Wigtownshire Ramblers-Meikle Galdenoch Circular

Not having slept well on Friday night and taking the miserable weather into consideration I decided against Saturdays walk,a climb to the summit of Cairnsmore.
Fifteen walkers braved it through the mist,the mud and the rain to reach the summit.It was apparently good for the soul.
Sunday being a much better day weatherwise i met up with fellow ramblers and we proceeded to the start of the walk at Meikle Galdenoch.(Walkers meet up at various rendezvous points and use the least number of vehicles necessary to get to the start point.Great for the environment.)

We arrived at the start just as these horses were being led to or from pasture.


There were nineteen walkers today,and just like on my first walk,all very enthusiastic.Some of todays group members i'd met at Loch Trool,others i met for the first time.My memory for names is my biggest problem,but the more i go the more i'll remember.


The walk took us through the Lochnaw and Meikle Galdenoch estates.Lochnaw Castle,still in use,is the ancestral seat of the Agnews,one-time hereditary sheriffs of Galloway.Galdenoch Tower,in ruins, was the one time home of a ghost dating back to the Covenanters days.Apparently successfully exorcised by one Reverend Marshall.


As on a lot of large estates in Scotland ,deer are farmed and the ones we encountered were very tame.A lot of the walkers stopped to take photographs.


Other animals encoutered were Highland Cattle

A very large hare who seemed momentarily confused and began running towards us,and a herd of goats.I wasn't quick enough to take pictures of these.

Lots of birds around the lochs and lochans

The walk continued over Galdenoch Moors where we had beautiful views over to Ireland and the Mull of Kintyre.
We stopped to refuel overlooking Salt Pans Bay,so named from the procedure of extracting salt from seawater by means of evaporation.Apparently this place has also been the watery grave of a number of vessels,and at low tide the remains of shipwrecks can be seen.I'll be doing a leisurely return here to confirm this fact.


After Salt Pans Bay the walk then followed the rugged coastline in a southerly direction before turning back inland towards the start point.

I was starting to feel it on the last leg of the walk which was a steady slight incline.I wasn't on my own.The walk may have been a mile longer than was first thought,depending on which pedometer was the more accurate.A very enjoyable outing with very good company.
I still have to get myself some decent walking gear,but i will be back for next Saturdays walk whatever the weather.Look out for my St Ninians to the Isle of Whithorn blog.