Whitecairn Holiday Park - Fun Days Out

Bladnoch is a Lowland single malt distillery on the banks of the River Bladnoch, near Wigtown. Founded in 1817, it is the most southerly whisky distillery in Scotland, and it has a long and eventful history of closing and reopening.

You visit by guided tour. Choose between a classic tour from grain to glass, a longer heritage tour with a deeper look at the distillery's story, or a shorter, small-group tasting of the core whiskies. Each ends with drams to try, and drivers are given takeaway drams instead. Tours are open to adults, and 12 to 17-year-olds are welcome too.

There is a visitor centre, and Café Melba serves food and drinks, so it is easy to stretch a tour into a relaxed half day. Free parking is available at the distillery.

Tip: Tours are appointment-only, so book by midnight the day before. The visitor centre and café are open Tuesday to Saturday only. Tours are not suitable for wheelchair users or walking aids, and high heels are not allowed.

Cardoness Castle is a well-preserved six-storey tower house just south west of Gatehouse of Fleet, built in the later 1400s for the McCulloch family, a prominent Galloway clan. It is now cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.

The design is simple on the outside, with a well-planned interior behind walls 2.5m thick, small window openings and gun holes. The lower storeys held stores and a prison, while the family rooms were on the upper floors. It is similar in style to nearby Threave.

The story is half the appeal. The McCullochs were noted for their lawlessness, and a bitter feud with the Gordons, who took over the castle, ended in a murder and an execution in Edinburgh. It's a good stop for anyone who likes castles with a dark past and a solid, intact tower to look around.

MacLellan's Castle stands in the centre of Kirkcudbright, on the south side of the River Dee. Building began around 1577 for Thomas MacLellan, on the site of a ruined Greyfriars monastery. The castle was never finished, and the roof had collapsed by the time the family sold it in 1752. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

It is a classic L-plan tower house, four storeys high, with an extra tower on the south-west corner. Look for the kitchen on the ground floor and the great hall above it, where guests were entertained. Behind the great hall fireplace is a peephole into a small room called the Laird's Lug, where conversations in the hall could be overheard. Above the entrance, a carved panel shows the coats of arms of Thomas MacLellan and his wife. The upper floors most likely held accommodation.

Tip: Look for the peephole behind the great hall fireplace and the carved coats of arms above the entrance.