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Win a Holiday to the Dumfries & Galloway Coast
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Aim
Discover the stunning Dumfries & Galloway coastline and the wildlife of RSPB Mersehead, whilst supporting RSPB Scotland
RSPB Scotland - Nature of Scotland Awards Prize Draw
With its stunning vistas, beautiful beaches and magical haven for breeding waders, wintering waterfowl and year-round bird and wildlife-watching, the Dumfries & Galloway coastline is just waiting to be explored.
This year, one lucky winner of our Nature of Scotland prize draw will win a seven-night stay at the beautiful Barnacle self-catering farm cottage within RSPB Mersehead nature reserve for up to four people. Surrounded by the scenic northern shores of the Solway Estuary, the large skies and seascapes give a feeling of real escape. The whole area is a sanctuary for wildlife, including natterjack toads, barnacle geese and lapwings.
As part of your prize, you will also have a personal tour of RSPB Mersehead with our reserve team, guiding you with fascinating facts and help to spot the wildlife which make this area so special. Plus, with your base at RSPB Mersehead, we have three other RSPB nature reserves you could visit: Wood of Cree, Crook of Baldoon and at Scotland’s most southerly point, the Mull of Galloway, all to be admired.
The Prize
Barnacle cottage is a semi-detached traditional stone farm cottage with private off-road parking and has a breath-taking beach just a one-mile walk away, perfect for building sandcastles and driftwood lodges or taking a relaxed stroll. The cottage has two bedrooms (one double, one twin), all amenities for self-catering, internet, an open fire and pets are allowed. Managed by Discover Scotland, Barnacle cottage has received 4.8/5 feefo reviews and is extremely popular. This is a real break away for the family or friends - or you could even just take the whole cottage for yourself! Why not, a few good books, quiet evenings by the fire… sounds bliss.
The lucky winner of the prize draw will be offered one of two reserved dates for 2026 – either week beginning 3rd April 2026 or week beginning 16th October 2026. Both of these dates are in prime holidays, so even more reason to enter and have a very special holiday.
The cottage is located on the scenic northern shore within RSPB Mersehead, an extensive wetland nature reserve internationally important for the population of wintering Svalbard Barnacle geese and wildfowl. In the spring, the evening air is alive with sound of displaying Lapwing and the distinctive chorus the UK's rarest amphibian, the Natterjack toad. In the autumn and winter, migrating birds and huge flocks of Barnacle geese are the main attraction.
So if you’re a fan of the excitement of spring, and want to watch Lapwings courting, and hear the toads singing, then the week beginning 3rd April 2026 is for you. But, if you love it when the leaves are falling, the geese are coming in, and the starling murmuration is wowing the crowds, then the week starting 16th October 2026 might suit you better.
Mersehead beach is stunning in itself and in the addition to the wonders of nature, a vast array of attractions and history are waiting to be discovered in the area.
Without doubt, a week spent surrounded in the stunning nature of Dumfries and Galloway will be a week of pure relaxation.
Not included in the prize:
- Travel to/from the accommodation or around Dumfries & Galloway.
- Meals - Barnacle cottage is self-catering.
*The choice of which one of the two dates on offer you'd like to stay must be decided by 18th January 2026. (see T&Cs)
Top Entry bundle includes special limited-edition pin-badge
Our top entry bundle of 50 entries into the prize draw, includes a guaranteed limited edition Friends of Abernethy Silver Crested bird pin-badge.
The Nature of Scotland Awards recognise the very best in Scottish nature conservation. It's a celebration of the inspirational people, projects, groups, and organisations working hard to protect Scotland’s precious natural heritage. And it's your opportunity to support RSPB Scotland's work and experience Scotland's exceptional environment for yourself.
The evidence is clear, half of UK species are in decline and over one in ten are threatened with extinction. Some of the recent extreme weather events around the world, including heatwaves, wildfires and flooding, remind us that climate change is not a future problem, but is already unfolding around us. We are in a nature and climate emergency, and we need urgent action to restore our natural world by protecting wild spaces and halting wildlife decline.
Scotland, a country world-famous for its wildlife and landscapes, was recently found to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Whilst much of this loss of nature is historical, we are still losing nature now: since 1970 half of our species have declined, with one in nine at risk of national extinction.
We need to act now, or it may soon be too late to save some of our precious creatures and habitats. Will you help RSPB Scotland to protect our wonderful environment?
This project successfully funded on 15th December 2025