A timber and glass box that looks as though it's been teleported into a field outside Crocketford, this retreat sleeps up to four, though two is best...
Photograph: Jesse Wild Photograph: Jesse Wild/PR
Handy for several of Scotland's best mountain biking trails and Galloway Forest Park's Dark Sky Park, and exploring the region's abundance of artists' open studios.
• 01556 650249, brockloch.co.uk
Photograph: Jesse Wild Photograph: Jesse Wild/PR
A Victorian dairy farm in the far west of the region, Faldarroch sleeps up to five. It's great for walkers, cyclists and families, there's a drying room and dedicated storage area for bikes, boots and outdoor clothing... Photograph: PR
Architecture fans will love its flagstone floors, original kitchen range, clawfoot bath and, in one of the bedrooms, a fabulous painted double box bed. Bladnoch, Scotland's most southerly distillery, is nearby, as is Scotland's National Booktown, Wigtown, home to a cult book festival.
• 0131 243 9331, nts.org.uk. From £315 a week
Wheelchair access Photograph: PR
Yacht-friendly Kippford sits on the coast, stretched along the banks of the Urr estuary; squint and you can see the Lake District across the Solway Firth. Walk to neighbouring Rockcliffe for a paddle off its small beach, then return to this cosy whitewashed cottage and sit in its window seat with your binoculars, watching herons and otters playing in the water below as the sun sets... Photograph: PR
It sleeps four and the interiors are smart and simple, with Ercol furniture and boat-print curtains giving it a subtle vintage feel.
• 01620 890284, gonetothebeach.co.uk. From £400 a week
Pet-friendly, wheelchair-friendly Photograph: Angus Bremner/PR
This cottage has a romantic setting by sea cliffs (hence the no under-12s rule), and overlooks the ruins of a 13th-century castle – but there's nothing raggle-taggle about its chic design... Photograph: PR
From an Aga and a wood-fired Dutchtub to island-patterned Ralph Lauren wallpaper, the cottage is a decadent bolthole amid a working organic farm. Time it right and you can also book in for dinner at a new pop-up restaurant housed in the owners' stylishly reconfigured stables. It sleeps four in two bedrooms.
• 01988 600694, gallowayhouseestate.co.uk. From £580 a week
Pet-friendly, no kids Photograph: PR
Don't be fooled by the castle's rather brutal exterior. Inside this dramatic 16th-century tower house there's plenty of comfort, including three bathrooms (quite a luxury given that it only sleeps up to seven people) and a dishwasher... Photograph: The Landmark Trust
Carefully chosen antiques give the restrained interiors an air of elegance while a painted ceiling, a spiral staircase and a little lookout over Luce Bay add some historic magic. Its Gulf Stream location makes the surrounding area especially good for gardens and two of the region's finest – Logan and Castle Kennedy – are on the doorstep.
• 01628 825925, landmarktrust.org.uk. From £662 a week Wheelchair access Photograph: The Landmark Trust
