Wigtownshire Ramblers-Stranraer to Loch Magillie

It's Sunday the 28th of December 2008.Todays walk is the last Ramblers walk of the year.It's on the programme as a circular to ' Walk of the Plum Duff 'and takes in a stretch of the Southern Upland Way.
We're a group of eleven today,and we're starting from the dead centre of Stranraer (well the Glebe Cemetery anyway.ha ha)in a south westerly direction.

There's no difficult climbing today,so i'd hoped i'd have no leg trouble today.As it was i did have a bit of bother,but walked it off.The first part of the walk takes us up Gallow Hill.Presumably this was where they hung the sheep stealers and other felons.

We're soon high enough to get a great view up Loch Ryan with Ailsa Craig plumb centre.Continuing on past Hillside Piggery,this is where we join the route of the Southern Upland Way,with a directional change to south easterly.

The local constabulary were following up a report about a group of suspicious looking characters on the roads,but decided we were harmless.(I made that bit up.......about us being harmless that is.)

Now up at Ochtrelure and Ailsa Craig's gone and moved and the Stena HSS is on the way in.

High hedges for the next kilometre or so,and folks were catching up on what their fellow ramblers had been up to at Christmas.

Now over at Spout Wells we deviate a little off the Southern Upland Way and take a short cut.

This is due to the late start and the early sunsets at this time of the year.We're heading in a north easterly direction now.

The absence of photographs over the next few kilometres is due to the fact that the only views worth taking were to the south,directly into a bright sun.
We passed a burn by the name of Black Stank and woods known as Guyon's Brae and Barrack Hill on this stretch.Pleasant enough anyway.

Now at this junction,we're at the outward limit (No mate! not the Outer Limits.I know we get up to some funny things but we're not that bad) of todays walk.

We take a break for a natter and a cuppa here.I take this picture of Loch Magillie through the hedge...

...and a group photo before starting back.

We're heading north west on the old military road now.It takes us through Lime Kiln,Two Mile Howe and passed Rhodora Villa.Here's a collage of some of the interesting parts.

Now as we head up the Black Parks Industrial Estate road,the sun's getting lower.I should do another sunsets project,we get some beautiful ones all over Galloway.

Now we're at the end of the walk at the Black Parks Factory shops.(The Galloway Tea rooms here are to be recommended)
I have time to finish my coffee as the drivers are ferried to the cemetery (To get the cars,silly!).
A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon between Christmas and New Year.Frosty,fine and good company.Lovely.

P.S
Here's an alternative view of Stranraer.