Glenmalloch Lodge

Newton Stewart

Overview

A fairytale cottage in a wild and beautiful glen, this diminutive former schoolroom makes a perfect hideaway or writing retreat for two, or even one. Reached by a bumpy track, it lies in the middle of the glen, with the Solway Firth just a mile or so away.

  • Dogs AllowedDogs Allowed
  • Bed in Living RoomBed in Living Room
  • Fire or StoveFire or Stove
  • Open SpaceOpen Space
  • Parking AvailableParking Available
  • Bath with ShowerBath with Shower
  • MicrowaveMicrowave
  • RemoteRemote

Beds 1 Double

Sleeps
2
3 nights
£807 equivalent to £134.50 per person, per night

Aristocratic Victorian Philanthropy

Although not far from Newton Stewart, the Lodge feels remote and looks out over the unspoilt and geologically interesting Galloway landscape. It represents the aristocratic philanthropy that characterised the Victorian Age. The cottage was built originally not as a lodge, but as a picturesque schoolhouse through the philanthropy of Harriet, Countess of Galloway, some time before 1842. The Earls of Galloway had been shaping and planning these Galloway parishes for decades and Harriet worked with her husband, the 9th Earl, to orchestrate an impressive programme of educational and social initiatives over some 40 years. Once, 25 girls were instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic and needlework in this tiny building.

An endearing mixture of Classical, Tudor and Gothic

A handsome bay window hints at an opulence of detail despite the wildness around and the whole is an endearing mix of Classical, Tudor and Gothic elements. The Countess of Galloway clearly wished to demonstrate that she accorded some importance to education. We had no hesitation in taking a long lease to enable this delightful remnant of a countess’s bounty to be rescued from dereliction. Here, you can feel at one with the bracken, pines and tussocky hummocks of a Scottish glen, its weathers and its wildlife. Claiming the Lodge as your own for a spell we think you will agree that the Countess of Galloway’s generous embellishment of a humble building in the cause of education has not been in vain.

Floor plan

Reviews

5 stars
38
4 stars
4
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0

Independent feedback based on 43 verified reviews.

Filter reviews
loading
Map & local info

Glenmalloch Lodge sits in the middle of a wild glen, framed by wide views of the surrounding hills. The nearby picturesque market town of Newton Stewart is known as the gateway to the Galloway Hills.

Dumfries and Galloway is a haven for walkers with a wide choice of walks for all. Galloway Forest Park, about a half hour drive from Newton Stewart, is also perfect for walkers of all abilities, or for those who simply wish to enjoy this lovely area. 

Climb to the battlements of Cardoness Castle for spectacular views over Fleet Bay, the Water of Fleet Viaduct and Solway Firth beyond.

Look out for events and festivals throughout the year in the surrounding area. The Wigtown Book Festival and Snowdrop Festival are all highly recommended.

Castle Kennedy Gardens are some of the most spectacular gardens in the country, set against the backdrop of sumptuous ruins. 

The town of Kirkcudbright is just under 30 miles away where you can explore the handsome 18th-century Broughton House.

Discover local walks for dogs with our friends at Walkiees.co.uk, the dog walks community.

Clear directions
Essential info
What you need to know about this building
  • Yes. You are welcome to bring up to two dogs. A charge of £20 per stay is made for each dog. Please contact booking enquiries if you have an assistance dog, for which there is no charge.
  • Via an unmade track from the main road which is uneven and has a number of pot holes which fill with water in adverse weather. It needs to be negotiated with care and is unsuitable for cars with low clearance. There are also a number of gates along the track that have to be opened and closed when accessing the property.
  • Stranraer – 25 miles
  • There is a parking spaces a few metres from the property.
  • There are electric night storage heaters and a multi-fuel stove.
  • Unfortunately, there is no arrangement for the purchase and delivery of logs, however details of local sources will be provided with your booking confirmation.
  • To check up-to-date mobile network coverage in the area, visit signalchecker.co.uk. Due to the location and structure of many of our buildings, signal strength may differ to those indicated.
  • The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
  • The kitchen is fully equipped with all plates, cutlery, fridge etc.
    There is also an electric cooker and microwave.
  • There is one bathroom with a shower over the bath.
  • No.
  • There is a small enclosed garden.
Booking and Payment
  • If the weather is bad, please contact our booking office who will be able to tell you whether the Landmark is accessible. If the housekeeper can safely get to the building to prepare it then we consider that it is open and available for guests. However if we cannot undertake a changeover then we will do our utmost to transfer your stay to another Landmark, depending on what we have available. It may not be of a similar size or in the same part of the country as your original booking. If the building is accessible but the customer cannot travel due to poor weather in his/her local area then please be aware that Landmark will not provide a refund. However the customer may be able to claim on his/her own travel insurance. We recommend that all guests take out travel insurance when they first secure a booking.
  • We accept Maestro (if issued in the UK), Visa, MasterCard, direct transfer and sterling cheques drawn on a UK bank. Cheques should be made payable to the Landmark Trust except for Lundy stays and boat/helicopter tickets which should be payable to The Lundy Company Ltd. All payments must be in sterling.
  • The key arrangements will be included in the Further Infomation document which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • If your stay starts more than two months from the date you make the booking, you are required to pay a deposit of one third of the cost of your stay (or £100 per booking, if greater) at the time of booking. Camping on Lundy and The Bunk House at Llwyn Celyn must be paid for in full at the time of booking.
  • If you wish to cancel or change your booking, please contact our Booking Office on 01628 825925
  • At the moment we only accept payment in sterling.
  • Our housekeeper will leave the key in a suitable place, the details of which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • It depends. Some of our most popular Landmarks are booked up a long time in advance, but many can be booked at short notice. We will always have Landmarks free for the coming weekend so it’s always worth checking our availability list.
  • No, Landmarks are available to be booked for anyone.
  • No, all the information you need can be found on our website, although we’d like you to buy one anyway as it will be a pleasure to own!
Staying at a Landmark
  • Some of our Landmarks are suitable for people with disabilities or limited mobility. However, many Landmarks have steep or narrow staircases, uneven floors and thresholds, changes of level, low ceilings or beams, as well as indistinct colours on steps and in corridors. We recommend that you call Booking Enquiries on 01628 825925 if you would like to find out the suitability of a particular Landmark for anyone with a specific disability.  Further information on access when visiting Lundy can also be found here.
  • Yes, Landmarks are only available as self-catering accommodation. We do not offer bed and breakfast.
  • Landmark does not provide catering, but we can recommend Greycoat Lumleys who can arrange for expert and well-trained staff to cater for one evening or for your entire holiday. Their cooks and chefs are able to work with you to meet your specific requirements
  • You may bring up to two dogs to properties where dogs are allowed (please see specific property details for exemptions however dogs are not permitted on Lundy except assistance dogs). They must be kept off the furniture and under proper control. A charge of £20 per stay is made for each dog. Please contact booking enquiries if a registered assistance dog is supporting one of the guests, for which there is no charge.
  • Apart from two dogs (see above) no other pets are permitted.
  • Arrival is from 4pm and departure is by 10am.
  • We do not carry insurance for breakages. However we appreciate that accidents do sometimes happen. If you have a breakage during your stay, please let the housekeeper know and if appropriate we reserve the right to invoice you accordingly.
  • Yes, most of our Landmarks are perfect for children, with gardens to play in and secret places to discover. Our furniture is surprisingly robust and we positively encourage families to stay. However, some of our buildings may not be suitable for small children; for example, some of them have steep or uneven spiral staircases. We recommend that you call the Booking Enquiries team if you would like to find out the suitability of any of our Landmarks for young children.
  • Unfortunately, most of our Landmarks are not licensed for weddings. However, you may get married on Lundy.
  • All our larger Landmarks are perfect for gatherings of family or friends. You may invite an additional two guests to visit you during your stay, however they must not stay overnight. This is very important because our fire regulations specifically note the maximum number of people in any one building. In addition our properties are prepared, furnished and equipped for the number of people specified and greater numbers cause damage and excessive wear and tear to vulnerable buildings. Should this condition be ignored we shall make a retrospective charge per person per day (whether or not they stay overnight) for each guest over the permitted limit, the charge being pro-rated on the total cost of your booking.
  • We deliberately do not provide televisions and find that most people appreciate this.
  • One of the challenges of restoring unloved buildings is gaining access to them. We frequently have to negotiate rights with our neighbours and share tracks with them. In many cases tracks do not belong to us and we have no right to maintain them. Wherever possible we work with our neighbours to provide you with a good quality surface, but where this is a problem then you will be warned at the time of booking.
  • Yes, we have standard electricity sockets for UK appliances. If you are coming from outside the UK, you will need to bring your own adaptor plug(s). If you are visiting one of our European properties we have standard European electricity sockets. If you are visiting from the UK, you will need to bring your own adapter plug (s).
  • Landmark’s electrical systems have not been designed to provide continuous power from one socket over several hours.  If an ordinary socket is used to charge an electric vehicle, there is significant risk of an electrical fire and consequent danger to life.  Therefore, we are unable to allow electric vehicle charging from most of our Landmarks at present.

    We are working to provide Type 2 Electric Vehicle charge points at our properties where there is private parking.  Where this is available, please request this facility when booking the property to ensure the outlet is enabled on your arrival.  There is a small charge to cover the cost of electricity provided.  Please book this facility in advance.
  • No, we do not allow smoking in any Landmark.
History

Originally known as Cumloden School

Despite its tiny size, the 1849 Ordnance Survey Map tells us that Glenmalloch Lodge was originally known as Cumloden School. The New Statistical Account of Scotland (1845) tells us further that ‘The Countess of Galloway has a charity school near Cumloden Cottage, where 25 girls are instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic and needlework, by a female teacher.’ Lady Galloway was the wife of Randolph, 9th Earl of Galloway. In 1827, then as Lord Garlies, Randolph bought the Cumloden estate from his uncle Lt. General Sir William Stewart, 4th son of the 7th Earl.

Sir William was a career soldier, a colleague of both Nelson and the Duke of Wellington and he had bought the Cumloden estate in 1817 for his retirement. It was Sir William who built Cumloden House, originally a thatched cottage orné; he laid out its gardens and walled the deer park that encloses Garlies Wood. He is also said to have loved to look out upon the ruins of Garlies Castle, the first seat of the ancient Stewart line that lies to the north of Glenmalloch Lodge. From 1740, the main seat had been Galloway House, but from the time of the 9th Earl, Cumloden House became a summer hunting lodge and, after the sale of Galloway House in 1908, the family’s main seat.

During 40 years of marriage the 9th Earl and his wife Harriet orchestrated and financed a formidable programme of educational and social welfare initiatives across their estates. They ran clothing clubs and competitions for the best kept cottages. They paid school fees for those who would otherwise have been unable to attend the parish schools and ran several schools at their own expense. In Newton Stewart, Lord Galloway founded an infant school for over a hundred pupils and Lady Galloway a school of industry for girls and the charity school at Cumloden.

A headstone in the Old Kirkyard at Monigaff records that Jane Ranken was teacher at the Cumloden school, from its probable construction date of 1836, until her niece Wilhelmina Masson took over in 1845. Both mistresses went on to teach at Lady Galloway’s school in Newton Stewart. While offering an important chance for girls from outlying crofts, Cumloden School probably closed soon after the Education Act of 1872, which provided compulsory education for all and from 1889 was also free for all. By 1894 the building was marked on the OS map as 'Park Lodge' and by 1904 was known as 'Glenmalloch Lodge,' the name we have kept. So far it has not been possible to trace any of its inhabitants after Miss Masson but it had stood empty and derelict since the 1960s, without water or electricity, victim of its own isolated and lovely setting. In 2003, Solway Heritage contacted the Landmark Trust to ask if we could help. A long lease was agreed with the Cumloden Estate and with a grant from Historic Scotland and donations from private trusts and individuals, the former schoolhouse has been sensitively restored within that setting.

For a short history of Glenmalloch Lodge please click here.

To read the full history album for Glenmalloch Lodge please click here.

Restoration

Typically picturesque

Glenmalloch Lodge is a typically picturesque example of nineteenth-century model architecture, through which philanthropic estate owners sought to improve the living and working conditions of their tenants while at the same time beautifying their estate. It is built of local whinstone highlighted by a pink sandstone for the quoins and windows. There have always been rumours that the schoolhouse was built from remnants of another building, but its dates and actual detail fit with neither Galloway House nor enlargements at Cumloden House.

Its stonework needed only minor replacement and repointing. A 6-bay wooden ‘porch’ was taken down in the 1980s, apparently because its lead roof was poisoning the cattle. Only its granite plinth stones survived and have been kept. The scar of the porch’s pitched roof is still visible on the chimneystack. The iron posts and railings are repaired originals. The original roof had enormous slates at the eaves, laid in diminishing courses up to the ridge. Unfortunately, few survived and so the roof had to be renewed in slates supplied by the Burlington quarry in Cumbria, a traditional source for south west Scotland. The pierced bargeboards are all original. The diamond-paned windows are reproductions of the originals, using conservation glass for the panes.

An extension was added at the rear to provide a bathroom by creating a larger version of the two original cludgies (one for coal, the other an earth closet). A new opening was made through the rear wall of the kitchen for access. We bowed to strong feelings from the local statutory bodies and built the extension to match the old, of whinstone struck from the boulders that litter the site. The new sandstone came from the Locharbriggs quarry near Dumfries, although the door surrounds are mostly the originals. The galleting, known locally as ‘mouses’ ladders’, is a traditional touch. The dark green used for the external paintwork matches the oldest paint on the stable block at Cumloden House. The rainwater goods are based on fragments of the originals but are replacements.

Inside, we have laid new floors. Joinery is based on fragments of the original woodwork, as is the front door. The replacement plasterwork in the original building is all haired lime plaster on split laths, although gypsum on plasterboard was used in the new extension.

Water comes from nearby Pulcree Burn, and is pumped up to the building and run through a UV filter in the roof space. A low voltage electricity supply has been buried to protect the setting and views, an essential measure to preserve the beauty of this wide glen.


Supporters of Glenmalloch Lodge

We are hugely grateful to those who have already supported Glenmalloch Lodge, including:

Patrons and other generous supporters:
Mr P Gammell, Mr C Gibbons, Dr E Hicks, Mr R Nelson, Mrs M Pudner, Mr B Sealey CBE and Mrs H Sealey, Lady Emma Tennant, Ms F Webster, Mr G Whyte and Ms S Whitley, Mr P Wright

Charitable Trusts and Foundations:
John M Archer Charitable Trust, The Batty Charitable Trust, Carpenter Charitable Trust, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, The Gloag Foundation, The Susan H Guy Charitable Trust, The Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement, Eda, Lady Jardine Charitable Trust, The Star Foundation, Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust, The Tay Charitable Trust, Hazel Wood Charitable Trust

Statutory Grants:
Historic Scotland    

We would also like to thank those who have chosen to remain anonymous, and the many other donors who supported the appeal.

Availability & booking

Select a changeover day to start your booking...

What's a changeover day? and Why can't I select other dates?Explain MoreQuestion

A changeover day is a particular day of the week when holidays start and end at our properties. These tend to be on a Friday or a Monday but can sometimes vary. All stays run from one changeover day until another changeover day.