Wigtownshire Ramblers-Lamachan

Saturday the 8th of June,and the dry weather continues.
Todays walk will be quite strenuous.Starting at Caldons at the western end of Loch Trool we'll follow the Caldons burn upwards.
We're heading for Lamachan,at 717 Mtrs.

We're a group of nine today.

The first part of the walk is through Caldons wood.
We've had no real amount of rain for a few weeks now.Normally the water would be tumbling over these rocks under the bridge.

A moment for catching up.

As we reach the rising ground the surrounding area comes more into view.
Benyellery opposite at 719 is two mtrs higher than Lamachan,so we've an idea how far up we've still to go.

It's fairly heavy going,so mini stops are fairly frequent,and wee burns negotiated.

Time for a longer break.

Another burn crossing.
We're now clear of the forest,and the real climbing begins.

With the forest below us,our western panorama opens up completely,and although distant images are a little hazy,landmarks can still be seen.
Knockdolian,the false craig at Ballantrae can be picked out quite clearly.

We've still a bit of climbing to do as we stop for lunch...

...and i get in the picture(i'm glad i remembered my Chic Murray hat this week).

There's even time to cool ones tootsies in the burn.

Still about 150 mtrs of height to gain.

To the south west are the twin peaks of Larg Hill.

We're nearly there now...

...with all round views as we approach the top of Lamachan hill.

And now we're here.Time out to identify other peaks,distant landmarks such as Ailsa Craig and the Mull of Kintyre,and time to take pictures.

Ok it's not Mount Everest,but and it still feels like an achievement to get here.The Galloway Hills encapsulates 24 named peaks over 2000 ft,and i'm slowly but steadily counting them down.As are my fellow walkers of course.

Here's the Rig of the Jarkness sitting behind the Long and Round Lochs of Glenhead.In the distance the peak of Mullwharchar,with what i think are Lochs Valley and Neldricken also in the picture.

Too hazy to see the isle of Man today,but Newton Stewart,the Cree valley,and the Mull of Galloway are all in view.
I indicated that i could see my house,but of course that wasn't true-not that anyone believed i could-did they?
There's no B & B up here,so we can't stay.It's time to begin descending.

We're heading down to the forest road near Glenhead.

Here alongside the Scars of Carnine a herd of mountain goats view us with suspicion.

While to the east Loch Dee looks as beautiful as ever.

Now we come to the roughest part of our descent.If my map reading's right this area is known as Brishies.I assume,someone correct me if i'm wrong,that the name comes from the scots pronunciation of brushes.

Most of the group had an inadvertant sit down at some part of this stage.Thankfully there were no injuries,but lots of laughs.

This picture of what could be the Shiel burn,gives an idea of how steep our descent is.
Finally we reach the forest road and terra firma.The scheduled stop was cut shorter than intended.No amount of 'Skin so soft' was going to deter the swarms of midges that greeted us.
Water bottles were replenished from the burn,before starting the last edge of our triangular walk.

Another moment to regroup as we start along the southern path of Loch Trool.

Loch Trool looks lovely and serene,there's quite a few visitors about.

Could this be a midge free zone?
Finally back at the car park.A pedometer reads 9.5 miles.The general consensus is that it felt like it.
This has been the most difficult walk i've done with the ramblers so far.The dictionary definition of Camaraderie is 'a spirit of friendly good-fellowship'.I certainly felt that today.

Wigtown

A short and sweet entry.
Another nice sunny day took me over to Wigtown.

This colourful street corner caught my eye.

I've been back living in Scotland for 18 months now,and this will be the first time i've been in the county building.

The Osprey webcam is the reason i'm here,but on the way up to the webcam there was a brilliant woodcarving exhibition.I should have asked to take pictures-maybe next time.
Watching the Ospreys was fascinating,and the staff were extremely friendly.
The county building is a must for visitors.I don't know why i waited so long.

Bargaly

The Bargaly Estate is set in beautiful Bargaly Glen.

It dates back to 1691,and has an interesting history,including having been the home of the celebrated Scots botanist Andrew Heron.
I've taken some pictures as part of a project for the present owners.

Here's just a few.

It really is 'GALLOWAY'S HIDDEN RETREAT'
More info at
http://www.bargaly.net/

The River Cree

Here's a short clip of how the River Cree often looks.


We've had no substantial amount of rain for a few weeks.

This was how it looked today the 2nd of June 2008.
I think we'll get some rain soon.

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Finnarts Bay to Portandea

Saturday the 31st of May,and a moderate walk planned from Finnarts Bay to Portandea.
I'm in a fellow walkers car today.There'll be a delay in starting todays walk.

The car park where we should have been parking(in this picture) was inaccessible due to contractors on road improvement work.

Our new start is at the small parish church of Glenapp.

In the church grounds are the graves of the first,second and third Earls of Inchcape.
The Inchcape family name is Mackay,and at one time most of the land around Glenapp would have been part of the estate.
In 1928 the Hon. Elsie Mackay, third daughter of the first Earl of Inchcape, owner of Glenapp Estate, was lost attempting the first flight across the Atlantic.

On the hillside opposite,planted in memory of Elsie Mackay are rhododendrons and azaleas in their summer glory.

And an inscription on the bell tower also to her memory.
More on the history of the church can be found at
http://www.ballantraeparishchurch.org.uk/Glen%20Kirk.htm

Around twenty walkers assembled,suitably attired for the lovely warm sunny day it was.

The first part of the walk is a long moderate incline along Craiganlea,with views over Loch Ryan and the North Rhins.
The pace at the moment is fine for me.Plenty of energy to converse with other walkers and put the world to right.

Now on the braes of Sandloch hill,the views begin to open up for us.
To the west,beyond the Corsewall lighthouse Northern Ireland looks a stones throw away...

...and to the north is Ailsa Craig,Arran and Holy Isle.Views also seen of the Mull of Kintyre,and possibly the Isle of Bute,but i'm not sure about that.

Our walk leader and other ramblers pick out points of interest.

There are sheep around,so gates have to be closed.Our path now zig zags down to the shore...

...where below us is Portandea...

...also known as Two Door Cove.This was a seaside chalet built in the 1920's for the Inchcape family.

A steepish climb down and here we 'll have lunch.

There's even time for a little exploration.

No one's in a real hurry to leave this lovely place,but eventually we're retracing our steps and climbing.
I'm struggling to keep up.I forgot my Chic Murray hat today,and i've caught a bit of heat from the sun...

...but with views as good as this,there are plenty of stops.

Time to zoom in on Ailsa Craig...

...as P & O and Stena ferries make their way across the north channel.

A fellow walker brings these lovely common spotted orchids to my attention.

A few more breaks are taken before we begin descending back to the start point.

We're nearly back at Glenapp church,where the 'Water of App' is looking decidedly anaemic (merriam-webster dictionary : lacking force, vitality, or spirit.)Although we did spot a number of small fish swimming

With the former manse of Glenapp church coming into view,our walk is concluded.The car park is at the rear.
A lovely walk on a lovely day.