Wigtownshire Ramblers Gatehouse of Fleet December 2012

Saturday the 8^th of December 2012.

Having been on antibiotics recovering from a chest infection, I was never sure that I'd be leading today's walk. However since it's quite an easy ramble I was sure I'd be OK.

The report will follow the pictures. 

This was the picture from my front door as I was getting ready for today.

"Red sky in the morning,

Shepherd's warning"

Myself, Shorty and the Teacher had reccied this walk a week last Thursday on a bright frosty day.

I'll be using some of the photos I took on the recce in this post.

Bright weather on the recce

Crossing over the Fleet

Stile into the Boreland Hills

Pictish Rock carvings

The top of Trusty's Hill as the mist and drizzle closes in

A boggy crossing

Recce

Not so sunny today

Recce views

Ministers Monument

Rutherfords Monument

More rock carvings and more drizzle

Anwoth

Frosty puddles and Rutherfords Well

(I'd kept cleaning the lens on my camera to keep taking pictures, but prolonged exposure to the damp seemed to penetrate inside the camera hence a batch of hazy pictures)

More from the recce

Feeding bulls

Robin Redbreast

Mill on the Fleet

Recce lunch break

The camera dried out enough by now to get this white throated dipper on the river

Bridge in the Cally estate

Cally school for girls

Palace view recce

Palace view walk

Shorty and the Teacher

From Cally Avenue to the Cow Park Plantation

Cally Motte

Mill Lade

The Town Hall

A couple of acceptable pictures of me sent by another regular rambler who I'll call Roy.

She'll understand why !

Wigtownshire Ramblers Report for Saturday the 8^th of December 2012.

A bright morning which would soon deteriorate saw eleven ramblers meet at the main car park in Gatehouse of Fleet for the walk.

The walk began by crossing the 18^th Century stone bridge over the Fleet, passing the Ship Inn where Dorothy. L. Sayers wrote Five Red Herrings, then along Fleet Street to where the main road bends left. Leaving the main road, the minor road of Planetree Park was taken. A stop was taken at the Brickworks Community Nature Reserve. Unfortunately this habitat of Great Crested Newts has been sorely neglected and the group soon resumed a steady climb along Planetree Park.

 Reaching a gate and cattle grid where the lane ended, a small gate led through the bottom of a private garden before crossing a high stone stile over a wall. The next section of the walk was a mixture of bracken and broom over the rolling Boreland hills. With enough frost still in the ground the muddy sections remained firm. Strategically placed waymarkers showed the way.

Now the path wound round the base of Trusty's Hill passing a very healthy looking ash tree. After rounding its left flank the path doubled back uphill to where an iron railing was seen encasing a rock. The railing is there to protect the ancient Pictish carvings which could be clearly made out. It is rare to find Pictish carvings so far from the main homeland of the Picts in northeast Scotland. The top of Trusty's Hill, once thought to be an iron age settlement was accessed, but by now the fine views of the Fleet valley and Gatehouse were beginning to get lost in the mist and drizzle that was enveloping the area.

A tricky descent led down to a wet area of bog and gorse that required very careful navigation to traverse. A successful crossing led to the base of the highest of the Boreland hills at 84 mtrs. After a short steep climb the trig point was reached.

Close to the trig point was a circular stone clad monument topped with a cross commemorating all the ministers of Anwoth and Girthon who succeeded Samuel Rutherford.

From here a short drop and climb led to the prominent granite obelisk that is Rutherford's Monument. The Reverend Samuel Rutherford who later became a professor of divinity at St Andrews University was minister here from 1627 to 1636. A well-educated man at a time of upheaval in the government and church the authorities burned his political book Lex, Rex and cited him for high treason. His death intervened before the charge could be tried. Built in 1842, as well as extolling the virtues of Rutherford a further inscription states that the monument was hit by lightning in 1845 and repaired in 1850.

Now an undulating and sometimes frosty track led to the hill above Anwoth. A very careful descent due to the original path being obliterated by wood cutting operations led to a field behind Anwoth Old  Church.

Close by was Rutherford's Well. Cone-shaped and made from whinstone it is still used today, with the well's water being used for baptism.

After crossing a slippery wooden bridge the road through Anwoth was reached. After a short break at the old church gates, the road was now taken back to Gatehouse. Passing the intriguingly named Luckie Harg’s cottage, the main Gatehouse station road was reached. A variety of birds and a couple of feeding bulls knee deep in mud were points of interest on this section.

Back into Gatehouse the bridge was taken over the Fleet into the Mill on the Fleet. Here photographs were taken of the giant wooden bird watcher looking towards the river with his binoculars.

Crossing the main road to the picnic area on the edge of Garries Wood, a lunch break was taken. Alongside stood a wildlife sculpture, carved from a 200 year old piece of oak to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. A white throated dipper flitted about on the Fleet bank.

As the group began the second half of this figure of eight walk, the sky was still dull with occasional mist and drizzle. Entering Garries Wood, a winding path led to an ornate white painted stone bridge. Crossing the bridge and walking alongside the Cally golf course led to the building shell that was Cally Old School. An information board explained how Lady Anne Murray had established this school for girls in the early 19^th century.

Continuing along paths still bordering the golf course they arrived at the 13^th tee, appropriately called Palace View. Across Cally Lake, the group had their first look at the magnificent Cally Palace. Now a hotel, the Cally Palace dates back to 1763, when James Murray, owner of the Cally Estate, chose this setting overlooking the Galloway hills to build his country mansion.

After crossing Cally Avenue, a winding undulating woodland path through the Cow Park plantation led to Cally Motte, a well preserved 12th-century earthwork. Here is the earliest evidence of  people living at Cally. This was the location of a wooden castle on the summit of  a five metre high artificial mound, which would once have had a commanding defensive position overlooking the Fleet Estuary.

After re crossing Cally Avenue the track led to Garries Park from where the rear of remodelled Town Hall, now a walk through garden, was accessed.

Back at the walk start point walking accessories were stowed away in the cars. The nearby Galloway Lodge provided the tea and scones to finish an interesting and enjoyable ramble.  

The next walk, on Saturday the 15th of December is a 9.5 mile section of the Mull of Galloway Trail from Drummore to Sandhead.  Meet for car sharing at the Riverside, Newton Stewart, 8.30am or at the Breastworks, Stranraer at 8.45am to catch the bus at 9.15 from Sandhead (NX 097 498) to Drummore (bring your bus pass if you have one).

If going straight to Sandhead please phone the walk leader 01776 840254. New members are always welcome.

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Anwoth Circular May 2011

Saturday the 21st of May 2011.

My short walk in the Glasserton area on Thursday somehow brought back the pains in my right calf again,so I wasn't sure of walking today.A crepe bandage obviously helped since I completed the walk.Feeling tender in both legs now,but I'm sure I'll be fine.

The press report this week has been written by the walk leader (The Weaver) and will be at the bottom of the post.(She's awfully good with words)

We've done this walk a couple of times before.Last time was a year ago to the day.

2010 Walk 

Anwoth Bush o' Bield

Pictures added 17th January 2013

I was asked where I took the picture of the 'Bush o' Bield plaque, and I couldn't remember. 

Anyway here's Google's Street View to the rescue. Reading the passage below the house standing was either adjacent to the manse or is a new build.

Samuel Rutherford

The passage below is from an 1884 biography by  the Rev.ANDREW THOMSON, D.D., F.R.S.E.

Of Rutherford's manse of Bush-o-bield, not even a stone remains. But there are those still living who remember its site and its ruins. It was an old house even in his days, built in baronial style, having belonged to an Anwoth family of rank, and containing more space than the simple pastor needed. It stood on a gentle eminence, with a garden behind producing sufficient vegetables for culinary purposes, and abounding in the rose, the honey-suckle, the balm, and other flowers in which our fore-fathers delighted. The Anwoth people of the last generation used to tell of gigantic hollies which lined the front of the house, while a green field gradually sloped down to the level, along which a tiny burn found its way to the Fleet not far off. The church was so near that when the pastor heard the first sound of the bell from its little belfry, he had ample time to don his Geneva gown, and, passing calmly through an intervening copse, to be in his place at the appointed time, to read out the first words of praise.

Passing Anwoth Old Church

Bluebells and Wild Garlic

Coming out of Killiegowan Woods

Over fields to Killern Cottage

Hopeful young angler on Ornockenoch Loch

Passing Ornockenoch Loch

(A good name to practise rolling your R's)

Approaching Upper Rusco with the Clints of Dromore in view

A long forest road upwards

Below Kenlum at the old mine entrance

Mine exploration

(Thanks to a fair and fine fellow walker for the above fotos)

Kenlum Hill climb

It's a cloudy summit

Descent to Kingslaggan

Rounding up the strays

Anwoth Old Church 

17th Century Gordon Family Memorial

Inscriptions

(Dumb Senseless Statue of Some Painted Stones-Samuel Rutherford)

Ramblers walk Saturday May 21st Anwoth circular.

Despite a gloomy weather forecast 18 ramblers turned out for a bluebell walk at Anwoth on Saturday. Leaving the cars in front of the new church, the road north was followed to the entrance to Killiegowan woods, where the walkers shadowed a deer, running before them onto the narrow grassy path.

The bluebells were still flowering in strength, but they had now been joined by the unfurling fronds of bracken, wild garlic, yellow tormentil and purple orchids, producing a profusion of colour.

The woods were followed to the point where a gate gave access to a field of cattle. A rough track now led towards Killern where the Pulcree burn accompanied the quiet road to Ornochenoch Loch, the stately home of several swans. The waters being disbursed over the reservoir dam, through a pipe leading uphill, led to some astonishment.

The road deteriorated into a field track leading uphill to Woodhead where the views over to the Clints of Dromore and Cairnsmore were admired. With a sharp swing to the south the forest road now led more steeply uphill, along the shoulder of Scaur hill, slowing the walkers and causing some of their wet weather gear to be discarded. Early welsh poppies brightened the shale verges and frequent stops allowed the views to the north to be surveyed as they opened out.

Lunch was eventually taken by an old mine where the forest road ended. As torches had been brought, the short adit could be explored. The interior was dripping slowly, building up stalactites and giving the beautifully hewn walls of the tunnel a white shiny surface.

Now the weather worsened and a slight drizzle accompanied the very steep climb to the top of Kenlum (305m). The path led up the side of a high dry stone dyke which gave shelter from the cold wind which was steadily increasing. The mist closed in and the views out across Fleet Bay to the Solway and the Isle of Man were non existent.

Little time was lost when the ramblers reached the summit. A heathery ridge led downwards and soon grassy slopes and deep gullies brought the company to Kings Laggan and the Old Military Road leading back to Anwoth.

Bluebells were once more in much evidence as the often muddy track was followed past an old deer park and eventually to the beautifully kept cottage garden across from the old church at Anwoth.

The rain was now coming down steadily and there were few volunteers for a wander around the interesting grave stones and monuments in the churchyard. One momento mori which took the explorers’ fancy was near the east end of the church. It has inscribed upon its sides epitaphs to three members of the Gordon family. The words are hard to decipher, but the old wording of the virtues and expected glorious afterlife of these ladies, caused some amusement.

The weather had been unexpectedly good for most of the walk, but it was a wet group which regained the cars. However, all agreed that the walk and company had been exceptionally pleasant.

Next weeks’ walk, on Saturday 28th May, is a B, 6mile Girvan – Byne Hill circular.

Meet for car sharing 9.00am Riverside, Newton Stewart, 9.30am Breastworks, Stranraer, or 10.00am Girvan South car park, NX 183 965. New members are very welcome. Please phone walk leader if going to the start. 01776 870 441