Picnic spots for all to enjoy
Where’s your favourite picnic spot?
From seaside views to tables beneath dappled shade. We’re highlighting some of our favourite picnic spots for you to explore no matter what you choose to pack.
Wherever you visit, please respect the environment by binning your litter or taking it home along with any of your equipment. If you're planning to cook while visiting our destinations, make sure to use a camp stove or gas BBQ.
Loch Eck
A picturesque spot with lochside views.
As you follow the road along the eastern shore of Loch Eck, stop at one of our picnic sites and enjoy gorgeous views across the loch. Just a short walk from the car park, this is a great place to stretch your legs, enjoy a snack, or just sit a while and enjoy the tall Scots pine and tranquil shores of the loch.
Loch Eck is also a Stay the Night site, with room for two self-contained motorhomes/campervans to park overnight.
Plan your next visit to Loch Eck
Clach na Crìche
An ancient 'wishing stone' and a peaceful picnic site.
Clach na Crìche means 'Boundary Stone' in Gaelic – and this remarkable formation did mark the boundary between two ancient parishes – but it’s the stone’s magical reputation that is more intriguing.
The stone was said to have the power to grant wishes. According to local folklore, all you had to do was fill your mouth with water from a nearby spring, then hold it in your mouth as you passed through the hole in Clach na Crìche three times (without using your hands). If you were thinking hard enough about your heart’s desire while you were doing all that, your wish would be granted.
This is a great place to sit and enjoy the sea air as you grab a snack or just watch the boats pass by. You will find the remarkable arched Wishing Stone 200 yards farther along the lochside road.
Plan your next visit to Clach na Crìche
Torrieston
Walk along tranquil trails to the perfect picnic spot.
Discover great trails through a peaceful mixed woodland that includes statuesque 100-year-old Douglas firs. These were some of the first trees to be planted by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s. Today they tower over 40 metres high.
Look out for red squirrels and roe deer as you wander the all-abilities Black Burn Trail. The route takes you through a stunning pine woodland. Linger by the Black Burn with its treacle-dark waters where salmon and otters have been seen.
With plenty of areas to stop and picnic, it’s a great place to enjoy a day out.
Plan your next visit to Torrieston
Raiders' Road Forest Drive
The best of Galloway Forest Park from the comfort of your car.
This 10-mile forest drive is open from April to October to vehicles and open year-round for walkers, cyclists, and horse-riders.
There are various stops along the road where you can stop and stretch your legs. Otter Pool is a popular spot for locals in summer and a nice place to walk along the water or play in the grass. This beautifully secluded spot near babbling water is idyllic for a picnic in the summer months. Watch out for red and roe deer grazing amongst the trees, crossbills and siskins feeding on conifer seeds. You might also see buzzards, sparrowhawks and of course, red kites.
Otter Pool is also home to Stay the Night, with room for three self-contained motorhomes/campervans enjoy the peaceful scenery into the night.
Plan your next visit to Raiders Road Forest Drive
Roseisle
Cycle forest trails or relax on sandy beaches.
This coastal pinewood has everything for a perfect family day out: a long sandy beach, sheltered woodland trails, play equipment, simple barbecue facilities and toilets (open from the start of April to the end of October).
Take a stroll along the white sandy beach while you explore the historic defence structures built during WW2. These concrete remnants were once used as anti-tank blockades and pillboxes. Learn more about these anti-invasion defences here.
This forest is home to wonderful walking trails. Stroll down the Millie Bothy Trail through a lovely coastal pine forest to an old fishermen's bothy and the sparkling Millie Burn or wander along the Wildlife Walk Trail. You might be lucky enough to spot a red squirrel or seal.