Outdoors: Galloway Activity Centre

But it can also be exhilarating. Trying to navigate backwards, racing my nieces, my voice lost in the wind and their laughter, it's fantastic fun, even when you're hauling yourself out of the water for the umpteenth time.

We had arrived at the shores of Loch Ken and the Galloway Activity Centre, ten miles outside Castle Douglas, the previous evening. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the Galloway Forest Park trees on the banks opposite, yet the water was still alive with the sound of people determined to master their chosen activity before darkness fell.

Catering for families, individuals and groups, the centre provides tuition to suit all abilities, from instructor-led courses for novices to simple equipment hire for the more experienced.

There is a range of accommodation available too; you can pitch your own tent, stay in a log cabin, or book in at the bunkhouse lodge. My wife and our nieces Stacey, 16, and Brogan, 13, decided to stay in the Mongolian yurt, overlooking the loch.

Inside the large circular yurt there is enough room to sleep six, thanks to two double and two single sofa beds, which encircle a central wood-burning stove. To the right of the entrance was an electric hob and toaster, plates and cutlery. Making ourselves at home, we lit the wood burner and played card games until we dozed off in front of the crackling fire.

Waking early as the first rays of sunshine spilled into the yurt, we got dressed and stumbled down to the wash area. With its cafe, television and internet access, the main building provides a central hub to the camp. The staff made us feel very welcome and after a cooked breakfast we were ready for action.

Not all activities take place on the water. There's archery, a high tower climbing wall and mountain biking, and we opted for the popular forest laser quest. Quickly making friends with two other families taking part, we were soon running through the trees firing laser shots at each other. It's great fun and a lot less messy and painful than paintball.

After a quick bite to eat we decided to squeeze into some wetsuits (perhaps we should have thought twice about doing this after lunch) and hit the water. Oars in hand, we waddled down to the shore for a beginners' kayaking lesson. Put through our paces in various games and races by our instructor, it was great fun, especially attempting to balance on an overturned kayak, while trying to rock your opponent off into the water. When we returned to dry land an hour later we were exhausted, and ready for dinner.

A five-minute drive north took us to the Ken Bridge Hotel, a 17th-century coaching inn. The relaxing atmosphere and superb home-style cooking were just what we needed and we devoured our meals while reliving the day's events, before returning home to our cosy yurt for an early night.

The next morning, we headed west to one of southern Scotland's 7 Stanes mountain biking centres, Ae Forest, to try out some of the trails with instructor and guide Clive Forth. While we all have bikes, we are fairly new to off-road riding, and downhill courses can sometimes seem daunting to families out for a leisurely ride. So having our personal route chosen for us was fantastic. Clive's knowledge of the local area and history made the ride not just fun, but educational. The longer we were out, the more our confidence grew, and as soon as we arrived back at the base for a well-earned drink in the cafe, we promised to make a return visit.

Passing through the gates of Drumlanrig Castle and country estate – home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, set inside 90,000 acres of Dumfrieshire countryside north of Thornhill – we prepared ourselves for our fifth mode of transport in two days.

A Land Rover Discovery tour runs daily from the main house, and we all climbed aboard to give our legs a welcome rest.

From the panoramic views from high on the Lowther Hills to the deepest dark forests and over the babbling River Nith, the Land Rover gave us a surprisingly peaceful last look at this very active part of southern Scotland.

The Facts

A night in the yurt at Galloway Activity Centre costs 80. For more details of activities and accommodation, visit www.lochken.co.uk See www.ae7.co.uk for mountain bike tuition at Ae Forest.

For more information about mountain biking in Dumfries and Galloway visit http://eat-sleep-ride.com. Drumlanrig Castle gardens are open daily until 24 October. The Land Rover Discovery tour costs 15/10. For more details, visit www.drumlanrig.com

• This article was first published in The Scotsman on October 09, 2010