The Cross Keys Hotel

I received a warm welcome into this clean and comfortable hotel which is in a beautiful part of Dumfries and Galloway. Yes, it is old fashioned, and it could possibly be classed as ‘quaint’ but what is wrong with that? I and six friends were part of the team running a motorsport event in nearby Forrest Estate, and that involved early starts and late finishes. The weekend which we chose was one selected by our host to be a ‘bed and breakfast only’ weekend with the restaurant and the bar closed throughout the day except for breakfast. The breakfasts were delightfully cooked to order, and for those who had to be out even earlier than breakfast time our host volunteered to provide a packed brunch with fruit, cereal bars and a bottle of water. It was left out the night before and could be collected when leaving for the day’s activities. Many places, if they did provide a packed breakfast, would not have been so generous with the contents. I couldn’t get the TV in my room to work and because I had to be away well before the hotel opened for the day I simply emailed reception during the night and when I got back in the TV was on and working! The only drawback for me and my LandRover friends was the lack of a large car park although there is a small private car park at the rear of the hotel. On-street parking is available but there is competition to get a place if you arrive late. There is a public car park but it is not as close as I would like. The ‘ Bed and Breakfast Only’ situation which existed while we were there suited us very well and as a bonus it allowed us to eat in a variety of local establishments. The hotel is dog friendly and there are two hotel dogs who ensure that they get the attention that they think that they deserve!