The Sweet Life
Enjoy a family day out at Cream o’ Galloway visitor centre – just don’t forget the ice cream!
THE Finlay family have been farming at Rainton, near Gatehouse of Fleet, since the 1920s. But it was the launch of Finlay’s Cream o’ Galloway ice cream, at the 1994 Royal Highland Show, that turned them into household names.
Today David and Wilma Finlay’s cheerful Cream o’ Galloway visitor centre allows fans to taste some of the magic for themselves with hands-on activities, such as ice cream-making workshops, and all kinds of attractions for guests of every age.
Outside, visitors can enjoy farm tours, hedgerow safaris and pond-dipping excursions.
There are also crazy golf and crazy croquet courses, as well as four miles of signposted nature trails – taking in woodlands, two lochans and a wildlife hide.
The farm went organic in the 1990s and the absence of pesticides and herbicides means an abundance of wildflowers, and habitats where bumblebees, dragonflies and butterflies thrive.
And did we mention there’s ice cream? Lots of ice cream! The visitor centre boasts its very own café and ice cream parlour, serving sundaes and milkshakes, and it’s a lovely place to stop for a bite to eat – whether it’s a log burner or picnic table kind of a day. Visitors can learn more about Cream o’ Galloway’s sister company, The Ethical Dairy, and take part in its day-long cheese-making course. In addition to going organic, it’s the first commercial dairy farm in the UK to switch to a cow-with-calf system, which allows calves to remain with their mothers longer and suckle naturally.
“The ice cream-making and cheese-making courses have been really popular,” says visitor centre manager Beverley Chadband.
“You get to make a litre of ice cream, or two different cheeses, to take home at the end – so it’s great value as well as a great experience.”