Wigtownshire Ramblers The Lost Villages of Ayrshire March 2014

Saturday the 29th of March

We're heading north to Waterside for today's walk.

Previous posts for this area can be found at

March 2012

February 2013

and

18th March 2013

I'm today's leader and the report will follow the pictures. There'll also be a few pictures from Monday's recce with the 'Ranger'. 

Thanks to both Scoop and the Ayrshire Blogger for their contribution of photographs.

The leader.

Thanks to the aforementioned blogger for this first picture.

The Drumgrange Burn and Patna.

The Drumgrange Incline.

This one from Scoop.

A collage from the recce.

It was cooler but brighter.

Just about to enter the village of Lethanhill.

This is looking along the Auld Schuil (school) Row.

White Brick Row and Briggate

An interesting photographic portrait from Scoop.

More from Scoop.

A wonderful piece of civil engineering.

It probably would have withstood our crossing, but it wasn't attempted.

My call of "Yer on yer own", became the catch phrase for the group's wags for the rest of the walk.

The 'Weaver's' warning however carried more threat and weight.

The crossing to the  war memorial at Benwhat on Benquhat Hill.

It's still well looked after and frequently visited.

A group photo from Scoop.

Pictures from the recce showing snow on the Galloway Hills. During the recce there was barely a moment when we didn't see an aircraft above us.

Lunch at Benwhat.

Crossing to Burnhead.

Lots of slagheaps and bings.

Burnhead and Corbie Craigs by Scoop.

She also waited for this beauty.......

................and this.

Corbie Craigs Village.

The Hill Villages above Dalmellington, Ayrshire

More from Scoop.

Alongside the Rough Burn.

A well built tunnel. The flower, thought to be a Colt's Foot, was growing completely submerged. 

Abandoned vehicles and stone carvings.

A group photograph from Gordon.

Cheers !

Another cracking collage of Scoop's pictures..........

..............and more from the recce.

Pipe across to a disused mine shaft.

More recce pictures. The two Hercules were so quiet that I only just got a picture of the one at the back. I wouldn't have got that but for the 'Ranger' being alert.

There's a photographic video by Abandoned Scotland of Dunaskin on 

Youtube

The site is also up for sale at a giveaway price.

Right Move

Future Property Auctions

There must be a billionaire out there, possibly with Scottish roots, willing to fork out and save this site for Scotland's heritage ?

These last ones are from Scoop. Looks like she fancies herself as an engine driver.

Thanks to Google for this last picture.

It's the Eglington Hotel in Dalmellington. Thanks for a delicious and sumptuous spread Tom.

Here's the report.

Wigtownshire Ramblers 29th March 2014  

Twenty one walkers gathered at the entrance to Dunaskin Ironworks for the walk. The weather forecast was for a good day.
Starting out in a north westerly direction, our first point of interest was the grade two listed building that is the Waterside Institute. Here we saw the first of three war memorial that we’d encounter today.
Now we climbed a few steps up to the disused rail line leading to open countryside. Here the open fields were dotted with odd brick buildings once associated with the mines and ironworks. At the Drumgrange burn a line branched uphill. This was the track of an incline drum and steel rope haulage system for raising and lowering rail bogies. A steady climb led us to the ruins of the drum housing. Open cast coal quarries lay abandoned to the west.
Here we saw and heard the first of the many skylarks that nest on these moors.
Now a level track took us past the second war memorial where those remembered were mostly conscripts of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. It was hard to believe that this was once a busy street separating the villages of Burnfoothill and Lethanhill. Further on, a large white painted stone declared 'Long Live the Hill'.
At the ruins of what was once the village store we entered the wood that encompasses the former village of Lethanhill. Here, thanks to an old map we walked along Whaup Row, White Brick Row and Briggate. The terraced houses now mostly reduced to rubble gave a fascinating insight to an age gone by.
Leaving Lethanhill we now headed east along a track. Only used by shepherds, walkers and wild animals these days, this track once carried bogies filled with coal and iron ore.
The track now took us to the edge of the former hill village of Benquhat.
From here we walked across a somewhat swampy moor to climb to our third war memorial, this one also remembered conscripts of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Wreath laying ceremonies still take place annually. A short break was taken to enjoy the somewhat misty views.
We now retraced our steps to Benquhat where we walked among the ruins of the school. Broken porcelain identified the toilet block.
Slag heaps and ironwork mounds are scattered across this area and it was between these we found a sheltered spot for lunch.
After lunch we made our way across more moor and old workings to the head of Corbie Craigs. With the sun now breaking through misty skies, we took our time to view the tumbling waterfalls in the deep gorge below.
A little lower down we came to Corbie Craigs Village. This was a single row of terraced houses built by the Dalmellington Iron Company in the 1850's. The village was abandoned in the 1950's and left to ruin.  A local man we encountered remembered visiting his grandfather here back in the nineteen forties.
Now we followed the Rough burn uphill to cross an old bridge where several initials were carved into the stonework. Once on the opposite bank, we followed the burn to where it converges with the Burnhead Burn to become the Dunaskin. Here we followed the undulating track overlooking the beautiful Dunaskin Glen. A disused rail track ran alongside.
At a high point where the burn turns sharply south we came to the site of Laight Castle, belonging to Alpin, King of the Scots. He was defeated and killed in battle in the 9th century; there are conflicting reports of where and when he died. He is our present queen's 34th Great Grandfather. Nothing remains of the castle, but we could imagine the drawbridge. We took another short break here to enjoy the ambience of the area. A peregrine falcon was spotted across the gorge.
Back on the move and with the giant chimneys of the Ironworks in view, we were soon walking into the grounds of the Dunaskin heritage centre.
Boarded up and abandoned were turbine houses, ovens, kilns, and a wonderful 1847 Italianate blowing-engine house. redundant relics of an industrial age that once was the lifeblood of South Ayrshire. There's still life here though, volunteers from the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group are always around preparing for the Steam Open Days in the summer.
Back at the cars, we now made our way into Dalmellington and the Eglington Hotel where we enjoyed scones, cakes, tea and coffee, an indulgence likely to counteract the good healthy work of the walk !

Next week walk; the 5th of April will be an 8 mile circular from Stranraer to Castle Kennedy. Meet at the Riverside in Newton Stewart for car sharing at 9.15am or the walk start at 10am. The walk starts at the 10am in the Breastworks car park in Stranraer (NX 059 610). New walkers are welcome but please speak to the leader first on 01776 840226.

Wigtownshire Ramblers - Dunaskin - Ayrshire Lost Villages - March 2013

If the met office had got it right earlier in the week i'd have postponed today's walk and replaced it with a more local one. As it was, it wasn't until late Friday they settled on really bad weather for the Dalmellington Area. But no worries, at least those who came learned just how fascinating this area is.

Here's the links to the recces of the area.

March 2012

28th Feb. 2013

The walk report will follow the pictures. Thanks to Scoop for her contributions.

There are eight of us.

Scoop's Picture, I was told to point to the plaque to John B.Lloyd 'A gentle man with a gentle smile'

Certainly nothing like me !

On the incline. It's like a giant ski run today. An enterprising billionaire could do a lot around here.

The Drum Housing

Lethanhill War Memorial

I might have put this link up before. It gives a chronological history of the villages.

Hill Villages above Dalmellington.

The 'Weaver' stitches 'Long live the ramblers' into the snow.

Inside the plantation are the ruins of the village.

The following set of pictures are scans from a Scots Magazine edition of 1966 

An amazing tale of a life that few of today's youngsters would struggle to get their heads around.

Another of Scoop's pictures. We look like drookit rats

No !, it's not one of the original inhabitants left behind.

It was driving snow from Lethanhill to Corbie Craigs and no pictures were taken along that stretch.

However below is what the view would have been had we been able to see it. 

The war memorial can just be seen above the left bing on Benquhat (Benwhat) Hill.

Looking down the chasm that is the Glenhead Burnhead burn on Corbie Craigs

Facilities at Burnhead Farm

Miners Row

It's fairly snowing now.

Corbie Craigs was probably the original hill village of only 10 houses built in the early 1850s to support the ironstone pits at Corbie Craigs. Although Corbie Craigs may have originally been intended to be the centre of a large hillside mining community, its growth was stopped by the shift of interest to Lethanhill and Benwhat. The need to develop mines higher up the plateau allowed the Iron Company to build Benwhat, built between the early 1860s and 1875, and totalling 130 houses.

This picture gives a false impression of the depth of Dunaskin Glen, we are quite high up on slippery slopes today. The depression on the right was the rail track.

I'm the king of Alpin's Castle

Scoop's hands have warmed up enough to get her camera out again.

There's a welcoming fire at the Dalmellington Inn.

A shame about the weather, maybe we'll do it again in the Indian Summer of October.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Walk Report

Saturday the 16th of March 2013

Adverse weather conditions meant only eight walkers made the long run up to tackle 'The lost villages of Ayrshire' walk.

The walk started at the gates of the now disused Dunaskin Iron Works north of Dalmellington at Waterside. Starting out in a north westerly direction, the first point of interest was the grade two listed building that is the Waterside Institute. A moment was taken to look at the war memorial in the grounds. Further on, the boarded up school showed the decline of what was once a thriving industrial community.

Now the disused rail line was accessed leading to open countryside. The drizzle in the air turned to wet snow. Sheep and cattle grazed in a landscape dotted with odd brick buildings once associated with the mines and ironworks. At the Drumgrange burn a line branched off to the north. Looking like a giant ski jump this was the line of an incline drum and steel rope haulage system for raising and lowering rail wagons. A long steady climb led to the ruins of the drum housing. Open cast coal quarries lay desolate and abandoned to the west.
At the top of the hill the walking became easier but the snow was gathering pace.
At Lethanhill another war memorial was viewed. It was noted that the majority of names on all the memorials of the district were mainly conscripts to the Royal Scots Fusiliers. At the top of what was once called Step Row a large white painted stone was inscribed with the slogan '1851<>1954 Long Live The Hill'.
The track now turned eastwards on the north side of the plantation that now covers Lethanhill. Reaching a very boggy patch of ground (since found to be named the 'Midden'), a fence was crossed to gain access to the trees. As well as getting relief from the driving snow this gave the group a chance to see the ruins of the Auld School Row and White Brick Row, a fascinating insight into a way of life long gone.
Back out onto the open moorland the track east was now gained. After a short distance into the driving wet snow, a prudent decision was taken to allow one of the more elderly walkers to be escorted back to the walk start. This left five walkers continuing on. It was also decided that the section of the walk to the memorial and ironworks of Benquhat would be omitted.
Passing one time bings, slag heaps and iron workings, progress was made to the gorge at Corbie Craigs. Here a Peregrine Falcon was seen leaving a rocky perch.
Through the snow and mist, the memorial on Benquhat (Benwhat) hill could just be made out. Only undulations and mounds remain of what was Benwhat village and Ironworks.
The ruins of Burnhead Farm were searched for suitable shelter for lunch. This was unsuccessful and the back of a drystone dyke was settled on. With the driving snow penetrating even the best waterproofs lunch was a fairly hurried affair.
It was a wet and cold group that retraced their steps to the Corbie Craigs gorge to view the tumbling waterfalls. Now the ruins of the miners row overlooking Dunaskin Glen were accessed. Corbie Craigs Village was built by the Dalmellington Iron Company in the 1850's to house workers at the nearby mines which served the ironworks at Waterside. The village was abandoned in the 1950's and left to ruin.
Now the group headed back into the wind over tussocks and burns to cross a small bridge over the Rough burn. Remnants of an old pipeline and possible mine adit were seen. With the wind in their back they now walked westward along the undulating track overlooking the beautiful Dunaskin Glen. Another disused rail line ran alongside.

At Corbie Craigs, the Rough burn and the Glenhead Burnhead burn joined to become the Dunaskin burn. At a high point where the burn turns sharply south sits the site of Laight Castle, where Alpin, King of the Scots, was defeated and killed in battle in the year 837. An interesting point is that our present queen's lineage see's Alpin as her 34th Great Grandfather. No remains of the castle are visible but the foundation is of a rectangular tower house with a semi-circular foundation of a staircase tower.

With the giant chimneys of the Dalmellington Ironworks now in view, the group were soon back in the complex of abandoned turbine houses, ovens and kilns, engine houses, shunting yards and engine sheds. The pride of the buildings being the magnificent 1847 Italianate blowing-engine house. There's still life here though, volunteers from the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group are always around preparing for the Steam Open Days in the summer.

Back at the cars, the group divest themselves of wet walking gear before joining the early finishers in the Dalmellington Inn for hot tea and coffee in front of a blazing fire.
 
The next walk, on Saturday the 23rd of March will be a 6 mile circular around the Monreith Estate. Meet at the Riverside car park Newton Stewart at 9.00 am,the Breastworks, Stranraer at 9.30 am for car sharing, or at the walk start at the Monreith Clifftop Car Park (NX 357 409) at 10.00am.
New members are always welcome, for more information, directions or if going to the walk start, contact the walk leader on 01671 401222