Ever had one of those weeks when everything is just HARD?
Whether you’re stressed about work, caught up in family drama, worried about money – it’s important to remember that you are now a grown up and there is literally nobody who can stop you from going somewhere else.
That was me last weekend. I couldn’t face sitting looking at the walls and overthinking life – so I arranged a last-minute stay with someone on home exchange, and off I went!
My escape was to Dumfries and Galloway, the South-West corner of Scotland. It’s a relatively easy drive from the North West and includes some beautiful forests, rolling hills and beautiful coastline. As an added bonus, if you head to the Rhins of Galloway, you can enjoy the sunrise on the inner coast, and the sunset at the end of each day on the outer coast!
Fun fact: this is the most southerly point in Scotland, and is actually further South than Carlisle.
As soon as I finished work on Friday, I packed up some food, my paddleboard and my dog and by dinnertime, I was here! Thanks to Home Exchange I didn’t need to pay for my accommodation, and I was lucky to get the chance to stay at Derek and Iris’ lovely beachfront home, while they were in Ireland.
The joy of a home exchange is that you can cook a proper meal, so I made myself a bowl of chilli and settled down to watch one of my favourite autumn movies. Teddy was very content with the arrangements (and the view).
My little dog is currently on semi-enforced rest due to a leg injury but she absolutely loved watching all the birds swooping over the sea, and I learned the term “sea squirrels” this weekend as a description of all the birds sitting in the surf at the edge of the sea on the beach! Love it.
Saturday was all about this beach.
I think there’s something magical about a beach in winter. In Galloway, only do you often get the whole place to yourself, it’s also the perfect opportunity to make yourself a lovely fire and a flask of hot tea. I did also indulge in a mince pie which was admittedly controversial, but delicious, and I have no regrets.
I did not see a single other soul here ALL day, and Teddy amused herself by watching the fire, chasing birds and being very confused by the pheasants – who were not in the least bit afraid of either of us!
I stopped for a late pub lunch while it rained, and then drove to the Galloway Forest Park. There are so many amazing walks here, and at this time of year the colours are absolutely beautiful. As an added bonus, there are still leaves, giving some shelter from the rain. The autumn colours in this part of the world are nothing short of spectacular and it’s hard to worry about anything when the views are this good.
I had packed my paddleboard for the weekend, after having such an amazing trip in October to the highlands and Arisaig. However, this year the idea turned out to be wildly optimistic given the storms that arrived in Scotland over the weekend. Instead I left the woods and the beach for a few hours to settle myself in a cosy armchair with a book, while I listened to the wind blowing itself into a hoolie.
After an early Sunday morning walking along the Galloway Rhins coastal path, I packed up and started heading home before the weather got too wild.
This really was a handy reminder that adventures don’t have to be big to be restorative. How lucky are we to have this amazing scenery so close to home?
