After its successful launch in 2021, the Barhill Woodland Festival is back! 10-3pm on Saturday and Sunday this weekend will see a whole range of free and family-friendly activities, from Viking Crafts through to tours and beastie hunts, in the beautiful Barhill Community Woodland on the outskirts of Kirkcudbright.
The festival is led by the Kirkcudbright Development Trust and Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities volunteers, supported by the Galloway Glens Scheme. There will be an amazing line-up of drop-in and bookable events available over the long weekend, with something for everyone. There will be children’s art and story-telling stations, guided tours about the history and wildlife of the woods, hands-on whittling stations, spoon-carving classes, a poetry exhibition and more. Some friendly Vikings will be joining us to show off their skills and craft.
Full details of the weekend’s timetable of events will be published shortly on www.kirkcudbright.town and www.gallowayglens.org. A suggested donation of £1 by participants would support future years of the festival. Organisers are grateful to Forestry and Land Scotland for their support of all community activities in this important woodland.
Kirkcudbright volunteer Rob Asbridge, the driving force behind the festival, said:
“We are delighted to be holding the Barhill Woodland Festival again after the huge success of last year’s festival. There will be the same mix of traditional woodland crafts, children’s events and family entertainment and most of the events are free. New events include Clive Chandler’s traditional Punch & Judy show running 3 times a day and on Sunday Owl Magic will be here with a display of some of their many birds and if you are very lucky and quiet one might even sit on your arm. Other events include a Wildlife photography course, fire making, have-a-go woodland art, interactive storytelling, Viking crafts, tree identification walks, Pine Martens in Galloway talk, evening light show, live music, and many other things to watch and do.”
Jan Hogarth, Galloway Glens Education & Community Engagement Officer, added:
“The Galloway Glens is delighted to be supporting this enchanting family friendly outdoor woodland festival which brings together a playful mix of activities including performance, skills linked to photography, storytelling, Viking crafts and nature science skills. There will be fun for all the family as Barhill opens up its magic to our young people and their families.”
The Galloway Glens Scheme is funded by a range of partners, including an award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and support from Drax, the owners of the Galloway Hydro Scheme. Martin McGhie, Drax’s operations and maintenance manager at the Galloway Hydro Scheme, said:
“We’re proud to support community events such as the Barhill Woodland Festival through the Galloway Glens Scheme. This community woodland has an education shelter and red squirrel hide right on the edge of Kirkcudbright, making it a really accessible learning resource for the town. The woodland festival will benefit the whole community, creating a great opportunity for everyone to visit.”
Kirkcudbright Development Trust (KDT) is a community run and managed registered charity. It has been formed as an umbrella organisation to help a wide range of local groups secure funding to develop new and improved community projects for the Kirkcudbright and DG6 area. www.kdt.org.
The Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities team provide a variety of entertainment in the town and surrounding area throughout the year. Over 40 years, they have supported or created the Galloway Children’s Festival, Kirkcudbright Country Fair, The Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail and Kirkcudbright’s Famous Food Festival, plus monthly markets and the spectacular Tattoo in August.
The Galloway Glens is a 5-year project funded by a range of partners including Drax and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, based in the Stewartry region of Dumfries and Galloway. Its remit is to connect people to their heritage and to support modern rural communities. www.gallowayglens.org
