Wigtownshire Ramblers-Palnure to Creetown

It's Saturday the 20th of December 2008.
Today's walk is one of the shortest and easiest ones on the programme.It's from Palnure to Creetown returning the same route.

Sixteen of us meet up at the Cairnsmore Hill Climb car park.
Heading south from the Graddoch Bridge we follow the Old Military road.This is a tarred track-it's part of the 7 Stanes cycle routes-so it's hard underfoot.We head past Cuil and Blairs Woods,with open views over the Cree valley.My right leg decides to play me up today.
Most of the way we can see the traffic on the A75 euro route.I'd like a £ for every McBurney lorry i've seen along here.It's overcast today and there's rain forecast for later,but it's dry at the moment.There's quite a variety of cattle today.There's Royal Bank of Scotland waymarkers along here,I think i've mentioned these waymarkers before.(There's no truth in the rumour that they intend to collect all their waymarkers and smelt them down to raise capital).
We reach the old A75 into Creetown.A few hundred yards along we're heading past these very excitable water buffalo.Our timing couldn't be better as the farmer feeds them.He's keeping them in the pen while we walk through the field beyond.These belong to the Barholm Mains Open farm,which has a wide variety of animals and is open to the public.
Now we reach Barholm Mains.It's a nice wee house.
Once through the Barholm estate,we're into Creetown.

For a small place Creetown has a lot going for it.It has a well established annual country music festival.Creetown Country Music Festival
Some wonderful walks and woodlands.Creetown Walks
And where we're heading is the Prospectors Pantry Cafe,part of the Gem Rock Museum
Most of the ramblers took advantage of the delicacies on offer here.I really must have a look in the museum sometime.We had a nice long lunch break today.All good things must come to an end though,and it was soon time to retrace our steps.
Back on the road this was where a horse watering trough was located.The sign says 'A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.Prov.12.10'
It's raining by the time we're back at Graddoch Bridge.I'd walked of my painful calf muscle,but wouldn't you believe it,it's back for the last stretch.I needed the walk though,and i'll do this one again in the sunshine.