Wigtownshire Ramblers Torhouse Stone Circle to the Bladnoch April 2015

Saturday the 18th of April

This was a new walk incorporating part of a previous walk I led.

April 2014 walk 

My walk report will follow the pictures.

Since I was leading my opportunities for taking pictures was limited so I'll include a few recce pictures.

After leaving four cars at Bladnoch for ferrying drivers back, we made our way back to the walk start. 

Twenty four walkers gathered round the mysterious Torhouse Standing Stones circle.

Unfortunately due to the lambing season, the first part of the walk had to be changed at the last minute resulting in more road walking than I'd planned.  

One good thing !

I wouldn't have got these gorgeous creatures at Redbrae if we hadn't walked along the road.

This was the first time I ever had the feeling that I was being watched by a tree.

Even Skunk Cabbage makes for a lovely picture.

Entering the grounds of Torhousemuir House

The year of the additions in the Victorian era

The 1871 date is on the wing to the right.

A friendly dog greets the group

The croft grounds of Barnanchor

Mossend, the former home of Joe Whiteford, the author of the book,

Torhousemuir: Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter 1935 - 1945

A break to view Hill View Croft.

A Balmeg cat

Passing Balmeg

A field to cross near Balmeg

Clauchrie Forest Road end

Lunch on the banks of the Bladnoch and by Torhouse Mill

We saw several herons on the recce

A yellow grey wagtail.
Thanks to TwoSticks for the correction. 

Torhouse Trout Farm Tour
Mark Davies, trout farm owner and tour guide.

Some fine specimen of Rainbow trout

Mark also works in conjunction with the
Galloway Fisheries Trust and
FishGalloway

Raceways and size grading machine

Mark concludes an excellent tour and encourages us to eat more fish, especially trout, and particularly from ASDA

Passing Newmilns.
Time for me to count walkers.
They wouldn't go along with my idea of calling out their numbers from the front.
Come in number 24 !

Power and Plant

Approaching the Cotland Plantation

Bladnoch riverside to the distillery

Otter tracks at Bladnoch

View from Bladnoch Bridge and the walk finish.

Well done to those walkers who added another 1.3 miles to the Bayview Bistro at Wigtown.

Update Monday
Just received a couple of nice pictures from Miss Goodnight

Lunchtime on the Bladnoch

Here's the walk report.
Wigtownshire Ramblers Saturday the 18th of April

24 walkers gathered at the Torhouse Standing Stones for the walk start. A plaque in the enclosure gave an account of the history of the stones. Local tradition maintains that it is the site of King Galdus's Tomb. 

After the leader outlined the route we began the walk in single file along the B733 towards Wigtown where after half a mile we turned north east onto the road to Torhousemuir. It's lambing season and in the sunshine the feeling was that spring had arrived. We passed the time of day with the local farmer before continuing up the lane to Torhousemuir House. 

Here the leader read out some of the house's history. Previous illustrious owners included Sir Archibald Woollaston White, Lt.-Cdr. Charles David Orr Ewing, Lord John Percy Samuel FitzRoy, and General James McHaffie who began dividing the land into what became the only crofting community in the South of Scotland. 

We were pleasantly surprised when a lady resident of the present owners came out and talked to us. We thank them for allowing us to view their beautiful house and estate.

Resuming the walk we now made a circuit of the estate around some of the original crofts. Not all are in ruins and the likes of Knockskeog, Meadowbank and Balmeg are now farms in their own right.

Our walk leader had with him for reference Joe Whiteford's book 'Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter' and among the ruins we looked at was Mossend where he was raised. Descendants of a number of the crofters still farm and live locally. 

On reaching Balmeg, we now carefully crossed a dyke to enter Clauchrie forest. Though tree felling has been considerable it was good to see that many new trees have been planted. We carefully crossed the edge of the felled area to reach the forest farm track back down to the Wigtown/Kircowan road.

A short distance away we reached the Torhouse Mill road and were soon on the banks of the beautiful Bladnoch enjoying lunch.

A yellow wagtail flittered back and forth.

After lunch we looked around where some of the original mill stood. We could still make out the wheelpit and the lade. The lade is now in use for the Torhouse Trout farm, more of which we were about to learn.

We were soon greeted by the owner proprietor Mr Mark Davies who had generously agreed to give us a tour of the trout farm. Back in 1792 a 'Waulkmill' on this site employed 40 workers making "plaiding and flannel" for export to England.  

We began the tour in the hatchery learning of the Rainbow trout's feeding and growth before continuing out to the larger rearing tanks, ponds and raceways. We saw and learned of their progress from egg to Asda.  

It was fascinating to see the fish in their respective sizes of development. A vote of thanks and three cheers went to Mr Davies for the insight into how amazingly fresh our fish is in the supermarket.

We now continued the walk following the river to reach Newmilns, the site of another one time Farina mill. The wheelpit of this mill is also quite intact. 

Duckboards now aided our progress back onto the path along the riverside before we entered a grass field. 

Two more gates and fields led us to the edge of the Cotland Plantation. 

A small assault course of an electric fence, a barbed wire fence and a short steep drop, strewn with broken branches, brought us back onto the riverside path.

The 18th-century historian of the county Samuel Robinson noted that this was the finest scenery of the whole fifteen miles of the Bladnoch and we were inclined to agree. Though we were too big a group today to see any, otters and kingfishers are known to be in numbers along this stretch of water. We at the front were delighted to see a majestic heron taking off by the weir, the beginning of the distillery lade. Across the river is the Kirwaugh plantation and is a favourite spot for salmon fishing, the Linghoor Pool being known as one of Scotland's finest.

A number of fallen trees were safely negotiated to bring us to the distillery at Bladnoch where otter tracks were spotted.

Here was the end of the walk and drivers were ferried back to their vehicles. A number of walkers continued to walk the remaining 1.3 miles to the Wigtown Bayview Bistro who as always excelled in providing delicious after walk refreshments and drinks. A fitting end to a good day and a well done to those walkers who completed the extra distance.

Next week walk is a B- twelve mile 'Woods and Moorland' circular walk from Gatehouse of Fleet to Loch Whinyeon and Glengap. Meet at the Breastworks car park in Stranraer at 8.45 am or the Riverside car park in Newton Stewart at 9.15 am for car sharing. The walk start is at Cally Woods Car Park (NX 605 561) at 10am. If going straight to the walk start or considering joining us, please phone the walk leader on 01776 840226 first.

UPDATE 20th April 2015

How could I have forgotten the mini rally we just caught at the Bladnoch.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Torhousemuir April 2014

26th of April 2014

Today's walk sees me as leader. It's a new walk in the central Machars I've worked out.

Thirty walkers is the most we've had this year, must be the fact that there's no hills.

The walk report will follow the pictures.

I'd passed the big gateway with the sign saying 'Clauchrie Forest' several times over the years before finally parking up and having a look in 2013. It's only since my first recce that the trees have been felled. What is good to see though is that replanting is taking place too.

On the recce with G.I.Joe, we'd spotted half a dozen ewes in a field with triplets. They'd melt the hardest of hearts. More work for the shepherd though.

Illustration by Chris Sandbach

Sketch taken from the publication 'Torhousemuir: Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter 1935-1945' 

After a fairly easy clamber over a drystone dyke we are in the Torhousemuir estate close to Balmeg (bottom right above)

Joe Whiteford, the author of 'Torhousemuir' passed away in 2008. His obituary can be read on this Galloway Gazette page.  

Now we move up to Torhousemuir House, a C(S) listed building.

Thanks go to Mr Ian and Mrs June Robinson for allowing us to view the grounds around their beautiful house.

Previous illustrious owners include Sir Archibald Woollaston White, Lt.-Cdr. Charles David Orr Ewing, Lord John Percy Samuel FitzRoy, and James McHaffie, born Fuffock, Scotland 27 Jan 1775, died Wigtown, 22 Nov 1865, served 23 North British Regiment of Foot, retired Lt General. married Hannah Douart Rankine 29 July 1805.  

Kids growing up perhaps?

A short way up the road we come to the settlement of Ha' Hill (the adjoining small hill goes by the same name). The home of Ha' Hill Gardens & Nursery. 

Liz McLaughlin and her husband Adrian have worked hard over most of the last decade to develop new features on this wonderful garden, originally created 30 years ago by Lady White of Torhousemuir.

The garden is open by appointment on 01988 403377. Donations will go to charity.

The Welly Boot Collie

We were going to give it a miss, I'm so glad we were persuaded not to!

It really is a hidden gem, being out of sight of the estate road.

I got these two lovely ladies to pose to enhance the beauty.

(Right click and 'Open in new tab' for a full size view) 

The ducks were on the base of what was the horse driven corn grinder.

Thank you Liz and Adrian, that was a thoroughly enjoyable diversion.

The ruins of Barnanchor croft.

South east from Barnanchor croft towards Mossend.

Mossend, the former home of Joe Whiteford.

To the left was the byre and the milk house/dairy.

From the central wall right was the living/dining (and bedroom for sisters Lena and Jean) then the bedroom. A double bed for the parents and a double bed for Joe and his brother or three/four if they had visitors. If cousins cycled down from Ayr, there'd be up to 12 sleeping in the house overnight. The brick attachment was added when improvements were occurring on the estate.

Reminds me of my first visit to Ireland !

Artefacts from the past.

We continued on down the lane passing the ruins of Windy Gap croft......... 

...............before stopping for lunch in front of Hill View croft.

The emerging sun makes for pleasant al fresco dining.

  

I took an earlier look inside Hill View.

The drystone wall was rebuilt and left in a much better condition than we found it.

Thanks to Shorty and the Farmer.

Crossing Cairnhouse Moor.

Wuthering Heights springs to mind.

Possibly one hundred year old iron.

The fluffy white tail of a deer scampering away.

Wood Anemone.

Millpond at Cairnhouse Farm.

Once again the Farmer and Shorty are the heroes.

A group photo in a field near Clauchrie.

Now there's a strange thing, we're on the track back to the cars and I've ended up at the back !

Scones anyone ?

Here's the walk report.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Walk Report

26th of April 2014

N.B. A correction to an item in last weeks report: The sheep at North Port o’ Spittal farm were not Jacob Suffolk cross as reported but in fact a herd of Zwartbles. Thanks to Mr Rob McCaig for the correction.

A dreich morning saw thirty walkers arrive at the walk start at Clauchrie Forest road end. Organising the car parking in the limited space available meant a slight delay to the walk start.

The walk began following a farm track north alongside Rough Gib hill to Clauchrie forest edge. 

Here a rough track created by tree felling operations was taken to reach a drystone dyke on the edge of the Torhousemuir estate.

After a careful crossing of the dyke a narrow field led to the estate road to Balmeg.

Here the walk leader gave a short account of how Torhousemuir came into being, its succession of notable owners and the creation by James McHaffie of Fuffock of its thirty eight crofts.

On reaching the main estate drive we now entered the grounds of Torhousemuir House.

Here, with the kind permission of the owners we enjoyed viewing the exterior of this impressive mid-18th century and Victorian 2-storey, 3-bay mansion house. Rustic outbuildings and an attractive fish pond complete with island created a scene reminiscent of a Thomas Hardy novel.

By now the weather was on the change and waterproofs were being shed.  

We now continued on to Ha’ Hill croft, gardens and nursery. Here the owners gave us an insight into the crofts past, we saw the circular base of a horse driven corn grinder and we wandered the extensive colourful gardens and ponds. Curios included a collie created from old wellingtons, a bicycle that’s become a basket stand of flowers and an old sheet metal ‘Sunlight soap’ advertising board. This delightful gem with donations to charity is open by appointment on 01988 403377.

We continued on past the ruins of Mount Pleasant and Woodside crofts before reaching a wooded plantation. Beyond here was the farm Knockskeog, the only Torhousemuir property still being farmed by the original family. 

Turning easterly and with the help of Joe Whiteford’s book “Torhousemuir : Memories of a Wigtownshire Crofter 1935 – 1945”, we now came upon the ruins of Barnanchor croft.  An old metal wash tub brought back memories to some of the older group members.  

Turning south through a field of sheep and gambolling lambs we reached Mossend. This was the croft of Joe Whiteford’s ‘Memories’ and allowed us to see the layout that existed. To one end was the cow byre. Next to that was the milk house or dairy. In the house itself we saw a cooking range at one end while opposite was a fireplace which would have been in one of the two bedrooms. A brick extension provided the second bedroom. An illustration in Joe's book shows how compact the living must have been. 

Now the road south took us past the ruins of Windy Gap croft before reaching Hillview croft. 

By now the sun was shining and a leisurely lunch break was taken looking towards Ha’ Hill.

After lunch we turned east through another field of sheep and lambs. The yellow of bright flowering gorse was in abundance today. A partially collapsed drystone wall was rebuilt after gaining access to the moors. Now an old right of way track, sometimes indistinguishable, took us across Cairnhouse moor to reach Cairnhouse farm. Here we stopped by a mill pond complete with sluice gate. Having a retired farmer in the group proved fortuitous as he explained the workings of the water supply and where the mill wheel would have stood in an adjoining building. 

Now a short road walk took us south passing Cairnhouse croft and Glenturk Moor croft.

Originally this road would have gone on through Clauchrie to a junction with the Wigtown Kirkcowan road. Reaching Moorhead of Glenturk however, it becomes an overgrown alley of bramble, gorse and hawthorn bushes.

We now crossed into an adjacent field for a short distance before again accessing the alley to emerge through bright yellow gorse into another field.  Here we disturbed the rarely seen but easily recognised small falcon, the hobby.

Now we crossed to the west to the edge of Clauchrie Forest where we made our way over to Meg’s Hill. Following the drystone dyke to a crossing point over a small burn we were soon back on the track of our departure. The short track soon had us back at the cars.

Our day was completed at the Bayview Bistro in Wigtown for excellent scones, cakes and other refreshments. So many of us attended that we ran out of boiling water !

The next walk on Saturday the 3rd of May is a 9 mile B walk over the Byne and Grey hills near Girvan.

Meet for car sharing at the Breastworks, Stranraer 9.15am, Riverside, Newton Stewart 9.00am or the walk start at Woodlands Farm (NX 174 951) at 10am. For further details or if going to the start please phone walk leader 01581 200256. New members are always welcome.