The Glebe Blog: Wigtownshire Ramblers-Port Logan Circular Feb 2010

It's Saturday the 20th of February 2010,and todays walk is an 11 mile circular from Port Logan.

We're a group of twenty two walkers as we set off from the harbour.The BBC Series '2000 Acres of Sky' was filmed here.It starred Michelle Collins and Paul Kaye.
Info here
Two Thousand Acres_of Sky

We're heading east by zig-zagging over farm track and country roads.We begin along the track between the Muldaddie and Mcdonalds hills. Snowdrops,Shetland Ponies,curious cattle and exotic trees on the outreaches of the Logan Botanical Gardens are seen on the way.

We see a large flock of crows swooping over a rookery as we make our way towards the eastern side of the South Rhins.Birds are a big feature of todays walk.

We reach Luce Bay by the chalets at New England bay.A Second World War emergency landing strip runs alongside.It's very quiet at this time of the year.Talking to a local rambler,the main road at the height of the caravanning season can be tailed back for miles as the arriving caravans vie for the best pitches.
On the beach we head north.It's quite a stony beach,but not as bad as the Glasserton stretch was last week.Coastal erosion has left layered six foot high banks showing the strata of differing time periods.

We reach Portacree where we take a breather.

The ruins are of a 17th century windmill.According to one knowledgeable rambler it was used for grinding corn.Here's what Scotlands Places say.
Logan Windmill

Now we begin to head back inland.Logan House is visible in the distance.This was the best zoom i could get.A protective bull guards his sole mate.

St Agnes’ church,once a chapel for Logan House is under restoration.

We disturbed these geese,but at the last sighting of them they'd completed a large circle and were once again preparing to land in the same field.

Disturbing more wildlife,it was interesting to note that the deer and the hare seemed to keep the same pace until they disappeared from view.

Reaching the Rossan Knowes and Long Rigg plantations we stopped for lunch.A fair pace has been kept up,and the rest is welcome.
After lunch it's across the main Drummore road towards Auchness.

Auchness Castle is a 16th Century Tower house.Three storeys high it was a MacDouall family stronghold.Still occupied,it was converted into a farmhouse in the 19th century.

Another flock of geese were disturbed as we reached Logan Mains where a colourful variety of domestic fowl were photographed.

Old gate posts from what may have been a 'Ladies Walk' were passed as we got our first sighting of Port Logan again.A few walkers including myself thought we might be no more than half an hour away...appearances can be deceptive,it would take us another hour and forty five minutes to complete the walk.

This 'Folly' on Mull Hill was our next objective.Not a lot documented about this tower,but it looks like it was once more substantial.Now we've great views over to the Mountains of Mourne.
N.B. For the attention of Slew,just north of here is a 'Slewdown'.Needs investigating at some later date.

Now we head down to the Mull of Logan,and the coastal path which we'll stay on till we reach the end of the walk.

Again the birds flock high above us.A £ for every bird today would make a tidy sum.

A mile or so north is a cliff arch,known as the Devils Bridge.This apparently is its smaller relative known as Little Bridge.

More deer are disturbed as we zigzag along the clifftops.
Passing Robertsons Bay and Clanghie Bay the site of a Roman fort is noted.

Thanks to this weeks press report author for the following passage,and other snippets of information.
An old boathouse was originally reached by a path which linked to the Ladies’ walk, a road built to convey rock blasted to make the Logan fishpond by French prisoners of war in 1800, an innovative construction for the supply of fresh fish to the big house. The rock excavated was used to construct a wall around the gardens. The same walk was later used to let the ladies of the house reach their bathing hut, along past the fishpond, in relative privacy.

The skeleton was thought to be that of a porpoise,but i was wondering whether it could be a dolphin.