Glentrool

Watch for wildlife

Glentrool is a great place to watch wildlife. There is a variety of woodland birds that visit the feeders or flutter in the canopy overhead. Look out forgreat tits, goldcrests and crossbills. Red squirrels and roe deer are also regular visitors to the woods around the centre, especially early in the morning and at twilight.

Discover the Mountain Garden

We’ve established a mountain garden at Glentrool to protect and breed special wee trees. These trees grow high on the hills at the very edges of the woods. These small, stunted trees look quite unremarkable but are an important remnant of rare mountain woodland. Look out for tiny junipers and a variety of minute mountain willows. Willows love wet places – their Latin name Salix comes from the Celtic sal (near) and lis (water).

Dark Sky Park

Scotland has some of the darkest skies in Europe, and Galloway Forest Park is one of the darkest places in the country – which is why it’s the UK’s first Dark Sky Park.

Long distance cycle route

National Cycle Route 7 winds through Galloway Forest Park. It links Glentrool with the two other visitor centres here. You might not want to tackle the whole 200 miles but you can still get a taste of the experience on shorter, scenic stretches of the route.

Learn more about the cycle route

Long distance trail

The Southern Upland Way runs along the Water of Trool just below Glentrool Café. This is Britain's first official coast to coast long distance footpath.It’s 212 miles (340 km) and goes from Portpatrick on the west coast to Cockburnspath on the east coast. It’s a dramatic and challenging route through the rolling hills of the Southern Uplands. Sample a scenic stretch from Glentrool to Loch Trool and see if you’re inspired to walk the rest.

Learn more about the trail