Wigtownshire Ramblers Drannandow June 2012

Saturday the 16th June

Today's walk looks like being a wet one. The forecast is for rain.

We meet up at the newer RSPB car park at Barclye.

Amazingly considering the weather, nine of us turn up.

I've left my main camera at home.

Leaving the car park, we walk along the road to the turn up to Drannandow.

The river Cree is very high, and there's deep puddles on the road.

We're soon up at Drannandow farm, where one of our group talks to the farmers who are sheltering in a byre doorway. The farm's dogs let us know they can bark well.

All over Drannandow Moor are scarecrows like this, we must have seen a dozen.

It's a steady incline up the moor. Occasionally the rain eases. We're a happy bunch despite the weather.

Some of us seem happier than others lol

While some of us are camera shy (or just covering up from the rain) lol

All the burns are in spate. The Straminnon and the Washing are a couple of the bigger burns we cross.  

On reaching Napper's Cottage, we take shelter, rig up some seats from fallen beams and have lunch.

There's some speculation where the name Nappers came from. The dictionary says it's the back of the head. Someone suggested it's another name for a stonemason. My idea is it's from the now obsolete word for 'sheep stealer'

Up here on Drannandow Moor there's a scattering of prehistoric cairns, stone circles and megalithic tombs.

This link is the Site Record for the Chambered Cairn just outside the cottage.

Drannandow Chambered Cairn

After leaving the cottage we take to the boggy ground over to the Thieves Standing Stones

The 'Stones of Wonder' website describes the alignment of the stones, and it's importance during the winter solstice.

There's so much lying water that no one came away with dry feet today. After crossing the Straminnon burn, we're back on our outward track.  

Reaching the ford on the Washing Burn, there's a much more copious flow than when we crossed earlier.

My wee camera's well steamed up.

"The water's lovely, come on in"

I guess this is the main working dog at Drannandow Farm, the others are sharing a byre.

It's a short walk back to the cars.

We did this walk back in November 2009.

2009 Walk 

It rained then too ha ha.

Despite the weather we all enjoyed the day, it was fun.

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Drannandow Circular 2009

Saturday the 21st of November,and todays walk is a circular around the Moor of Drannandow.It's overcast as we park at the walk start.The forecast isn't a good one.

Thirteen intrepid walkers today.Our walk begins at the lower end of the Wood of Cree and takes us in a north easterly direction through Drannandow Farm.We've had a lot of rain recently,so the burns are tumbling well.
This walk is popular with antiquarians,since there's a lot of cairns,chambers and standing stones close by.With the weather turning worse all the time we wont see many of them.
Drannandow
Just past the interestingly named 'Washing' burn,we see this very artistically shaped sheepfold.
There are 15 gates on this walk.We stop occasionally at some of them.The first half of this walk is a steady climb from about 30 metres to 250 metres.
There are signs of activity over in the forest.A supposedly disused quarry by Craigenteasy has a working machine with its lights on.
Now we're on level ground,and the well known 'Nappers Cottage' is just ahead of us.I didn't know about it before this walk,but i'm reliably informed it's well known.
It's really bucketting it down as we enter for lunch.The fact it still has a roof affords us welcome shelter.I personally think that remote buildings such as this deserve some basic renovation.Since it's so popular with antiquarians,maybe they should shell out for some new timbers.
Just a few yards from the cottage,this chambered cairn explains why 'Nappers Cottage' is well known.With the weather like it is,none of todays walkers are interested in a detour to the 'Thieves' standing stones,or the stone circle further on.
It poured down for the last third of the walk.Not a lot of notice was taken of the surrounding countryside,but as usual the group remained very upbeat.As the old saying goes 'In the face of adversity......'
I need to do this walk on a good day.It'll be very interesting then.