Press release -
All sewn up on the Solway coast
A BARONIAL house on the Solway coastline has been given a new lease of life as a coastal holiday home offering a unique range of specialist retreats.
Craigbittern House at Sandyhills, near Dalbeattie, is the first accommodation offering for local entrepreneur and owner of Galloway Escapes, Ruth Osman. The self-catering house and separate cottage which sleep 13 in total occupy a private position with stunning views over the Solway Firth, lending itself as a base for large gatherings of friends and families.
In her first collaboration with local businesses, the mother-of-two has teamed up with local designer and crafter Leah Halliday to offer a unique sewing weekend retreat which promises relaxation, inspiration, friendship, fresh air as well as gentle stitch. The first Sewing Retreat will take place in September with plans to follow this up with a pregnancy retreat later in the year.
VisitScotland has hailed the launch of this innovative new business which will encourage visitors to the area to enjoy the very best of what the region has to offer.
Ruth, who set up the business last year after several years of running a kennels and cattery in the region, has recently purchased a new self-catering property in New Abbey. She plans to build up the portfolio of properties within Galloway Escapes and showcase a different aspect of the region at each, from the coastline to the wildlife and woodlands.
Owner of Galloway Escapes, Ruth Osman, said: “I have always wanted to do something for myself and the timing was right. We are now able to enjoy time as a family while building up the business.
“Dumfries & Galloway has so much to offer as a region. It is a quiet and peaceful region but there is so much for people to do on the doorstep. My long-term plan is to expand the accommodation on offer and offer a little bit of everything that the region has to offer, from cottages ideal for romantic getaways to family-friendly houses and those off the beaten track.”
Paula Ward, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “I had the pleasure recently of meeting Ruth at Craigbittern House and I was blown away by the passion and enthusiasm she has for the business, as well as the perfect setting the house occupies for creative pursuits like the sewing retreat.
“Scotland’s reputation as a quality destination relies on continued investment and innovation to ensure that current provision meets future demand and Galloway Escapes is a fantastic example of how the tourism industry can embrace innovation and new ways of working to compete in a competitive global market.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it creates jobs and sustains communities in every corner of Dumfries & Galloway all year round and is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy.
“I wish Ruth every success in this new venture and we will continue to work together at VisitScotland to showcase the very best of what the region has to offer.”
For more information on Galloway Escapes, visit: http://www.gallowayescapes.co.uk/
For more information on VisitScotland and how it can support your tourism business, visit www.visitscotland.org
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- dumfries & galloway
- innovation
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
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- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh) 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
