Walkfest-The Woods of Bargaly Glen

I'm doing my first walk in this years walk festival.Shorty's the walk leader.
This is what the programme says.
Monday 9th May-The Woods of Bargaly Glen-Distance: 12km-£ 8-Ascent: 350m-Ref 4-2
Route Summary
This is a delightful woodland circuit on either side of the Palnure Burn starting at Cairnsmore car park using existing paths and tracks that meander along the lower slopes of Ardwell and Blairbuies' Hills into Bargaly Glen past Craignine and through Kirroughtree Forest to finish at the Forestry Commission's visitor centre. A forestry expert will lead this walk.
Map OS Explorer 319

After registration a hire bus takes us to Strathmaddie by the Cairnsmore Estate for the walk start.
There's a few familiar faces including a couple of Wigtownshire Ramblers.There's a total of 25 walkers for this one.
Scattered showers are forecast and it's quite cloudy.

The old mill and byres at Strathmaddie are the first point of interest.A gradual incline got us up to a height where we were able to look back on the Cree estuary.

Through the Greenheights plantation now and we're opposite the medieval motte on Machars Hill.

We continue north across the fields of Bardrochwood where we get views of the Minnigaff Hills and our walk leader identifies them all.

Leaving the moors we now head east through the forest to reach the lower Cairnsmore forest track.
Our leader can remember pre forestry here.
He was instrumental in the augmentation of most of the forest up here.
Waterproofs are donned as a fairly heavy shower descends.

We've reached the Mill burn.We'll take lunch here.

Luckily the rain stays off while we eat.

Newts are spotted in a very large puddle along the forest track.There's about ten or a dozen trying to camouflage themselves.

Next we drop down through the forest again to join the track east of Bargaly farm at Craig Heads.From here we head north passing Barhoise Hill on our left.
A junction at a disused quarry now takes us down to the Palnure side opposite where I'd been a few posts back, The Gorge

Reaching Bargaly farm there's a lot of activity with cattle.

The farmers at Bargaly are well known for their prize bulls.
These below will be heading for the Royal Highland Show next month.

Now we reach Bargaly Bridge.After yesterday's spate the water's flowing a little calmer today.

Bargaly Bridge

Craignine farm fields next.
Belted Galloway with calves.

The young ones are cute.

The last stretch takes us through the forest to Kirroughtree where tea and cakes are consumed by many of the walkers.

Good timing with the bus and we're soon back at Dashwood Square.