Fleet.

Game fishing is very popular on the local rivers, the Cree and the Bladnoch, and on nearby lochs, with good catches of trout and salmon.
The Newton Stewart Angling Association website has more details.
Coarse fishing and sea-angling are also available locally.
Fishing equipment may be bought from the Galloway Angling shop nearby.
Deer-stalking, wildfowling, hunting, shooting game or clay-pigeons can also be arranged, for individuals or groups.

Whether you are a climber, a hiker, a rambler or an ambler, Galloway can offer everything from craggy hills to woodland tracks, cliff-top coastal walks to all-ability lochside paths.
Newton Stewart has a Walking Festival in May each year which provides a wide range of guided walks in the locality.
There is also the 212-mile Southern Upland Way, which crosses the south of Scotland, from coast to coast.

Galloway, with its wide range of habitats, is home to red deer, feral goats, otters, red squirrels, and smaller mammals, as well as many species of birds, from buzzards, peregrines & greylag geese to curlews, redstart & willow tits.
RSPB Reserves at Wood of Cree (5 miles), and Mull of Galloway (35 miles).
Wigtown Bay Local Nature Reserve (6 miles) is the largest in Britain, and thousands of pink-footed geese overwinter on its mudfalts and saltmarshes.
There is a Red Kite Trail in Galloway, or watch Ospreys on CCTV at Wigtown.

bird-watching at RSPB Reserves

Mountain bikers are most welcome at The Bruce Hotel. We have secure storage, wash down facilities and drying facilities for wet gear. Arrangements can be made for out of hours shower facilities prior to return home journeys.
There are off-road tracks for mountain-biking in the Galloway Forest Park for differing abilities - from 'family' to 'extreme'. The hotel is only a short distance from the Glentrool and Kirroughtree trail heads, both of which can be cycled to from the hotel. See the 7stanes website for more information.

Wigtown Off Road Driving Centre (4 miles) Drive a Discovery 4x4 off-road, in 40 acres of hilly farmland.
Galloway Tanks at Garlieston (14 miles) A selection of military vehicles to try off-road.
Silver Fox Clay Traps Clay pigeon shooting range near Whithorn and manufacturer of clay traps.
Galloway Sailing Centre at Loch Ken, multi-activity courses including Sailing, kayaking, wind-surfing, archery.
Glenluce Outdoor Centre (11 miles) Paintballing, clay pigeon shooting for groups or individuals.

For information on other activities available in the area, see the Dumfries & Galloway Tourist Board website.

We will be happy to make arrangements for you. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.