A single lane, one-mile road leads campers
down to Drumroamin Farm, with passing spaces on either side. Should you meet
another car or caravan their faces may tell a tale. Some, laden high with bags,
tents and bicycles, will have children in the back, peering out of the windows,
already half asleep for their weary weekend away. Others, caravans, prim and
clean, bimble down the lane with passengers bouncing from another fun weekend
away or downcast and sullen at the thought of heading home. Whatever you see in
the faces of those leaving it will not be regret. Drumroamin Farm, it seems, is
a place that leaves no one disappointed. Small, welcoming and unpretentious,
the campsite has built a reputation as one of the friendliest sites in the
Lowlands and it’s safe to say that isn’t set to change.
Poised a mile inland from Wigtown Bay and
with views across the surrounding countryside, Drumroamin Farm is a traditional
site with few frilly bells and whistles yet everything required for an
excellent camping experience. Fields come no flatter than the grassy camping
paddocks here, divided by wooden fences and low hedges to provide some extra
shelter. A large, modern sanitary block has hot showers and is immaculately
well kept. No sooner have you dragged your morning dewy footprints into the
spacious cubicles before they are wiped away, returning to the impeccable cleanliness you will find across the site, including the wood floored communal
space next door. Here a pool table and television are ideal for kids on a rainy
day, while a collection of books and a stash of brochures allow you to sit
around and plan the next couple of days.
Outside, a covered sandpit and play area
seem to become a social point for little ones, making friends with other
campers before they take to playing ball games in the grassy space provided.
Adults will also find a host of things to do in the vicinity and
those who enjoy wildlife will be in their element. With views
across a designated RSPB nature reserve,
there's plenty to keep the twitchers occupied including the golden plover,
pink-footed geese, ospreys and lapwings. Those willing to take a longer walk
can also head to Garliston with its sleepy beach and working harbour.
Campers with a car will find a host of
attractions further afield. Nearby Wigtown – Scotland’s National Book
Town – boasts a cluster of second-hand book shops and pleasant main square. For
many, however, a key attraction is not discovered by day but by night, when
darkness falls in this quiet part of south-west Scotland. Renowned for being one
of the darkest areas in Europe, Drumroamin Farm enjoys spectacular skies and on a clear night campers can sit back and enjoy the twinkling blanket of the Milky way.