Wigtownshire Ramblers - The Buchan Ridge and Loch Trool February 2015

I didn't walk with the group on Saturday.

I was indisposed due to a dodgy knee and another lingering cold.

However I've received pictures and reports from Scoop and Lionheart for both the high and low level walks they undertook.

I should mention that GI Joe led the low level walk.

Here then are the pictures.

The reports will follow the pictures.

Lionhearts pictures 

High Level Walk 

Lionheart tells me that due to an imbalance in the sexes on the high level walk, the following set of pictures should have the collective name,

The Merrick Broads 

Update 4th of March

Here's four more fine pictures I've just received from Nigella

Last time on the Buchan Ridge was returning from a Merrick climb

March 2010 Walk

While we did the Buchan Ridge to Loch Enoch 

March 2009

Scoop's Pictures

Low Level Walk

It was November 2012 when we last walked 

The Loch Trool Circular

Here are the walk reports

Wigtownshire Ramblers Walk Reports

High Level Walk
Nine members assembled at Bruce's Stone for the high level walk of the day. Perhaps the forecast of wintry showers had put some off, but although there was cloud on the top of Merrick at times, our time on the hill was constant sunshine.
After crossing the Buchan bridge, we turned left through the gate and followed the path onto the lower slopes of Buchan Hill. It was warm work, and outer garments were shed as we skirted to the left of the Black Gairey, following the animal track and easiest route. Several stops to catch our breath kept the group in close company, and there was a final break in the shelter of the last rocky outcrop where we donned the outer layer again before emerging on to the exposed open top. Here the wind chill factor was felt. A short walk to the cairn for a quick photo and sweetie, and then we kept  on the move, keeping to the high ground along the Buchan Ridge, passing the second cairn and admiring Mullwharker and Corserine glowing white in the sunshine to the northeast. Along this section we saw some red grouse, and a herd of red deer watched us approach before trotting off, antlers held high. We had decided not to push our luck with the weather and tackle the full route, so a leisurely lunch was enjoyed in the lee of Craignine, looking down onto The Murder Hole, Loch Neldriken and across to Craignaw and the Dungeon hills.
The return route took us across the tussocks to the shore of Loch Neldriken, and then the path down the Mid Burn to Loch Valley and on down the Gairland Burn to Loch Trool. The clear air gave us spectacular views of the snow covered tops all around. The cars were reached without incident, and welcome refreshments enjoyed at a local hostelry.

Low level walk
The second group set off down the road to take the forest trail around Loch Trool.  Earlier wintry showers and blackening skies had not deterred 15 walkers from having one of their favourite walks in the Galloway Hills.  A few spots of rain accompanied them for a short way until they left the road and then took the now more familiar new footpath.  Huge clearances have been made in this area, around the northern shore of Loch Trool, which has opened up the views to give wide panoramas of the surrounding hills.  Sunshine lit up the raindrops on small trees beside the loch.
Crossing the Water of Trool at Caldons, the group entered the colourful woods; the orange pine needles now camouflaging the new pathway laid down to make the traversing of this section of the Southern Upland Way easier.  Reflections of the trees were admired in the still water of the loch before an early lunch stop was taken just opposite Bruce’s Stone, the walkers making the most of the shelter of remaining trees and of numerous rocks littered beside the track.  Lunch finished and the weather still holding they resumed their walk through the trees.
Glenhead Burn was crossed and the forest road was approached before long pauses were taken at the Gairland and Buchan burns which, being in spate, provided good photo opportunities. After a stiff, short climb, Bruce’s Stone was reached and the group had a spectacular point from which to view Loch Trool surrounded by numerous hills, still bathed in glorious sunshine.  From there it was a short walk back to their cars before enjoying the warm hospitality of ‘Cinnamon’, in Newton Stewart.
Next week’s walk, on Saturday 28 February, is a moderate one of 5.6 miles, from Auchenmalg.  Meet for car sharing at Riverside, Newton Stewart at 9am, at Breastworks, Stranraer at 9.30am or at the walk start (NX 236 518) at 10am.  New walkers are welcome but asked to first phone the walk leader on 01776 840636 for details.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Knockman Wood Garlies Castle January 2012

It's Saturday the 21st of January.
Today's walk led by Shorty is an amalgamation of a few walks we've done before.It's also an area I've covered myself quite a lot.
Here's some old links.
A walk-in-black-forest-or-knockman-wood
Garlies Castle
January 2009 walk
July 2011 walk

We broke the mould today.There were again 19 of us, but walking in from their home in Newton Stewart our newest members swelled the total to 21.The walk start is at Knockman Wood Car Park just a couple of hundred metres from Boreland Lodge.

It's wet and windy so good photographs are few since the camera stayed in the case a lot of the time.
All pictures today were taken on the Fuji S7000.It will be going back in storage as a back up now I realise my Powershot is a superior camera.A look at the unnamed chambered cairn was our first stop.

The cairn on top of Knockman Hill was our second objective.

The sky was a mixture of dark and light cloud. Good for silhouettes. Wigtown bay was a bright reflective sheen.

To the south, Cairsmore of Fleet was under cloud.

It's too windy to tarry too long so soon we're moving across the heather in an easterly direction.

Underfoot is dead bracken, heather, tussocks and bog................. but we've had worse.

Now here's an interesting ring of stones.I don't know and can't find any thing about it but I'm sure it wasn't built special for a couple of trees.

Trees were very much a feature of today's walk.
Another thing about the Fuji camera was the pictures I thought I'd taken but were missing when I looked later, the Evergreen Oak tree being one.

Now we've reached a path which we'll follow for a while.The hood on the walker on the right looks odd, I'll crop it for a closer look ?.

It's probably a manifestation of one of the saints. I'm not religious but January the 21st is St Agnes Day so who am I to argue !

Ahead of us now is Knockbracks with Drigmorn beyond.

The first of a couple of burn crossings.

Now we are moving south past the ruins of a former settlement. Probably connected to the  nearby Garlies Castle

Upon reaching the castle, and after a historical description from Shorty we had lunch.

A tour of the castle followed lunch.

Back on the move the most difficult burn crossing was the Peat Rig Strand.

Thanks to Scoop for the above collage.She got me nicely with a foot in the burn.

Now came a long squelchy section to reach the track that runs alongside the Penkiln burn.

This is nowadays known as Glenmalloch Lodge.It was originally built as a schoolhouse thanks to the philanthropic Harriet, Countess of Galloway. It can now be  rented from the Landmark Trust.
Click here for details.There's also a link on that page for a pdf giving a short history of the property. Very interesting.

With the sky as it was today, the bare trees looked particularly striking.

The farmers cairn at Torbain was our last point of interest.
A number of speculative answers were given to the origin of the initials MM on one of the boulders.Mine was Marilyn Monroe, but dismissed as probably wrong.
After a short walk back to the cars, a large group of Ramblers made their way to Cinnamon  for refreshments.A great way to end an excellent walk