Kirroughtree Visitor Centre

Galloway Forest Park’s gateway centre

Whatever the season, there's always something to see and do at Kirroughtree. Even at night, when the stars put on a show!

Relax in the visitor centre, enjoy the view and fuel up for the trails. Wander to the Wild Watch Hide to spot red squirrels and birds, or meander to Bruntis Loch. There's adventure play, mountain bike trails and quiet forest roads for gentle family cycles.

Walking trails

Kirroughtree walking trails route card (PDF)

Walking

Wild Watch Trail

A short path to the Wild Watch Hide, where squirrels and woodland birds visit the feeders. Continue further along the path to find Kirroughtree’s second play park.

A firm and generally flat path, with some short gentle gradients. No obstacles. Good in all weathers.

¼ miles / 0.5 km

Allow 30 mins

Walking

Anniversary Cairn Trail

Follow this trail through mature woods to the stunning viewpoint at the Galloway Forest Park 50th Anniversary Cairn, then back past the tranquil Bruntis Loch.

Firm gravel paths with some wide forest roads. Generally moderate gradients. Includes a bridge. Shares some sections with mountain bike trails – look out for bikers.

1 ½ miles / 2.5 km

Allow 1 hour

Walking

Little Bruntis Trail

This path visits both the Big and Little Bruntis Lochs, before heading through mixed woodland with beautiful big beech trees. Keep your eyes open for the workings of the historic tin mines, as well as roe deer and red squirrels.

A firm gravel path. Fairly steep gradients. Includes a short section (100m) on quiet public road.

2 ½ miles / 4.0 km

Allow 1 ½ hours

Walking

Larg Hill Trail

A scenic circuit around wooded Larg Hill rewards you with great views over Newton Stewart, a visit to lovely Bruntis Loch and follows the course of a tumbling burn.

Firm gravel paths and forest roads, with some sections muddy after rain. Long fairly steep gradients. Includes short section of quiet public road. Shares some sections with mountain bike trails.

4 ¼ miles / 7.0 km

Allow 3 hours

More information

 In spring watch out for great spotted woodpeckers nesting close to the roadside – look for tell-tale round holes in dead treetrunks where they nest and bring up their young. Listen for the adults drumming (rapid pecking) in the trees – this is the woodpecker’s way of advertising for a mate and marking its territory.

Mountain biking trails

Kirroughtree is one of the world class 7stanes mountain bike venues. It features a superb variety of green, blue and red graded trails, an extreme downhill section for the serious experts, and a skills area for honing your technique.

Kirroughtree 7stanes route card (PDF)

Mountain Biking

Bargaly Wood

Grade – Green: Easy 3 ¾ miles / 6.0 km

Is this trail for you? Find the right grade for your abilities

Grade - Green: Easy  
Expect relatively flat, wide, and smooth trails. Gentle climbs, descents, rollers and berms, with easy to avoid features such as rocks and potholes. Surface might be loose, uneven or muddy at times.

Take an easy ride through the scenic Bargaly Glen. The perfect route for first timers or children. Enjoy a relaxing ride through the mixed woodland of Bargaly Glen along farm tracks and quiet public roads.

Mountain Biking

Larg Hill

Grade – Blue: Moderate 6 ¼ miles / 10.0 km

Is this trail for you? Find the right grade for your abilities

Grade – Blue: Moderate  
Expect a mixture of climbs and descents with moderate gradients, technical features like tree roots and rock steps; jumps and berms. Rollable features at controlled speed. Variable surfaces.

Great if you are looking for something with a bit of added excitement. Offers some beautiful views and the option of the Doon Hill extension. Ideal for beginners or kids who are confident on their bikes, this winding route is mainly singletrack with a couple of small rock drops thrown in for good measure.

Mountain Biking

The Twister (diverted)

Grade – Red: Difficult 10 ½ miles / 17.0 km

Is this trail for you? Find the right grade for your abilities

Grade – Red: Difficult  Expect a mixture of steep climbs, descents and / or avoidable features. Larger jumps, berms and rollable features at controlled speed. Technical features such as tree roots, drop-offs and large rocks. Very variable surfaces.

A technically testing and physically demanding trail. True to its name, The Twister route offers a winding trail with real challenges waiting after every twist and turn. It’s a physically demanding ride, with plenty of rock steps, drop-offs and other technical obstacles to keep you on your toes.

A trail notice is in effect

A short section of the Twister Trail (red) has a long-term diversion in place (waymarker 42 along the forest road to waymarker 44). 

Mountain Biking

Black Craigs (diverted)

Grade – Black: Severe 8 ¾ miles / 14.0 km

Is this trail for you? Find the right grade for your abilities

Grade – Black: Severe  
Expect a long and steep climbs, descents, and jumps. Numerous hazards including drop-offs and severe features. Rapid rate of surface change. Commitment required.

Black Craigs combines fast flowing singletrack and rocky technical features to test your skills. A highlight is McMoab, with its huge slabs and ridges of exposed granite linked by boulder causeways. From the fast flowing single track to the testing rocky technical challenges, on the Black Craigs you’ll find plenty of exposed granite and features to get your adrenaline pumping. To reach the start of Black Craigs, follow the red-graded Twister trail to its half-way point. (Combined length 19.3 miles / 31 km).

A trail notice is in effect

A short section at the end of the Black Craigs Trail (black) is closed from waymarker 71 with a diversion along the Twister Trail (red). 

Activities

Wild Watch

Kirroughtree is brimming with wildlife. Explore the visitor centre to discover what lives in the trees, waterways, open hills - and even high in the trees! It’s a short distance from the centre to the Wild Watch Hide, where you might catch red squirrels and woodland birds feeding. You might even spot roe deer.

Fun for the whole family

The play park at Kirroughtree is a great place for the kids to burn off some energy, and there are several trails suitable for little legs and pushchairs. You could also try out our orienteering trail – work as a team or compete against each other.

Dark Sky Park

Scotland has some of the darkest skies in Europe, and Galloway Forest Park is one of the darkest places in Scotland – which is why it’s the UK’s first Dark Sky Park. Kirroughtree is a brilliant place to enjoy the night sky – look out for information panels at the visitor centre which will help you spot the stars.

Fishing in the Forest Park

There’s great fishing in the Forest Park, including brown trout and pike. You can buy a permit at any of the visitor centres for Loch Bradan, Loch Dee, Black Loch and Spectacle Loch.

Long distance cycle route

National Cycle Route 7 (Glasgow to Carlisle via Dumfries and Glen Trool) also winds through the Forest Park, linking Kirroughtree with the other two visitor centres here. You might not want to tackle the whole 200 miles, but get a taste of the experience on scenic stretches of the route.

Facilities and access

Mountain biking

Wildlife hide

Walking

All ability trails

Picnic area

Toilets

Parking (charge)

Play area

Visitor centre

Tourist information

Easy-access facilities

Shop

Cafe or refreshments

Bike hire

Shower

Changing places

Stay the Night

Opening Hours

• The car park and trails are always open 
• The cafe is open daily 10:00am - 5:00pm 

Car parking information

The charges to park at Kirroughtree are:

Payment options: coin, card or RingGo

• £2 for up to 1 hour
• £3 for up to 3 hours
• £4 for all day
• £14 for minibus or coach all day 

Blue badge holders park free. Please display your Blue Badge clearly.

We recommend you bring both coins and cards with you, just in case. Please park with care and consideration. In particular please park in designated parking areas only and do not block entrances or gates. Nearby car parks with free parking can be found in our local forest list without the £ symbol.  

Annual parking passes available:

Available in advance by downloading the relevant application form and emailing to the Regional Office. The Galloway and Dumfries and Galloway Annual Pass can also be purchased from the cafes listed on the form. Please read our Annual Pass terms and conditions (PDF) before applying.

More parking info

Bike hire and repairs

Bikes can be hired from the The Break Pad bike shop. You can book your bike online before you visit. The shop also offers repairs, safety checks and friendly advice.

The bike shop is open every day from 10am - 5pm.

You can contact them on 01671 401303, email info@thebreakpad.com or message them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebreakpad.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome in the visitor centre and café.

Stay the Night

Stay the Night continues to run through to 31 October 2024. This means self-contained motorhomes and campervans will be able to park overnight for one night in some of our car parks.

There is a £7 charge to Stay the Night at this car park. Payment can be made through RingGo with details of how to do this at each car park.

To help plan your stay, please see the details below:

• Height barrier – No
• Motorhome capacity of car park – 30
• Suitable for large vehicles/caravans – Yes
• Parking notes – Paved car park. Caravans, please unhitch and park in a bay rather than across multiple bays.

Please visit our Stay the Night page for full details, participating locations, best practice, and terms and conditions of use.

Stay the night

Accessibility

Getting here

Kirroughtree Visitor Centre is well signposted from the A75 at Palnure, about 1.5 miles east of Newton Stewart.

Using SatNav?

DG8 7BE is the nearest postcode. Despite what your satnav may suggest, we strongly recommend you stay on the A75 until Palnure and turn off to the visitor centre there.

Public transport

There are regular buses between Dumfries and Stranraer, via Newton Stewart and Gatehouse of Fleet. Get off at Palnure and follow the signs to the visitor centre – it's about 1 mile (2 km) away on foot. Plan your journey at Traveline Scotland.

Get directions