DG One is the new leisure complex in Dumfries. They invested millions in this project and it shows…read more Whilst not quite up to the standard of a private leisure complex, it is far better than any other council facility i've visited. There are 3 pools - including a competition sized pool, a pool where the floor lowers for different classes and a kiddie fun pool. There are also flumes and I think some fancy wave machines. I haven't used the pool so can't give you much more than that, but it looks good and has a great viewing area. The complex also has a gym, dance studio, conference rooms, games halls, cafe, bar and steam room/sauna/jacuzzi area. The gym is fantastic and extremely well equipped. There are all the usual cardio machines and plenty of each to limit having to wait. There are also a huge amount of weight machines which look top spec to me. There is a free weights area too. The gym is clean, well laid out and impressive. There are flat screen tvs dotted about but each cardio machine also has it's on screen where you can watch tv, listen to radio or pull up different stats. Plus, there is a system in place where you can log in to the machines and they will record your workout. There is also little touchscreens on the wall where you can log in and book classes or send messages to a trainer. I think this is awesome for a council gym - especially when you consider the all singing all dancing membership is only £35 a month! DG One also runs a number of classes, of which I have been to Step and Aerobics. The studios are in great condition and are well equipped with an excellent air conditioning system to keep you cool. The instructors are a mixed bunch - i've had good and bad. But, I think this is typical of the council (sorry to say). I have not used the games halls but they look great. These rooms also have retractable seating and are used for concerts and events. Again, I have not visited these but have heard good reports. I have used the meeting rooms at DG One and they are really professional. They have smart boards, good quality seating and can offer catering of tea, coffee biscuits etc. This makes for a good facility but again, the staff can let it down. The guys that set up the rooms and those that book them are great. However, I was disappointed with the catering which was late and disrupted the meeting. The sauna/steam room/Jacuzzi area is also impressive for a council building. Bizarrely this is situated on a different floor to the pool so you can't go from one to the other. This suits me as I don't swim but must be really annoying for those that want to use both. I have been told this is to stop kids getting in and I can see the point. However, it must be so frustrating to go for a swim and have to get dressed to go upstairs only to get undressed again for a sauna etc! I haven't visited the cafe or bar. I have heard good reports on the cafe but have never seen anyone in the bar. Overall, DG One is a fantastic looking complex with great facilities and all reasonably priced. So why a low rating, well. DG One was severely delayed in opening and when it did there were mega problems. So many parts of the complex have been broken, closed, had accidents reported that it has become a bit embarrassing. Only recently, a sign fell on a child's head! Now, I understand any new building will have teething problems but these have been badly dealt with, terribly communicated and often avoidable. As a member, I have never been told of the problems and received no apology. Only when I arrive do I see out of order signs. In addition, the levels of cleanliness at times can be atrocious. I have stopped using the sauna/steam room area after visiting 4 nights in a row and seeing the same mucky marks on the floor. It clearly wasn't even getting a basic clean down! The staff are also a mixed bunch. While those in the gym have always been great to me. Some of the receptionists have no customer service skills and by what i've seen, the cleaners can't be very good. This is typical of a council facility and it is really frustrating. DG One could be fantastic if the staff and the organisation just took a bit of pride in the building and showed it some respect. Unfortunately, I don't think this will happen and I hate to be cynical but I bet it will be in tatters in no time through sheer neglect.

Dumfries has needed something like this for a long time. The swimming pool is sooo much better than…read morewhat we used to have, but could've been better. The competion pool (main pool) could really have done with being much larger, at least 50%. On Saturday mornings the place is crammed. On weekday mornings there is, at the moment, a large area set aside for schools, which is great for them but not for those of us wishing to swim in a straight line without bumping into other swimmers. There have been many teething problems, part of the changing areas have been cordoned off for whatever reason but on the whole its great, especially after what we'd been used to

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! I don't know how much squeeee I can put into a review. This was…read morejust so much fun. I'm not a city girl by any means, but I'm also not a country girl. Yeah, I've been around animals a lot, but not those of the barnyard variety, so I am oh so terribly fond of Sheep, Goats, Ponies, Donkeys and the like. My Scotsman knows this and so he took me to the Mabie Farm Park. Think Petting zoo, but to the extreme. When you pay your small entry fee under $10, you walk the path, past a trio or was it a quad of adorable animals begging for food, so you feed them. The buck toothed alpaca is just adorable, you don't want to give them everything, so you meander inward, over the cobblestone bridge and into the interactive play area. There are bunnies, ferrets and other wee fuzzy bits that are elligible to be petted and talked about. There's a sign that tells you what times the demos are. Next are the big piggies, who snore loudly and are just as you think of pigs.. They're not in any hurry to move about for you. It was a hot Scottish summer day when I visited, so I don't blame them. From there, its into the Goat and sheep pen with a few calves peppered in for extra cuteness. There was so much squee in the barns I really had a hard time processing it. There were go-karts, a swing pit with hay to land into. Some various quarter style rides. Then the back fields held larger animals who either were bullies in their pens (That one white mule) or just insanely full of adorbe. The mule rides were very popular. Besides the animals, there are a bouncy house, jump pads (the floor of a bouncy house), two different ground slides, one which you ride a little wooden scooter down, swing sets, big wheels to ride, paddle boats, though the pond is a bit low. I KNOW I'm missing something, I just know it. Lets just say, take your kids there, take anyone there who's young at heart. it's totally worth the spend.

More of a childrens playground than a farm. There were certainly farm animals there, goats, sheep,…read morehorses and donkeys. But most of the entertainment came from the bouncy castles, the huge slides where the children sat on little plastic trays to slide down the hill. There were also donkeys separate from the others doing donkey rides. It rained the day we went so we avoided the dirt buggies, but other people were using them and they certainly lived up to the dirt name. A good day out for everyone, and definitely worth the money.

This could be a brilliant place to take the children, but each time i have been there with my…read morechildren, there are older children speed skating and banging in to the non skaters, and its really dangerous. Loads of teenagers, just standing around, so your children need to skate round them, and the staff are just there to chat to their mates. I think it needs a new management team in there to make it more of a pleasure

Brilliant place for kids to go but not very happy they change times and not the web site my…read moregrandchildren travelled by train from carlisle for a day out ,just to be told iceskating had been changed 2-3 when they were there 12-2 like it said on website only had 1 hour on ice long way to go for an hours fun

Decent little soft play area for kids. Staff are friendly and new Roja coffee is good. Staff don't…read moresupervise children however so you need to keep an eye for other kids playing rough or not paying attention to younger children around them.

Excellent independent sports shop that stocks all the best sporting kit. Much better service and…read moreprices than the bigger sports outlets. The staff are great and know exactly what they are talking about. Despite being a small shop, they carry top brands and a large stock in all sporting interests. My advice would be to visit here first if you are looking for good kit and decent prices. Recommended by me who supports small local business in Dumfries.

this is just round the corner from my house, so pretty handy…read more its basically the sports unit that dumfries high school uses, but the facilities are pretty good, combined with those available at the newer DGOne and the king george the fifth means that dumfries has some fantastic sporting facilities. the best bit about the keswick is the running track, which is up to proper athletics standards.

My gf is really good at pleasuring other girls, which is why they call her the "Queen Of The…read moreSouth." Ahem. First-Hand Experience: I have yet to see QOTS play at their home stadium, although I've walked on the Palmers turf. I have seen them play away from home, both in a friendly, and in a Scottish league game way up north, which they lost heavily. I liked that they fought until the bitter end, even when they were three goals down with three minutes to play, they were battling as if the entire game was still on the line. I really appreciated that, and it helped me give them four stars. It's always different when you see a team play live, in person. They were founded in 1919 and though you wouldn't guess it to see their name, they are the team of Dumfries, which is a part of Scotland that is closer to England and Ireland than Glasgow or Edinburgh or the Highlands. They play to nearly 9k fans. Queen Of The South is the only football club mentioned in the Bible. Luke 11:31 states "The Queen of the South shall rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them..." and later refers to the Queen Of The South as The Queen Of Sheba, who sounds kind of cute. However, " In 2005 the issue was investigated by The Guardian website in their series "The Knowledge" who also found full references to Arsenal, Bury and Reading as well as partial references to "hearts", "wolves", "forest", "hammer", "spurs" and "man's field"." Pretty hilarious stuff. They once beat local rivals Stranraer 11-1 - pretty impressive. They have the highest remaining terrace in Scottish football. They once finished 4th in the top division, and were Scottish Cup runners up in 2008.

Queens are my local footie team and I've supported them since I was a little lad…read more Theyve done impressively well in the last year or so, getting to their first ever scottish fa cup final....a massive achievement for a fairly small club. check out the website http://www.qosfc.com mon the queens