Palnure

The Palnure Burn flows through Bargaly Glen.
I took a walk on Monday the 4th August looking for walk ideas.
I took a few pictures.
A belted galloway at Bardrochwood.

A peacock butterfly.

Horses at Corwar.

A Heron at Corwar.

The Palnure Burn.

The wonderfully 'cooling for tired feet' Palnure

Loch Maberry and the Bladnoch

A while back someone suggested i should do a YouTube feature on the River Bladnoch from Loch Maberry to it's outlet at Wigtown Bay.Yesterday i thought i'd make a start by taking a few pictures.

Loch Maberry lies on the Ayrshire,Dumfries and Galloway border.
I began my walk at Barloch Wood heading south on the eastern side of the loch.

Behind me as I set of was a lovely view over to the Galloway Hills with Loch Dornal in the foreground.

Plenty of lovely views of the loch including a fish watching heron.Doesn't sound right that does it.Maybe the fish were watching the heron,but what i meant was the heron was looking for his dinner.

Barloch Wood is coniferous with the occasional deciduous patch.

This ford in the track appears to be the first easily accessible part of the river.

The track now passes Drumshalloch Loch nearly covered in lily pads.

After a short walk from here,the track turns south and rejoins the river.

For the next few hundred yards the river becomes a series of deep and wide pools and a myriad of riverside plants and insects.

I decide to stop for a coffee here.It really is beautiful and although there are lots of midges around they're not bothering me.
There's been no significant rain for a few days.I think staying close to the river could be difficult when wet,but at the moment it's up to taking my weight.
Eventually the river narrows and becomes shallow again and here i start back the way i've come.

This lovely creature allowed me to take a couple of pictures,but didn't like the look of the video camera.He or she could certainly get some height bounding into the trees.This whole walk reminds me of walking in Swan Hills Alberta.The only thing missing is the beaver dams and the moose.
Back at the car,i head back down the B7027 and turn along the unclassified road that is part of the Southern Upland Way.

Here just past Waterside farm at the Tannylaggie Bridge I take a few more pictures of the Bladnoch heading south.
A couple probably about the same age as me are walking the Southern Upland Way.They've got from Castle Kennedy to here and are stopping for the night at Knowe.I hope it stays good weather for the rest of their walk.I might just take up the challenge sometime.

Monreith Walk

It's Saturday the 10th of May,and i'm going on a walk today with some Wigtownshire ramblers who for one reason or another haven't booked walks on the Newton Stewart Walking Festival.
I wont be adding much information to this particular blog,as i'll probably be looking more in depth in a future blog of the numerous standing stones and cup and ring marks that are all over this area.

Eleven walkers met up at the Monreith Car Park on Luce Bay.
This will be an easy circular walk taking in the Monreith Estate of the Maxwell family, of whom Gavin Maxwell the author of 'Ring of Bright Water' was a member.

A left turn in Monreith village...

...and we're soon into the beautiful rolling countryside.The Bluebells are in full bloom now.

Over here are the 'Wrens Nest' standing stones.Not visiting today.

This route takes us alongside the wonderfully named hill 'Fell of Barhullion'.That's a future project-I believe i'll get lovely views over Luce Bay from there.

Like most small lochs or Lochans around Wigtownshire,swans are nesting.

This Cabbage White allowed me to get this macro shot.

On the Monreith to Whithorn road we decided to lunch at the Drumtroddan standing stones.A really beautiful spot.

Now more than halfway along our six mile route we're walking through Monreith Estate.
The White Loch of Myrton is on our right side.The one picture i took of it was blurred.
The remains of Myrton Castle were slightly obscured by a washing line.Not suitable for this blog.

There's wild garlic everywhere.

Now it looks like the swamps of the Everglades.

A glimpse of Monreith House.

And now out of the estate and back towards Monreith village.


Sheep and cattle dominate the landscape of agricultural Galloway,and these lovely creatures at Barsalloch seemed happy to pose for pictures.
A very enjoyable walk.

Bargaly

After a couple of days tidying the garden and shaking off the bug that laid me low,I decided to make the best of the weather with a walk today. Bargaly Glen with the Palnure burn running through it is beautiful anytime of year. Today i decided to take a walk through Bargaly Woods,part of the Galloway Forest Park. The wild flowers are out in force,and the blubells put me in mind of the Blubell Polka by Jimmy Shand 'Picking the Bluebells in the Merry Month of May'. I cant think how long it is since i heard it. The track through the woods appears to have been neglected.Fallen trees across it's path are in abundance(Coming back a different route to where i'd parked the car,i did spot a No Admittance notice-so perhaps it's closed and i shouldn't be here) At a junction in the track I decided to climb above the woods towards Craig Heads. Lovely views from here of Cairnsmore.... ....and the local woolly families seemed quite oblivious to my presence.
Reaching the burn above Bargaly Farm i began my descent.
There's been no rain since sunday,so there's not a lot of water about.The sounds of the tumbling water though mingled with bird song is an aural pleasure and i decided this would be a nice spot to open my flask of coffee.

The problem with being in a spot of such tranquility is that it cant be bottled and taken home.Time to move.
On the farm track now to Bargaly farm and approaching the farm there's a bull eying me.I'm quickly through the gate to safety.
Down past the barking collies and to the farmhouse where i get in conversation with the farmer.He's got lots of bulls,takes them all over to the agricultural shows.
I think it's his son who's with him moving a couple of bulls into a field.
Soon time to move again,don't want to hold up the workers.

This handsome pair posed for the camera.

Now i'm walking alongside the Palnure burn and the sun's just gone behind a cloud

I did a youtube video of the Palnure Burn.It was filmed on the first day of November last year when there was a lot more water about.
Our rivers up here in Galloway never disappoint-gently flowing or in torrential spate they've got character.
Now after crossing the Bargaly and Graignine bridges i'm back onto a tarmac road and at the entrance to Bargaly House.For more info have a look at
http://www.bargaly.net/index.htm
For a secluded holiday cottage look no further.
In fact i've just noticed that they've linked their fishing page to my aforementioned Palnure Burn video.Fame at last.

It's possible that these lovely horses also belong to the Bargaly estate.

And now i'm nearing the end of my walk and the thought comes to mind that this pole's been up a long time!?or is that the time it was erected.Ach please yerself at least i've had a nice walk.

Billy Marshalls Cave

I'm hoping my pulled muscle has recovered enough to be able to join the Ramblers in the Galloway Hills this weekend.With that in mind i decided i'd try a walk up to Billy Marshalls Cave on the slopes of Cairnsmore.
A neighbour of mine had suggested this was a scenic walk on a good day,so with my rucksack and camera ready i set off.
My walk was to start around Dallash and Corwar on the Palnure burn.
The road down to the Palnure burn was a bit rough,but after safely negotiating the potholes i parked just above Corwar.

After crossing the Palnure,I needed to follow the Louran Burn up through the Forest quite a way.So first i had to find it.
A helpful local dogwalker pointed me in the right direction.



Crossing a field with these lovely horses in took me to the Louran.It looks like they're breeders down here.I saw more in another field on my return.

The weathers nice and dry,and as i start to gain height i begin to see nice views behind me.I can see the Murray Monument from here...

...and look back down to Corwar

The water in the Louran is crystal clear,i see a small trout and wonder how far up the burn they go.

I remember catching fish a long way up the Cuilcagh Mountain over in Ireland.
I guddled(tickled) trout as a wee boy and there's one memory that always sticks in my mind.Me and my cousins Tony and Eddie had been guddling in the river Eden and with our catch dangling at our sides on reeds,we spotted PC Bobby Brunton heading our way.Quickly into the bushes we hid the trout and quickly back out we waited for him to pass.As he came up to us we tried to appear normal but he must have suspected.'Have you been guddlin' he said.'No' we said with one voice.'You better not have,cause if i find you have i'll have to lock you up'.We never went back that day,but the following day they'd vanished.We suspected PC Bobby Brunton dined on trout the night before.

There's not a great volume of water in the burn,but what there is produces some lovely tumbling waterfalls.



Some,where the rock is obviously hard,where the water just slides over it.

And at one point i come to what i'd call a ravine where centuries of running water have gouged a 30 or 40ft gash in the ground.

Now i'm above the forest with views over the other Galloway hills.

And somewhere among these rocks on the right is Billy Marshalls Cave.

I start searching among the rocks for any would be caves.

This isn't a cave but that big rock on top looks kinda precarious.Better not disturb it.It's a bit iffy scrambling over these rocks.The camera doesn't show how steep parts of it are.I'd better be careful.

There's lots of contenders for would be caves,but none fitted the bill for me.
After about forty minutes of scrambling over these rocks i decided it was time to descend.
So i'm climbing down disappointed when.!

Wait whats this?
There's bootprints all over this hole between the rocks.

If i'd done a little research on the Walkfest website i'd have read this paragraph
'Another cave, known as Billy Marshall's Cave is situated at NX 494 679,approximately 900 metres north west of the summit.Again this cave is worth a visit, but difficult to find.Fortunately a rock above the cave has an iron bar protruding from it - thus helping to identify its location'.
Ah hindsight eh!

Whether the cave goes anywhere is another thing.I climbed in and took a few pictures.

There does seem to be a hole further back,but not being a caver or having a torch,i didn't investigate further.I'm just happy i found it.
After climbing down from the rocks,i found myself a sheltered spot and had some lunch.
Time to take in some of the views.


Refreshed it's time to descend.I'm still being extra careful since my calf muscle still has some niggling discomfort,and going downhill can often be as difficult or worse than climbing up.

I'm still taking pictures of waterfalls...

....and once again Corwar comes into view.

I'm soon back looking at some more horses...
...before jumping into the car and home.
Hopefully i'll be ok for Saturday's strenuous walk.