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U3A members help each other in their learning groups and form strong and meaningful relationships together with a sense of community, social well-being, fellowship and belonging.

The Stewartry U3A currently has about fifty groups and many have re-started face-to-face meetings since Covid restrictions eased. Many are also ready to welcome new members.

Stewartry U3A Guide to joining  groups PDF – Revised January 2020

Contact details for the groups are emailed to members with the monthly newsletter;
non-members please use our contact page to enquire about any group.

If a group has no vacancies your name will be placed on a waiting list.

A-Z Current Groups

Alexander Technique
Castle Douglas Community Centre.
The technique helps us ease aches and pains by recognizing habits developed over the years which put stress on our joints.
AT Teacher Ken Humphreys guides us to move and rest in ways that have a less harmful impact.

Amiable Ramblers 1
Walks are chosen and led by members and are are moderately easy, although the pace is brisk so you need to be reasonably fit to enjoy the 2 hour walks of about 5-6 miles.

Amiable Ramblers 2
Roughly 2 hour walks, about 3-6 miles, sometimes over rough terrain, followed by a cafe lunch.

Art and Hobbies
Castle Douglas Community Centre
We meet from October to April and welcome members who wish to learn new hobbies or improve their existing skills. Hobbies can include a wide range of activities from knitting, crochet, needle felting, pebble pictures to all styles of painting. We are a very friendly group who enjoy sharing our passion for our hobbies. Tea/coffee and excellent scones are available.

Art Appreciation
Meetings vary between visiting exhibitions, local artists or meeting at the house of a member to discuss various topics. Subjects discussed include painting, sculpture, music, textiles, porcelain.

Beaches Clean-up
Our Stewartry U3A area hugs the coastline of both the Solway and Irish Sea.  When the problem of ‘Marine Litter’ and its devastating effect on wildlife was highlighted we realised we were geographically, perfectly situated to do something about it. Not all members can attend every beach clean event but we usually get an excellent turnout and we feel we have made a difference however small.

Birdwatching 1
This group will meet at different venues each month. The arrangements will be planned by members. “We are not all experts though we are enthusiastic and also call in the advice of wardens etc at reserves.”

Birdwatching 2
Visits for the coming months include Caerlaverock for the starling murmuration, and Cream of Galloway and nearby woods for spring birds.  “We are not all experts though we are collectively fairly knowledgeable and also call in the advice of wardens etc at reserves.”

Book Club 1 (Fiction)
Community Centre in Castle Douglas
We discuss one member’s choice of book at each meeting and this has provided an interesting range of books over the year.

Book Club 2  
At members’ homes
New members welcome.

Canasta
Kirkcudbright Community Centre
Canasta card game – meeting at 2pm on the last Monday of the month

Coffee & Discussion
Crossmichael Church Hall
Members put forward topics for discussion.
Members contribute towards the rental of the room and the coffee and biscuits supplied by the hotel.

Cooking & Wine
At members’ homes
Enhancing your cooking skills and try out new recipes.

Film Discussion
At each meeting the films viewed in the preceding months are discussed and the films to be viewed in the next two months are selected.  Members are encouraged to see the films selected on their own or to make arrangements with other group members to see the films before the next meeting.

German Conversation 
German conversation topics.

Leisure Walking Group
Walks of up to an hour each week in different locations in the area.

Line Dancing
Catholic Church Hall, Kirkcudbright
This is suitable for members who wish to have a go at line dancing. No previous experience is necessary.

Local History 1 
Castle Douglas Community Centre
At our indoor meetings members take it in turns, 2 or 3 each month, to talk about an aspect of local history that interests them.  Some months we visit interesting sites in Dumfries and Galloway instead. Recent topics and visits have included some of the Building Biography houses, a project to which some of our members contributed; Gatehouse station and the Crichton Church.

Local History 2
Dalbeattie, Kings Arms Hotel
This is an informal Local History discussion group which will also use visits to historical sites to emphasise the topics.

Lunch Club 2
Friendly meeting and lively conversation over lunch.

Lunch Club 3
Members take turns to pick a lunch venue and make arrangements.

Mahjong
An exciting opportunity to play this unusual game.

Non Fiction Book Group
At members’ homes, Kirkcudbright
The aim of the Non Fiction Book Group is to read and discuss a range of non fiction books chosen by the members. Members of the group all have the opportunity to lead the discussion of any book they recommend.

Play Reading
Kirkcudbright members’ homes

Renaissance
A new group, further details to follow.

Quiz Group
Laurie Arms, Haugh of Urr
A meal at 5:15pm followed by the members present splitting into teams of usually 4 or 5.  Members take it in turns to be Quiz Master for the evening.

Rummikub 
Castle Douglas Parish Church Hall
Rummikub is a tile based game for two to four players and combines elements of the card game rummy and mah-jong. A fun game to play while keeping your brain active.

Science and Nature Discussion Group
Dalbeattie Kings Arms. An informal discussion group on all things natural and scientific.

Science Discussion Group 1
At members’ homes
At each meeting members bring information about some topic that has interested them in the preceding month which is then discussed.  Recent topics have included climate change, antibiotic resistance, fracking, left/right handedness, dark matter,  and a local geological site visit.

Science Discussion Group 2
Rhonehouse Village Hall. Members bring, for discussion, a science related topic which has interested them.

Scrabble Group 1
Kirkcudbright Community Centre

Scrabble Group 2 
Kings Arms Hotel, Castle Douglas.

Spanish Conversation
At members’ homes
For those with some competency in Spanish and who would like to improve their conversational skills, carry out background reading and discuss chosen themes. This group has good Spanish language skills so unsuitable for a complete beginner, however  we would welcome additional members who have learned Spanish in the past and who would like come along and give a session a try.

Sunday Outings
Members take it in turns to suggest and organise an outing to a location of interest.  A lunch or tea is also arranged around the visit.

Table Tennis
Community Centre, Castle Douglas
A sport and exercise, perfect for advancing age. The group will be based in Castle Douglas and will welcome all abilities.

Theatre Group
A group of like minded people looking to share theatre going experiences in reviews, chats and visits.

Transport Matters – Now and Then
The transportation of people and goods has been a key ingredient of the UK economy since the Industrial Revolution more than 200 years ago. Initially transport meant horse and cart, and ships, followed by canals, trains, then steam, petrol and diesel road vehicles, and now electric and hydrogen vehicles; not forgetting aircraft and space travel. This is a vast subject to explore and its understanding offers an insight into its future. The Group meets bi-monthly either to visit venues or hold discussions on relevant transport topics.

Trees and Woodlands 
This reformed group (formerly Plants and Fungi) makes field visits to different locations to find specimens and spend some time in their identification. Activities are geared to take account of the interests of the members.
Here is the U3A/Rotary leaflet on the trees in the Soaperie Gardens

Wine Tasting 
Members homes
We meet to taste and discuss wines selected by a member of the group. The main objective of the group is to introduce members to wines they may not be familiar with or would not select from a supermarket shelf.