Wigtownshire Ramblers Stranraer Circular December 2011

I will write an account of this walk later.
.....and here I am.
Saturday the 3rd of December 2011.
Sixteen walkers set out from the Breastworks Car Park in Stranraer for the walk.
It's a walk we've done a couple of times before.
January 2009
August 2009
Today's walk has been extended a little and will be ten miles.

A happy gang set out in a south easterly direction.It's the same start as we used for our last Castle Kennedy walk

We take the 'Approach and Ladies Walk' to reach the ruins of Culhorn House.

Here we join the Southern Upland Way which we'll follow to Knockquahassan Reservoir.

Birds and cattle were predominant throughout the walk.

I've photographed this old car a few times.I guess it's beyond repair now.

Ducks,Seagulls,Lapwings and Curlews were identified by our newest birder, a volunteer with the R.S.P.B
So as well as knowing the breeds of sheep,we should now have no problem with the flighted creatures.

Continuing along the SUW,we cross the major road of the A716,and the embankment of the old Portpatrick railway line.

A slight incline brings us up to Ochtrelure.
A farm with the same pronunciation keeps the local supermarkets well stocked.
Auchtralure Eggs

The Hillside Piggeries,( now a garage and poultry farm) and Greenfield came next.

On reaching Knockquhassan Reservoir a lunch break was taken.With a cold wind blowing, shelter was sought behind a drystone wall.

At this point we've left the SUW.

After lunch we ascend  the small hill north of the reservoir....

..........this is the hill that gave my Ayrshire fellow blogger his nickname.This is Slewtrain Hill.
You can keep up to date with Slew on his blog here.
Ayrshire 'appenings

From the radio mast on Slewtrain it's downhill all the way to the Dindinnie reservoir.On the way we pass fields and pens of sheep and cattle and the working quarry adjacent to the reservoir.
 

Dindinnie farm comes next.We get glimpses of Loch Ryan now.

The new Stena terminal at Cairnryan is now operational and we see both the P & O and Stena Ferries.

A full zoom shows this to be one of the two new Superfast Series that have just recently arrived.
Interested in the technical details ? Look here Stena Superfast V11

Now back on tarmac we pass the water filter station and Auchneel to reach the A718 road.
We make straight for Loch Ryan's shore, keeping an eye open for wayward golf balls as we cross a part of the local links.
 

A short beach walk brings us to McCulloch Point where our leader again gives us a short history lesson.
Flocks of starlings are ducking and diving as we near the harbour.

I take a couple of pictures of the Lantic for Shorty who remembers the captain from some time back.

A long walk with a lot of road walking but with plenty to see and the weather was kind to us.