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 - Wigtown to Newton Stewart - January 2014

Saturday the 18th of January 2014.

I did the recce for this walk with Shorty on Wednesday the 8th, it was a much drier day.

For most of today's walk it rained. All the photographs I took were with my little camera, my Nicon stayed in the camera case. A lot of photos were too blurred to even contemplate uploading, those I have aren't much better. 

So, the clearer pictures on this post will have been taken on the recce.

Shorty's report will follow. 

Thirteen of us met at Newton Stewart for the 10 am bus to Wigtown. I kept being optimistic about the weather, but the good stuff never really materialized.

After alighting the bus we set off  down Bank Street to turn north along Lover's Walk. Next we crossed the A714 onto the track going by the name of Common Moss Rd.

After crossing the B7005 we were into the fields, muddy tracks, drystane dykes and the Broken Causeway burn. 

  

This was the view North East on the recce............

.............also lots of birds on the recce.

We're still a happy crowd despite the weather.

We're following what was the route of a busy thoroughfare a while back. It's still possible to make out where the old road was.

No more pictures for a while as we struggle across the Broken Causeway burn, walk a solid track leading to tarmac past Glenturk Moor Croft, Cairnhouse Croft and Cairnhouse Farm. On reaching the A714 we take the farm track west to go through Auchleand Farm. Just beyond the farm the track is quite a novelty, It's relaid sections of a synthetic sports pitch complete with yellow and white stripes. It's an improvement from the muddy track it was, but it'll soon get buried by mud again.  Once we reach the end of the 'carpet' we're into muddy track again. 

Here's where we climb White Hill in the Wood of Auchleand.

This was the view north from White Hill on the recce.

A path through fairly flat bracken takes us downhill, before climbing again................

......................to reach Wood Fell Trigpoint.

Clearer pictures on the recce.

Flush Bracket number S8228.

Had it been a dry and clear day we'd have lunched here. Instead we dropped down into the woods to have our sustenance.

After lunch we're back on solid ground.

It's easier to see everyone smiling in pencil sketch mode.

Our track now leads to tarmac passing Mains of Penninghame and Barwhirran before we again take to the fields. 

This is the old disused Newton Stewart Wigtown railway line, we walk along here till we've almost reached Moor Park of Barr farm.

  

A collage of pictures from the recce.

Top left above, does anyone else see what I see ?

The best pictures are in the mind and imagination. Which is why radio plays and serials have much better pictures than TV. Who remembers Journey Into Space ?

Into the mud once again dear brothers and sisters !

Behind Moor Park of Barr (two pictures touched up)

Our last climb of the day is up to the phone mast. It's a pull after eight or so miles. 

Recce view to Palnure.

From the phone mast on Barrhill Wood hill.

The classic view of Newton Stewart and the Galloway Hills (honest, the hills are still there !)

Heading downhill towards the meandering Cree.

Our last stretch back to the Riverside Carpark takes us along the river past a new bench dedicated to 19 yo Kieran Currie who was tragically killed by a Hit and run HGV. 

The Belted Galloway is a mighty welcome experience after such a damp walk. Tea, coffee scones and other delicacies were enjoyed while we sorted out the rest of the world.

Despite the weather we all enjoyed our nine mile hike.

Shorty's report will appear here.

 Wigtownshire Ramblers – Saturday 18/01/2014 – Wigtown to Newton Stewart

The weather forecast was awful but thirteen optimistic ramblers assembled in Newton Stewart to take the bus to Wigtown.  A surprised bus driver deposited the unexpected crowd in the main square and we set off past the County Buildings towards the church under grey skies and a heavy drizzle.  Turning up Church Lane we headed on to Lovers’ Walk where there are usually fine views across the bay towards Creetown.  We were greeted by a grey haze so we carried on down the hill towards the Common Moss road – a squelchy, grassy track in this weather.  There was evidence of the recent gales in fallen trees and ivy blown on to the track but a passage had been cleared and we made our way to the Bladnoch road. 

After crossing the road we took to the fields and made a detour around a temporary lochan and up to the old Wigtown Road.  This had evidently once been a well-made track but was now merely a field edge scattered with whin bushes.  Turning north we were regarded suspiciously by sheep and cattle who soon returned to the important business of grazing.  The track dipped into the valley of the Broken Causeway Burn.  We could find no explanation of this name unless it refers to the gap in the old Wigtown Road.  A little struggle took us across the burn without too many wet feet and we followed the old road towards Moorhead of Glenturk.  The road now improved, first to a good stone track and then a tarmac road as we made our way to the main road at Carsegowan.

Sporadically, the clouds lifted slightly and the rain eased off, giving us hope of a drier day.  However, the rain soon returned with renewed vigour and the clouds descended over the hills across the bay.  A short stop for sweeties encouraged us to continue.

From the main road we took the farm track to Auchleand where the farmer generously offered the use of his sheds as shelter for lunch.  The rain was not too heavy then and it was still quite early, so we carried on along the track.  Just past the farm we were amazed to find the track grassy with white markings.  We eventually realized that this was old AstroTurf carpet overlying the muddy track.  This made easy going for some way but it soon ran out and we were back to stones and mud underfoot.

At the end of the track we emerged onto the grassy knoll of White Hill which we climbed picking the best route over the muddy ground.  At the top of the hill we crossed a stone stile and then followed a deer track though the dead bracken down to a small burn and then back up along the edge of the older trees to the trig point on the top of Wood Fell.  This was the intended lunch stop with its fine views towards the Cairnsmore and southwards over the gently rolling land of the Machars.  However, a cold wind had sprung up and the rain continued fitfully.  We therefore descended into the adjacent trees and found shelter under a large Sitka Spruce.  Here it was sheltered from the wind and relatively dry, apart from the occasional large drip dropping from the branches.

After a short break we descended to the forest road and turned towards Mains of Penninghame and Barwhirran.  A little road walking took us to a field which we crossed to the route of the old Whithorn railway.  We followed the track bed northwards through several gates until just short of Moorpark of Barr. There we turned off the railway and made our way, avoiding the worst of the mud, to the line of the old Wigtown road again.  Here the track winds around rocks and marshes as it makes its way north.  Some sections are deep in mud so we made small detours around the rocks to avoid the worst of it.  We skirted the farm and headed up the hill towards the radio mast on Barrhill.  There were fine views over Newton Stewart and, with sufficient imagination, the Minnigaff Hills could be seen through the murk.

Having paused for a final snack and the traditional photograph, we descended the steep hill down to the new Wigtown Road.  We crossed the road onto the cycle track which we followed back to the Riverside Car Park and the welcome shelter, with tea and cakes, of the Belted Galloway.

Next week’s walk will be a moderate seven and a half mile walk around New Luce.  Meet at the Breastworks Car Park in Stranraer or the Riverside Car Park in Newton Stewart at 09:30 to share transport.  The walk will start at 10:00 from the New Luce village hall.  New walkers are always welcome but for further details please contact the walk leader on 01988 700553.