A landscape walk in Galloway

Tuesday the 23rd of October 2012

It's a lovely day today so I'm heading out on a circular walk from my house in Newton Stewart. It looks perfect for taking landscape pictures.

I begin by crossing the fields above Douglas Ewart High School and Old Hall Farm.

My first picture is a zoom across to the golf course. The 'Doocot' built 1719 is the structure to the left.

To the right of the radio/satellite mast is Monigaff Church. The woods beyond encompass Cumloden and towering above to the right are Millfore, Red Gairy and Drigmorn.

A panorama from the slopes of Curleywee to the left to the slopes of Cairnsmore to the right.

A contented cow.

A shheepish view over to Blackcraig.

McMillan Hall and the meandering Cree. A closer look will pick out a spire of Machermore Castle. 

A zoom in on Craignelder.

Back to the golf course.

Blue Faced Leicester sheep with Millfore behind again.

A pylon view of Drigmorn and Millfore

After descending to the river via Duncree I take time out on the river.

This heron waited patiently.

After crossing the Penkiln Burn I head out past Cumloden.

It's October, but there's late colour. Most foxgloves have long gone, but here's some hanging on.

The Autumn sun brings out the colours in the woods opposite New Galloway Lodge.

A couple of years ago I saw an alien on this drystane wall. Looks like a hawk this time.

The view over to Glenshalloch.

Another view of the Minnigaff Hills.

There's a wary deer at Glenhoise.

Colourful trees towards Glenshalloch.

I never did find Murdoch's cave. It's in here to the right somewhere.

Who needs an extra zoom lens when the one on the camera can get this close. Auchinleck House is two miles away.

Risk Farm. Just beyond (not in the picture) are the ruins of Old Risk Castle associated with Murdoch of Cumloden and the legend of the two ravens with one arrow in Robert the Bruce's time.

Still looking towards Glenshalloch only from a little further east.

Having reached the most northerly point of my walk at Risk, the road begins to turn south-east and I see the bulk of Cairnsmore of Fleet. Fresh silage bales add to the scene.

Now inaccessible because of the undergrowth the Old Edinburgh Road is plainly outlined.

More bales and Barncaughla.

Barncaughla Farm was the birthplace in 1669 of John McMillan,a well known member of the cloth during the days of the Covenanters.

As the day clouded over I made my way back along the New Galloway Road and back into town via Kirroughtree house. There was little else to photograph.

Some interesting cattle, someone's been having fun with a rubber glove and a wonderful rose to finish.

Living here in Newton Stewart, we have some wonderful scenery on our doorstep. That was a lovely walk.

At Last ! Snow and Ice

No Wigtownshire Ramblers this weekend, I wasn't prepared to jeopardise my recovery from my ailments. However the arrival of a little snow and plenty of ice is always a good cure for my sniffles, and I enjoyed a little stroll which has put me well on the road to recovery.

I parked up by the Penkiln Burn at Auchenleck.

A snowy Drigmorn above Auchinleck House

(A bit of an anomaly here, it seems the area is Auchenleck, but the house and the loch are Auchinleck) 

Lots of ice and a little snow

Auchinleck house, a little closer than the first picture

Hard mud and reflections

Fence top growth

Reflective

I love this picture, looks almost an oil painting.

It's water bubbles running through ice on a rocky surface

Plants being encased in ice under a small waterfall

Ditto 

Log Pile

To the right of the smaller hill stands Drigmorn, Red Gairy and Millfore

I'm treading carefully

A new view for me

This is Auchinleck Loch

Same as above but I needed to get higher

Shepherds Cottage Drigmorn

This was once the home of  Ina Chesney, a mentally handicapped young woman, who, in the 1940s, lived with her mother in this remote cottage

 There's a story and painting in the Galloway Gazette about this young lady

Ina's Story

On my way back, is that more snow in the clouds over the Galloway Hills ?

The little and large of bridges

I'm feeling better already !

Triangulation Points S8192,S8228 and Black Benwee Hill

We're still experiencing inclement weather here in South West Scotland,but I've managed to get out and about a bit this week.
Now I'm not a trigpoint collector,but I believe there are people that are.
The fact is there's one no more than a couple of hundred yards from my house.
I'll take a roundabout route to photograph it.

This is the scene directly out of my back garden.This is Doonhill Woods.
In the spring the dawn chorus in here is absolutely and beautifully on an orchestral scale.

There's a chaffinch on my neighbours feeder.

Leaf mould is building up.

This is Doonhill House.It's a listed building.You can see from the colour of the brickwork that the rear half is much newer than the front.It's just recently finished being rebuilt.I believe it suffered major structural damage in a fire.
I'm not sure when the fire was, but the house was on the market in 2001 for the sum of £330,000.
Here's the sellers description.

8 Aug 2001

Let it pay its own expenses LUXURY letting can be a smart move when it comes to maintaining a period property. As guests relax in a unique private home, the owners can put high maintenance worries to one side as their property generates a healthy income. A period home such as Doonhill House in Newton Stewart, Galloway, lends itself to a letting income. Set in three acres of ground on the edge of town, the property comes with two self-contained cottage flats in a cobbled courtyard. The house dates from 1870, and with a pillared portico, fine reception rooms, impressive entrance hall and broad staircase, was evidently built for a person of some means. Typical of the period, the dining room and drawing room have bay windows, deep skirting boards and ornate plasterwork. The proportions of the rooms are generous and they have been adapted to modern living. The entrance hall, with seating area and open fire, sets the tone for the rest of the house, spacious and welcoming. Off the hall are the dining room and drawing room and there is a separate sitting room, a home office and kitchen. Far from being the domain of servants, the kitchen is now at the heart of the home. Upstairs are five bedrooms, a dressing room and two bathrooms. Cellars run the length of the house and to the rear is a courtyard surrounded by storerooms. Beyond the house, screened by trees, the former stables on their cobbled courtyard have been converted into two flats, each with lounge, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. These can provide letting income, from holidaymakers or from longer term lets. In an area famed for its gardens, Doonhill can hold its own, with fine trees including Wellingtonians and Douglas Firs, some thought to be older even than the house itself. Newton Stewart lies just off the A75, which links the M74 via Dumfries to the ferry terminal for Ireland at Stranraer. 

There's a view of the front of the house here Simon Winstanley

And here perched on top of Doon Hill at a height of 79 Mtrs and at Grid Reference NX403653 is Trigpoint S8192 complete with flush bracket.

Moving on to another day I've parked just past Mains of Penninghame farm by the fishing pond.

The Bishop Burn has a copious flow. .N.B A 'gush' is a sudden copious flow.Got that ?

I'm heading south along farm and forest track towards the Wood of Auchleand.Seagulls are swooping.

After passing a field of running sheep (I don't think it was me who spooked them.Hen Harriers have been seen in the area though),I reach the forest and turn west.

Remnants of a little hardcore quarrying I think.

The forest track has one spur off it leading nowhere.The main track also comes to a dead end.
There are a few forest rides, but none that appear to be easily navigated.
Perhaps in dryer weather some walking routes may be discovered.

There's plenty fungi and weeds about.

Now a massive climb up through the woods to a height of  83 Mtrs ha ha, gets me on top of Wood Fell....

...to Trigpoint S8228 at Grid Reference NX401594 and again complete with Flush Bracket.

But there's a bonus here.

This one still retains its OSTS Spider Cap.I don't know who steals these but that's often the case on Triangulation pillars.

Here's a few views from up here.

As I head back to my car I'm treated to a swooping display by starlings.

Not as big as some of the massive flocks I've seen down in Lincolnshire but entertaining none the less.

 ...and here's a sunset from my back window that night.

Wednesday the 26th of October .The forecast is for showers,but I'm hoping to climb a wee hill.I drive down to Auchinleck and park up.

The right hand hill in the above picture is Black Benwee.
In the last Newton Stewart Walkfest, Black Benwee was the first hill on a strenuous 15k walk called 'The Three Wee's'.The other 'Wee's' being White Benwee and Curleywee.
I'd abandoned a previous attempt because of torrential rain.

It's roughly three and a half kilometre's along forest road........

.............with much of it following the Penkiln Burn.
The autumn colours are really coming out now. At least I've some shelter from the showers.

After crossing the Penkiln,I take the forest track that runs along it's eastern bank.

A short while after passing Hespies Linn waterfall I start to climb.

It's only 368 mtrs or 1200 feet.
On the walkfest it says rough open ground.
The truth is it's rough forested ground. Ok while following some of the tracks,but pretty rough going.

There's plenty to see underfoot. Lots of fungi this time of year............

.....with some still flowering heather.

As I gain height I get nice views back to Wigtown Bay.Larg Hill is topped with cloud.

It's a case of watching each step as I photograph more fungi.
There's still a couple of areas of uncut forest and it's a respite to make my way through the trees in one of these.
The top part of the hill was never forested and what I'm met with is boggy tussocks.
No one around to listen to my profanities as I trudge the last short distance.


Across from me I can see Drigmorn and Millfore.

I think the size of the cairn reflects the popularity of this hill.

My ten second delay gets this picture.

Ahead are White Benwee and Curleywee.I won't be doing them today.

To the north Larg and Lamachan are still covered in cloud.

While to the south Craignelder and Cairnsmore are in the clear.
I'll try descending to the forest road near the Pulbae Burn.

The terrain down this way is colourful but no different to my climb.

I disturb half a dozen deer.Most of them scoot off,but as I stand still, a couple of them although wary stay still.

This was the best zoom I could get.

Finally down on the forest road and it rains again.
A couple of views of Auchinleck finishes my walk.

If I do make this a part of a future walk it'll be a challenge.