♫♪ I'm dreaming of a white............easter! ♫♪

Here's a few more pictures from my little jaunts and walks around my home town of Newton Stewart this last week.  

If I stand on the drystone wall that separates my garden from Doonhill Woods I get this view over the chimney tops to Cuil.

(So, I need to build a raised summerhouse)

The woods at Glenamour. There are two pictures here side by side, find the join ?

(If you look along the top of the pictures you could be mistaken. Along the forest floor it's an easy task)

An Easter egg or a Christmas pudding.

There's a sinister face here. Can you see it ? It Scares me !

The Palnure looking towards Strathmaddie

View from Old Bridge of Palnure. 

I'll get a couple of interesting pictures from here later.

A result of more tree felling at Bogue Wood

Bardrochwood House

This overhang of snow appears to be defying gravity

Up on Machars Hill I get good views of the Minnigaff range of the Galloway Hills.

From left here's Drigmorn, Red Gairy and Millfore.

It's a patchwork of drifts up here. It's a mighty slow thaw.

View to the South West

Windswept patterns make a snowy quilt

A view to Curleywee....................

............................and a closer look.

I had a look through my binoculars to see if I could find any intrepid walkers on any of the hills. If there was anyone I didn't see them. I know there'll have been someone trekking around.

Now here's a couple of panoramas of the Minnigaff Range 

This is the above picture on CleVR

Panorama of The Galloway Hills - The Minnigaff Hills on CleVR.com

This view can also be seen in glorious full screen here.

The Minnigaff Hills on Panogio.

Back at the Old Bridge of Palnure I spotted something diving way down the burn. I had to zoom in a long way, here's the result.

The only bird that I can see it resembling is a female Smew. If I'm wrong perhaps one of my ornithological friends could put me right.

I wonder if this is the last we'll see of the snow ?

(Apart from tomorrow's walk with the Wigtownshire Ramblers that is.)

Photographic enhancements on a dull day, and a poem by the bard

Tuesday the 24th of January. Quite a miserable day weatherwise but I'll head out and take a few pictures. The first one I took early in the day from my front door.

Picasa has a border application which I've used.Unfortunately I've made all the outer borders dark which doesn't work with an already dark background. Ah well ! It's a learning curve.

At the back of this view (if you could see it) is the snow capped Cairnsmore of Fleet

I went down the river Cree to Parkmaclurg.

Here I'm opposite the Carse of  Barr

Just to the right of this point the railway used to cross.Wooden stumps can still be seen when the tide is out

This is the view east towards Palnure with a misty Blair hill behind

Here it is on Clevr

                             Panorama of Palnure from Parkmaclurg on CleVR.com

This is the view back to Blackcraig

A little further south  the river's meander has created a large sandbank.

It's often a haven for various birds, today there's a lone heron

A zoom over to Upper Barr finds a flock of gulls and the Wigtown bus 

Added at the last minute with a light border 

Carseminnoch

It being Burns night tonight I thought an apt poem to accompany this post would be
 'The Flowery Banks O' Cree'

Here is the glen, and here the bower 
All underneath the birchen shade; 
The village-bell has told the hour, 
O what can stay my lovely maid? 


'Tis not Maria's
 whispering call; 
'Tis but the balmy breathing gale, 
Mixt with some warbler's dying fall, 
The dewy star of eve to hail. 

It is Maria's voice I hear; 
So calls the woodlark in the grove, 
His little, faithful mate to cheer; 
At once 'tis music and 'tis love. 

And art thou come! and art thou true! 
O welcome dear to love and me! 
And let us all our vows renew, 
Along the flowery banks of Cree.

Wigtownshire Ramblers Glenamour Kirroughtree November 2011

It's Saturday the 26th of November. Today's walk is a variation and a lengthening of a walk we did back
in September 2009.
Kirroughtree Circular 2009

Which was first thought of back in 2008 but cancelled due to bad weather.
Cancelled Walk 2008

Today's walk will start from a favourite spot of mine.

There's a group of 20 of us as we set out from Glenamour car park.
It's a very dull day and the forecast isn't a good one.All my pictures today are on my small camera and won't be great quality....sorry !

We first walk up to the boathouse.I was here earlier this month,remember my post Misty-Wispy-and-Forest-Green

From here we go over to the south of the loch and climb a slippery drystone wall.

Now we climb a boggy Craignine Hill.

From where we view Barncaughla Farm.
Barncaughla Farm was the birthplace in 1669 of John McMillan,a well known member of the cloth during the days of the Covenanters.

Alexander Peden the covenanting preacher of the period known as 'The Killing Times' was believed to have spent some time here.

It's a boggy muddy field that takes us over to the forest above Bargaly Glen.

Here we join the path known as the Papy Ha trail.
The word ‘Papy Ha’ is derived from (Papy) the Norse for a preacher or teacher and (Ha) the Saxon word for hall or house. The name refers to a site of a holy dwelling long since derelict.

We reach the forest track running alongside the Palnure and take a short break a popular scenic spot.

Quick Water
Pattern springs between alder trees turns back to the wind at Tonderghie down Grey Mare's Tail and Clugie Linn falls pierce the mountain with their din through a strip for cattle,Carseveige Burn then the chattering one,the little Louran along Barhoise with it's field of thistles the yellow clearing where Blairbuis rustles In paradise Bargaly hazelwood grow nut and leafy branch and root Under Bardrochwood field at the bridge round Kirroughtrie's brindle ridge between Muirfad Flow's long marsh and the rich loop of Meikle Carse clear Palnure,stream of the yew tree winds to the fish trap Cruives o Cree

No matter the weather this is a great spot.

I've included a few of Scoop's pictures today.Thank for getting me in the picture.

The forest road takes us along to the bridge over the burn to Corwar,
No horses anymore and the house is all shuttered up.It's a shame to see so many of the more remote dwellings being closed up.

More of Scoop's pictures.She loves to take pictures of people in difficult situations.

Lunch was taken by the burnside close to the old Bargaly lead mine shaft and memorial stone to a forestry worker.

This nice big mushroom's on a tree close by.

Back on the move after lunch it's again raining so there's not many pictures taken.
We natter to the farmer at Bargaly, then continue on through Craignine farm till we're into the grounds of Kirroughtree Visitors centre.

There's a few new boards up since I was last here.These are illustrations promoting the Dark Sky.

Most of the group are up for finishing the walk as planned along the Lade Trail.
Here's the details. Sulwath Connections-Lade Trail

It's getting really dull now but at least it's faired up.

The trail is well signposted with lots of information boards.

We get to Bruntis Loch and the Gem Stane. Each of the 7stanes Cycle Centres has a sculptured stane by Gordon Young. The Gem Stane is polished pink quartz weighing approximately 1.75 tons, and is located on the blue and red cycle trail near Bruntis Loch.This was recently vandalised when some total idiots managed to break it off it's pedestal.It's taken a while to repair and the rejoin is very visible.

From Bruntis it's a short walk via the waterfall back to the Visitors Centre.......

.......and a welcome warm drink at the cafe.

It's been an ok walk despite the weather.I think I've mentioned before that the Palnure is my favourite burn.

Below is the walk leader's report.

Saturday 26^th November. Ramblers’ walk

Although there had been quite a horrific weather report for the day, twenty ramblers turned out for a walk through Kirroughtree woods and the Bargaly glen. After parking at Glenamour car park the forest road was followed to a beautiful loch of the same name. Set in a defile amongst tall trees this man made stretch of water is a quiet and hidden gem of the woods.

The open hill was the next objective where the views were shortened by the overcast skies, but the farm of Barncaughla could be seen clearly, where the prophet Peden stayed at one time. Underfoot the boggy ground meant stepping from tussock to tussock until the trees were entered once more; a forest track alongside the Palnure Burn eventually being reached via footpath and country road.

Stopping by the side of some rapids for a photo shoot, a plaque was found, inscribed with a poem portraying the delights of the Palnure burn, with an accompanying sculpture reminiscent of a ladybird.

The river was followed to Dallash and crossed by a dry ford at Corwar. The farm is unfortunately no longer inhabited, a sad reminder of the demise of small farms in the hills. The old road was just about visible leading back alongside the Palnure, but was very wet in places and another ford had to be crossed, this time by walking through the water.

Lunch time back at the rapids, on the east side of the river, the rain began to fall. It did not dampen the enthusiasm of the walkers, who examined the memorial stone to a forestry worker, and then the shaft and adit of a lead mine close by.

Belties and Shorthorns alongside the farm track leading to Bargaly farm added interest to the now wet walk, but the Visitor centre at Daltamie was soon reached. This was not the end of the walk, for now the Lade walk constructed with the assistance of Sulwath Connections brought the industrial past of Kirroughtree forest to life.

When the military road was being constructed in 1763 lead was discovered in the excavations. There began a period of mining here which lasted until the beginning of the twentieth century. Some of the shafts reached a depth of 900 feet.

The lade walk follows the route of the water collected in Bruntis loch and travelling down to the washing floors where ores were crushed and cleaned. Information boards along the way point out water holding pits, bridges for farm carts to cross, the stone and clay construction of the lade itself and eventually the sluice gates where the water was released from the dam at Bruntis Loch.

The loch is the jewel of the forest. This description is reflected by the 1.75 tons of a polished, pink quartz sculpture of a diamond, one of theSeven Stanes of the Galloway bike trail. It was designed by Gordon Young and is reached across a wonderful circular bridge over the Bruntis Burn.

The walkers now followed this burn past a tumbling waterfall back to the Visitor centre and well-earned refreshments. It had been an interesting and well suited walk for the short and damp days of November.

Next week’s walk takes in the SUW, Knockquhassen reservoir and Dindinnie. Meet for car sharing at Riverside, Newton Stewart, 9.15am and Breastworks, Stranraer, 10am, (NX 059 610). New walkers welcome. Walk leader can be contacted 01776 700707.

The Palnure Burn-The Gorge

It's Saturday the 9th of April and today I've decided not to walk with my rambling group.

I mentioned a few posts back I was suffering from a painful calf muscle.It's on the mend,but since I'm due to go down to the Lake district with the group this coming Monday I thought I'd give it this last couple of days to heal.
Instead today I'm posting a short stroll I had the other day.

I'm down at the Palnure where I encounter the Galloway Fisheries Trust chainsawing and clearing paths to the fishing pegs in preparation for the summer anglers.
No doubt new signs will be going up in the next few days.

I only visited one particular fishing peg which was 'The Gorge'.
If I get the chance during the summer I'll feature each peg on the burn.
Below is the area covered by the following photos and video clip.

I haven't fished for years,but this would be a challenge.
Lovely day.