Wigtownshire Ramblers-Finnarts Bay to Cairnryan June 2011

It's Saturday the 11th of June 2011.Today's walk takes in much of what we've walked in the past.
November 2009
April 2009

I'm writing the press report,so as usual it'll double as a blog post.
So here we are.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Walk Report

11th June 2011

A lovely sunny morning saw twenty walkers gather at the north car park of Cairnryan to await a bus to Finnarts Bay.Two walkers already on the bus swelled the group to twenty two.

After disembarking, they now took the road leading to the disused Pinney's Fish Factory.

The fish factory was in the news back in 2001 after six workers pocketed a cool £1.1 million each in the national lottery.

After crossing the old bridge that takes the Water of App into Loch Ryan they now followed a farm track through Finnarts Farm.

Next they stopped to view a doocot once associated with Finnarts.Finnarts was a 16th-century mansion house which had an enclosed, planted park by the late 18th century. Around 1930 Finnarts was absorbed into the Glenapp Castle estate. The house was demolished soon after.

They continued on past Altygunnach Glen, recrossing the Water of App and the A77 to Glenapp Church.

Here a surprise awaited the group.Today's walk leader had arranged a visit into the church where Mr Munro Clark told the story of the Honourable Elsie Mackay, Lord Inchcape's pioneering aviatrix daughter.

They were shown old photographs, the guest book of the church's re-opening after the installation of Elsie Mackay's memorial window, and newspaper cuttings.

They also learned of the book "West over the Waves - The story of Elsie Mackay",which featured on BBC's Radio 4 in 2008.

After thanking Mr Clark the group now braved the traffic on the A77 for a short distance before turning into the track leading up towards Wee Leith Hill.

A steady climb saw the walkers gain height till they were able to look back down to Glenapp Church and the rhododendrons on the opposite hill.The rhododendrons once spelled out Elsie, and it's still possible to make out the odd letter.

The sun was still shining as they took a track through the coolness of the forest at Low Mark.

After emerging from the forest they followed the drystane dyke running along the edge of the plantation till they were above Old Park of the Gleick where lunch was taken.

The lunchtime views in the sunshine were far reaching.To the south was the Isle of Man,to the west, the Antrim coast, Donegal and the Mull of Kintyre were prominent.Ferry traffic was non stop.

After lunch they continued south crossing the Galloway burn, the small wooden bridge signifying the border between Ayrshire and Wigtownshire.

An abundance of wild flowers, too numerous to mention, were identified along the route.At one point, wild orchids flourished in numbers.

Next they reached the Taxing Stone on Little Laight Hill.
Believed to be a toll point, the standing stone also marks the burial-place of Alpin the King of Dalriada and father of Kenneth McAlpine, King of the Scots, killed in 741 in Glenapp.

Here also they looked around the remnants of the ww2 Laight Gun Battery.It's remains are fairly intact with the gun mountings still in place.

Above an aerial view from Google Earth  

Laight Taxing Stone and gun battery

They now continued downhill, passing the still prominent foundations of the army billets before stopping to look over the new Stena terminal and jetty, still under construction.

The Otterbank

We were discussing whether this was a dredger or a scallop boat because we couldn't get as close a view until I'd enlarged it on the computer.A closer look shows it to be a Londonderry dredging tug boat.

Now the road down the Bonny Braes brought them back to Cairn Point, the cars, and the end of a lovely walk.

The next walk, on the 18th of June will be a circular B+ grade walk of 9 miles to the summit of Cairnsmore of Fleet by the Door.

Meet at the Breastworks, Stranraer at 9.00am, the Riverside car park Newton Stewart at 9.30am for car sharing, or at the walk start at Cairnsmore Car Park (NX 464 632) at 10.00am.

New members are always welcome, for more information or if going to the walk start, contact the walk leader on 01671 401222