Wigtownshire Ramblers Cairnharrow and Cambret Hills September 2014

Saturday the 20th of September

I took over as walk leader from Shorty for this walk as he and A'OK are away on holiday.

We recce'd the walk on Monday, and a few pictures from the recce will be included in the post.

We walked much of this route back in 2009.

January 2009 Walk

The walk report will follow the images which include a fair selection from Scoop.

More pictures can be seen on the Ayrshire Blogger's page.

He, the Teacher, the Deerstalker, and four guest walkers swelled our number to a mighty thirty one, which for a hill walk was probably twice the number we'd normally expect.

Our guest walkers were two ladies from Port William and family members of one of our Portpatrick walkers. We'd love to welcome you back.

The walk start at Kirkdale Bridge.

Uphill road walk towards Barholm.

The road to Clauchreid with a background of Wigtown Bay.

Cairnharrow's lower slopes.

A very interesting flat topped stone close to a gate

It's a steady climb............

................with some sections steeper than others.

The sheep and quad bike tracks are much appreciated.

The high point of the day.

The weather outlook was for the odd shower, thankfully they never materialized 

A short coffee and sweetie break at the summit.

The descent begins.

It's a spongy slippery climb down so great care is taken.

The Cauldside Burn Cairn and Stone Circle  

Excellent seating for lunch (I hope the ancients enjoyed our company)

Cambret Hill Cup and Ring marked rock.

The light wasn't right to show the rings clearly except when the sun fell on the rock. The pictures above are those I took on the 2009 walk.

A search on Google Images for the Cambret Penny Stone finds a number of clearer pictures.

Here's a passage from The history of Galloway: from the earliest period to the present time ...

 By William Mackenzie (of Galloway.), Andrew Symson

I wonder whether any one has looked ?

A short distance from the Penny Stone a keen eyed 'Weaver' spotted that this rock had been split by drilling. An unfinished stone lintel perhaps.

The steep incline to Cambret Hill

The bridge over the Englishman's Burn has seen extensive repairs recently.

Top left = the central granite boulder of the Glenquicken Stone Circle (full zoom)

Top right = Knockeans wrought iron sign

Bottom left = Grass of Parnassus

Bottom right = Sweet Chestnut

Creebaby sculpted in 2011

( a clearer picture from Scoop later)

Fungi in Balloch Wood.

( I may do a separate blog post with all my fungi pictures)

A standing stone but not on the OS map. Approaching Creetown.

The Haiku Stone Circle also called Creehenge

Last leg of the nine and a quarter miles. Tea and scones await.

Here now is a selection of

Scoop's Pictures

We're on the way

The climbing starts here

We made it to the top

Take one of me please !

The blooming blinking bloggers

Watch out for potholes

Late for lunch again

Mishaps recorded for posterity

A leap of faith

Barbed wire crossing safely navigated

At the 'Penny Stone'

Portraits to order

A breather, then onwards and upwards

Creebaby 

Balloch Woods

Haiku and home

A great set of pictures Scoop.

After ferrying drivers back to Kirkdale for their vehicles, most walkers were tempted by the tea, coffee and scones of the Prospector's Pantry Cafe at the Gem Rock Museum. 

A refreshing finish to a gratifying walk.

Here's the report.

Walk Report

Thirty one walkers  assembled at the Robert Adam designed 18th century bridge at Kirkdale for the walk.Unfortunately a short way into the walk, one of our seasoned members turned back when she realized that the viral infection she was carrying wouldn't get her over the hills.

The first section took us past the 18th century Kirkdale water driven sawmill, one of only a few left in Scotland. 

A steady incline on the tarmac road took us past the entrance gate to Barholm Castle, a onetime stronghold of the McCulloch Clan,and a hiding place of the reformist John Knox.

Just beyond Barholm we turned north. With Cairnholy Glen below us to the west we continued along the potholed road leading to Claughreid.

A holiday cottage belonging to the actor Martin Shaw was pointed out.

After road walking almost two kilometres we gained softer ground entering the lower slopes between Barholm Hill and Cairnharrow. Now the incline became steeper and we were soon gaining height.

Behind and below us Wigtown Bay and Fleet Bay would occasionally stand out in the patchy sunshine. 

A zig zag climb on sheep and quad bike tracks eventually got us to the 1500 ft summit of Cairnharrow. With low lying cloud over the Galloway hills views were in limited supply, but across Wigtown Bay landmarks in the Machars and the South Rhins could be identified.

We took a short sweetie break at the summit of Cairnharrow before making a careful descent to the col between Cairnharrow and Cambret.

During the descent we disturbed quite a number of black grouse. A full sized red deer was also spotted running away. Bright purple heather was in full bloom. 

At the remains of a stone circle and a large round Neolithic burial tomb cairn we stopped for lunch. The cairn made for great seating.

After lunch we crossed the Cauldside Burn, barely noticeable because of the lack of rain, a drystone dyke and a barbed wire fence.

On the lower slopes of Cambret Hill we viewed the cup and ring marks on a slab of rock. The markings were barely perceptible until a ray of sunshine highlighted the the rings.

A steep climb took us up to the masts and satellite dishes atop Cambret where we regrouped ready for a length of road-walking.

Now we descended to the Corse of Slakes road. Harebells and Grass of Parnassus were among the wild flowers spotted on the verges.

Now a fair distance of road walking took us across the Englishman's and Billy Diamond Bridges passing the extensive plantations of the Garrocher Christmas tree farm.

At Garrocher ponds we paused to look at the wooden roundhouse and the wire man, Creebaby. It was created in 2011 by sculptor Alex Rigg and originally had roses and clematis climbing the frame. It's bare now, but is still an impressive sculpture.

Our route now took us through Balloch Wood where various fungi grew in abundance.

We emerged from the woods at Creehenge, the stone circle featuring seven large illustrated blocks of granite. Here we took a moment to read some of the inscribed Haiku verses compiled by the pupils of Creetown Primary School under the guidance of the Galloway born poet Lucy Burnett. 

Now a short walk through Creetown brought us to the Gem Rock Museum and the walk finish.

After car drivers had been ferried back to collect their vehicles, we gathered in the Gem Rock cafe for after walk tea, coffee, scones and other delights. A fitting end to a cracking walk.

The next walk, on Saturday the 27th of September will be a 7 mile, C+ linear walk from Finnarts Bay to Cairnryan.

Meet at the Riverside car park Newton Stewart at 8.45 am, the Breastworks, Stranraer at 9.15 am for car sharing, or at Cairnryan for the bus (NX 060 697) at 9.45 am. Remember to bring your bus pass.

New members are always welcome, for more information or if going to the bus stop in Cairnryan, contact the walk leader on 01581 200256

Wigtownshire Ramblers Knockman Wood/Garlies Castle February 2013

Saturday the 9th of February.

Today's walk is an area we know well.

My most recent trip was in the Snow in January

Other old posts can be seen here Garlies

and here Knockman Wood

Today's leader is Shorty with NotDolian as his back up.

His report will follow later.

There are twenty one of us today. A misty but dry start got damper as the day progressed.

I'll be publishing a few pictures from Wednesday's recce to brighten up the post.......it was a much nicer day. 

The scene as I left my house for Wednesday's recce.

Shorty, shortly into the walk explains the forestry lay out of the area

Recce views, fungi and chambered cairn

A short break at the Boreland Neolithic Chambered Cairn

A bigger picture of the cairn

Lots to read

We passed the time of day with these nice folk, also walkers, from Gatehouse of Fleet

It's the last push up to the top of Knockman Hill

Back on the recce, I was taking the view when Shorty stepped into the frame

After describing all the views (they couldn't be seen), our leader distributed the confectionery

I zoomed in on the recce to get this view of Penninghame House, I quite fancy The Ultimate Health Experience

We disturbed deer on the recce, there's three in the picture

Macro shots of Honeysuckle buds

The first burn crossing. The damp in the air is penetrating my camera........

..........I'll put it away for a while

Approaching Garlies Castle on the recce

Lunch is taken in and around the castle, it's not a four star joint nowadays is it ?.

Garlies Castle

I think the big burn is the Pulcree, a confluence of the Castle Burn and the Peat Rig Strand (and then again it might be either of the latter two)

Emerging from Garlies Wood, these were the views on Wednesday

I can just about make out the mast over at Risk today

Shorty had effected a little drainage engineering on the recce. The results were very effective, but not extensive enough............a JCB would probably be better than a size twelve boot

Glenmalloch Lodge

Last picture on this post. It's a happy smiling 'Teacher' and the Millennium Cairn.

Now we're all off to the Galloway Arms for scones and butter and jam and coffee and tea.

So long as there's nothing in this post to upset Shorty, I'm hoping he'll forward his report as usual which will appear here when he sends it.

A very enjoyable outing despite the mist.

Wigtownshire Ramblers – Saturday 9 February 213 – Knockman Wood & Garlies Castle

Twenty-one ramblers assembled at the Forestry Commission car park at Knockman wood near Minnigaff.  The weather was overcast with low cloud but the forecast hinted at better things later in the day so they set off up the new forest road towards the summit of Knockman Hill.  As they went they were distracted by a loud whistling noise; apparently a bird call. None of the walkers could identify it.  The road climbed through the coniferous woods and soon reached the old deer park dyke which formed the boundary with the areas managed by the Cree Valley Community Woodland Trust.  Here the conifers had been cleared and a mixture of older oak woods, new broadleaved planting and open spaces provided a more open aspect.  A newly repaired path led the group steadily up the hill towards the Boreland Chambered Cairn.

The group paused briefly to examine the cairn and then continued to follow the rough track through the wood pasture zone towards the summit of the hill.  Numerous information boards outlined the environmental interest in the area.  On the way up they met a small group of walkers who were resting on their way back from the summit.  They had intended to make a more strenuous walk in the hills but had changed their plans because of the weather.  The group then climbed onwards and upwards into the mist.  When they reached the summit cairn they paused while the leader pointed out the fine views which were available.  Unfortunately none were visible in the mist.

The ramblers then left the prepared path and followed deer tracks down the hill while trying to avoid the worst of the boggy ground.  They soon reached the lower path and turned northwards to continue to descend gently.  A deer fence which enclosed a regeneration area followed the left side of the path.  At the lowest point of the fence the group again turned off the prepared path and followed the deer fence until turned back up the hill.  At this point the group could then see the effect of an earlier deer fence where the growth of trees was abruptly cut off at the old fence line.

At this point the walkers left the fence and followed the harder ground through groups of oak and alder trees down to the old deer dyke; an impressive dry stone wall nearly 2 metres high.  An old gateway gave access onto the open moor.  The route crossed a small burn and an area of mixed rocky and boggy ground to reach the old track marked on the maps.  The line of the track was just discernible over the grassy land and led to the site of an old ferm toun; a collection of long abandoned ruins where once families would have scratched a living from the unforgiving land.  Beyond the ruins the track led down to Garlies Wood which surrounds the castle.

On reaching the castle the ramblers spread out among various perches to take their lunches.  As they ate the rain began to drizzle from the leaden skies but the trees and ruins provided adequate shelter.  After lunch the group headed down through the woods to the Peat Rigg Strand.  This is a substantial burn.  Fortunately it was not running too fiercely and the group crossed largely dry shod.  The route then led up through an attractive stand of oak trees to another gate in the deer dyke.  They then emerged into open, if somewhat soggy, grazing land and they followed the wheel tracks of a farm vehicle down to the track in the valley.  The track took them past the Glenmalloch Schoolhouse.  The group wondered how a teacher had managed twenty-five girls in such a small room.

Beyond the schoolhouse the track ran along the wall of the Cumloden policy woods with its large trees and dense rhododendron.  Near the end of the policies the group crossed the moorland to reach the old track which leads back to the Pheasant Liggat in Knockman Wood.  A small diversion took them to the top of Torbain, a low grassy hill with a Millennium cairn on its summit.  The group crossed the hill and regained the track which they followed back to the cars.  The somewhat damp ramblers then returned to the Galloway Arms in Newton Stewart for tea and scones and a warm fire.  They were pleased to meet another rambler who is recovering from a broken leg but had made the effort to join them.

Next week’s event is a moderate 8.5 mile walk along the coast from the Isle of Whithorn to Garlieston.  Meet at 09:00 at the Breastworks Car Park, Stranraer or 09:30 at the Riverside Car Park in Newton Stewart to share transport.  The group will start with a bus from Garlieston at 10:30 to the start of the walk.  New walkers are always welcome but please contact the walk leader on 01988 840268 to discuss the details.