A south-west facing covered veranda fronts the building, ideal for sitting and watching the world pass by on the A77, and the ferries and oyster fishing boats drift by on the loch beyond, and nestling in the corner of the grounds, a thatched gazebo provides the perfect outdoor place to enjoy an afternoon pot of tea, or a bottle of wine watching the sun set.

The building is surrounded by lawns and pleasant gardens, which because of the semi-rural location, are frequented by hare, rabbits, weasels (one regularly provides an acrobatic display for guests on the grass outside the dining room windows), red squirrels (according to guests), pheasants and a huge variety of other birds (swallows nest yearly on the front veranda - four chicks view the world from the safety of the nest in the picture on the left), and a heron and a kestrel are regular visitors to the garden.

The burn across on the beach sees occasional otters, with seals appearing in the loch itself,  and the pond in the adjoining farmland enjoys the presence of a pair of swans for much of the year. Deer complete the picture of nature at its best, dancing in the hills and the fields immediately behind the building.

Across the road is a small embankment which separates the road from the beach. The embankment used to carry the Stranraer to Cairnryan Military railway (see Local information page), but is now planted with gorse. A 'Dumfries & Galloway Countryside Path' can be joined directly opposite the building, which provides a fantastic coastal walk.

The picture to the right shows the view of the building (central picture) from the other side of the loch. Below is a view from the coastal countryside path to Cairnryan, looking back towards the building and Stranraer at the head of the loch beyond.

From the building, the P&O ferries can be seen docking at Cairnryan,

with the Stena Line ferries passing down Loch Ryan towards Stranraer.

A sailing club on the opposite side of the loch, 

and small fishing boats trawling for oysters in the rich beds of the loch

 immediately in front of our building add to the scene.

Despite the best efforts of the sea winds, a south facing aspect to the building

 helps keep it colourful. Buddleiah bushes attract a host of butterflies, with lilacs

 providing scent on the veranda in early summer,

replaced by sweet peas and lilies as the days get hotter.

Straight across the road, over the old railway embankment, is a beach, mostly pebble and shingle, but with sandy areas.

A 'Dumfries & Galloway Countryside Path' can be joined here, following the embankment and connecting to Cairnryan to the right,

 and  to the left, following the coastline the few miles along to Stranraer, with shingle paths leading onto concrete walkways and grass pathways.

A burn lies a few hundred yards along the coast towards Stranraer, carrying rainwater from the hills behind to the sea.

Although the countryside path has stepping stones over this, if we have had heavy prolonged rain, wellies may be necessary!!