Wigtownshire Ramblers Knockman Wood Garlies Castle December 2014

Saturday the 20th December

This walk is in an area we've been countless times. Here's just a couple of links.

2012 Walk

2013 Walk 

Shorty was the walk leader and I'll add his report when I get it.

There'll be a great selection of photographs from Scoop too, I was disappointed I had to delete so many photographs, perhaps I got damp in the camera early on.

We numbered twenty seven for this walk.

It started raining before we set off, showers were forecast.

This lovely deer watched our passing.............

...................but then with it's three companions took off at a fast pace.

Shorty outlining the history of the corn kilns

This area is currently undergoing archaeological digs by the Cree Valley Community Woodlands Trust 

Possibly Clauchrie Farmstead

Wood carving by Ross McCredie

At least this burn has a bridge..............

..............subsequent burns proved to be more adventurous

This wee pond doesn't appear to have a name (unless a local reader knows different)

Atmospheric pictures from the ancient cairn to Newton Stewart and Wigtown Bay

Information boards abound

*A note in case anyone from the Cree Valley Community Woodlans Trust reads this. I've heard a number of times now of people driving past the entrance to Knockman because they think the big gates are private. Perhaps a better sign would help ! 

Some of today's happy walkers.

Douglas Ewart School from Knockman

McMillan Hall from Knockman

Did we have a sweetie stop, I don't remember ? No worries, there'll be lots of after walk goodies in store.

Now then, what have we here ?

An ancient site for some old ritual practices perhaps !

First of the previously mentioned adventurous burns

A rainbow arrives as we pass the old ferm toun

Damnaglaur February 2013

We lunched in and around Garlies Castle.

Back on the move after lunch

The Peat Rigg Strand crossing

Glenmalloch Lodge

Avoiding a small deep burn proved impossible for two walkers. They'll have dried out by now.

A previously unwalked (by the ramblers) track.

Torbain Hill Millennium Cairn

A short walk took us back to the cars where clean clothes were donned.

Then it was back to Shorty and A'OK lovely house for their traditional 'Mulled Wine and Mince pies' get together. A wonderful end to a nice, but sometimes damp walk.

Shorty's report will appear here.Wigtownshire Ramblers – Saturday 20th December 2014 – Knockman Wood & Garlies Castle Circular

It started to rain as twenty six ramblers set off from the Knockman Wood car park for a short walk in the neighbouring countryside.  The shower passed quickly and we set off along the newly re-laid path past two of the old farming townships and soon reached the third, Clauchrie.  Over the past couple of seasons the Cree Valley Community Woodland Trust, with finance from the Heritage Lottery Fund have been carrying out extensive archaeological excavations across the site and, with expert guidance and enthusiastic volunteers have turned up an interesting story of our forebears in this area.  The excavations have revealed a corn drying kiln with an attached barn.  Carbon dating suggests that this was last used in about 1800. The site is less than 200 metres from the previously known drying kiln – a large investment in a small area, suggesting that damp weather was also a problem back then.  There was also the base of a large barn with a partially paved floor, possibly for threshing and, nearby, the remnants of a byre and a 3 roomed long house.  A search of the parish records had shown occupation from the early 1600s, with four residents signing the National Covenant in 1638. Numerous births, marriages misdemeanours and payments of poor relief are recorded for the next hundred years or so.  Many of the names recorded are still common in this area. Davidson, McConchy, McKie, McKeand, McMillan, Murray, Skimming and Stewart are all represented. It seems that the abandonment of the township coincides with the building of the deer dyke around Garlies and Knockman woods – perhaps an example of clearances or possibly a move to the developing nearby Newton Stewart for an easier life in the mills.

On leaving the fermtoun we climbed past the small lochan and up towards the top of Knockman Hill and soon reached the chambered cairn.  Work has been carried out here to clear the bracken around the site and it is now possible to see the structure and setting of the cairn.  After examining the site we set off again and, avoiding the track to the summit and Barclye, along the rough track which leads back to Clauchrie around the other side of the shallow valley.  There were lovely views towards Newton Stewart and the Cree Estuary basking in the misty sunshine.  

On reaching the lower level again we turned off the path and followed the deer fence eastwards until we reached the gateway in the dyke opening onto the Glenmalloch Moor.  Here we encountered our first obstacle as we crossed the Castle Burn which was running quite strongly after the recent rain.  At this point another member joined us, having arrived at the start a little late he managed to track us down. Careful progress was then made over the various tributaries of the burn until we reached the track leading through another fermtoun... This one seemed more compact than Clauchrie, perhaps because of its more exposed location.  Passing through the ruins we crossed a boggy section to reach the gate into Garlies Wood.  We soon arrived at the ruins of Garlies Castle where we paused for lunch.  As we settled another brief shower passed over.  The following sunshine gave us a dramatic rainbow against the dark clouds to the north.

After lunch we descended the bracken slopes to the Peat Rig Strand which was running strongly through the trees.  Various techniques were adopted and eventually all members reached the other bank with reasonably dry feet.  The track then ascended through the wood and out onto the grazing land at Liggat Hill.  We followed the tractor tracks down the grassy ridge to the old road in the valley below.  We splashed along the track back towards Minnigaff and soon passed the restored schoolhouse, now a holiday cottage run by the Landmark Trust. They have done an excellent job in restoring the once derelict building which had been built on the instruction of the Countess of Galloway in the1830s to provide training for the girls from the surrounding estate.  It had one small schoolroom and accommodation for the teacher in a single room with a loft.  It was difficult to imagine how 23 girls fitted into such a small room.

A rough track lead us back to the Garlies Castle roadway.  A white fallow deer was spotted near the deer dyke.  He watched us for a little while and then took off along the dyke, closely followed by three, more camouflaged, others.  We followed the rough road back to Torbain Hill, a low rise with a cairn commemorating the Millennium.  From the summit of the hill we again spotted the white deer standing on the moor nearly half a kilometre away.

From the hill we descended to the track and soon reached the cars again, just as another shower started.  We then retired to our secretary’s house where she provided us with scones, mulled wine and other goodies to celebrate the festive season.

Next week’s walk will be a leisurely walk in the countryside around Wigtown.  Meet at 09:00 at the Breastworks car park in Stranraer or at 09:30 in the Riverside car park in Newton Stewart to share transport.  The walk will start from the County Buildings in Wigtown at 10:00.  If going direct to the start or for further information, please contact the walk leader on 01988 840268.

PICTURES BY SCOOP

A fabulous set of pictures my friend, keep snapping.

This will probably be my last post before the year end so it only remains for me to wish all my readers a

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.