Wigtownshire Ramblers-Balloch Craig Creetown 2009

It's Saturday the 17th of October 2009.
It's a beautiful sunny morning as i wait in the Riverside car park.The Cree has a gentle flow about it today.
Myself and a couple of other walkers pile into the walk leader and deputy's car.
Todays walk start is the main car park in Creetown.It's an eight mile circular through forest and over rolling countryside
With guest walkers from Stirling,Ayrshire and locally,we're a group of twenty today.The first part of todays walk takes us up through Balloch Wood,which was part of a circular back in May.
May Walk
Heading past Kirkmabreck Church we come to a brand new display.

It's a poetry stone circle.More info here.
Creetown Walks
The inscriptions are haiku poems written by local schoolchildren.It's obviously not quite finished yet-they'll probably grass it over,but what a great idea,and with lovely views.

Heading on through the woods,the few pictures i took weren't as good quality as the previous blog.I was concentrating on my conversation with a fellow walker.I think we were saving the world.
On reaching Garrochar Wildlife Ponds we take a short break.
I think a few of todays walkers would have stayed here all day given the chance...
...and although the colour from August has gone
Wild Flowers ,it really is a beautiful place.

Now we head north east through the woods for about half a mile...
...emerging on the Glenquicken road.A hundred yards east we join this tarmac road heading towards Mark Farm.To the north the 'Knee of Cairnsmore'is prominent.(Sorry boss,i should always bow to superior geographic knowledge)
As we continue in an north easterly direction the tarmac turns to farm track.This breed of sheep is apparently known as 'Jacob'
At Mark,we veer east towards Pibble...
...then north.I've missed two walks up Pibble Hill.Beyond Pibble farm we get a view over the trees of the remnants of Pibble Mine.I think i'm going to have to have a closer look sometime.It's a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is also classified as Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).Pibble Mine

Heading over Fore Moor now...
...we reach the road that heads to the old Gatehouse of Fleet station and Big Water of Fleet viaduct.
Here on the bridge is Hitlers coffin,carved by a Polish stonemason during the war.Going by the date,it seems he was a little premature.
Now heading south west,it's time for lunch.we stop here at Craig Bridge.I wonder how many seventy plus year olds can cross a gate like this.
I have a look in the burn.I'm imagining i can still 'Guddle' a troot,but there's no suitable pools or big rocks.I wonder if i can!
Continuing back towards Creetown,one of our sheep knowledgable walkers suggests these are Swaledale.Having looked at a few pictures,can i suggest possibly Dalesbred ?
At Falbae we leave the road again.We're following the track of the old 'Paddy Line'.This section must have been such a joy to rail travellers.Lots of pictures on this site.
The Paddy Line
Back on tarmac at Greenburn bridge now...
...where i once talked to the local farmer.I'd asked him about the exotic look to the grass verges.He explained it had begun years before when his wife decided to get rid of some house plants.He decided to start planting them out,and if they grew then fine.Now several hundred yards have a look of the Logan Botanical gardens.
Now we're approaching Kilwhirn,where a panorama of Creetown and Wigtown Bay opens up.
Down to the junction at Barholm.I haven't figured these bulls out yet.Are they really fierce,or just posing for the camera.
The last few hundred yards are on the main road,hence the single file.
This has been a very enjoyable walk,and as always in such amiable company.

Sunrise on Wigtown

16th of October 2009.
I awoke early this morning.After looking out on a clear morning i took myself down to Wigtown to watch the sunrise.
As well as taking photographs i set my video camera recording....

...this is the result.
Watch on YouTube here.Sunrise on Wigtown

This description courtesy of Last FM.com

Kiyoshi Yoshida majored in contemporary arrangement and film scoring at the Berklee College of Music. Upon his return to Japan in 1987, he became involved in composing various types of music, including sound tracks and commercial scores as a synthesizer operator and producer. In 1999, he released “ASIAN DRUMS” in sixteen countries including Japan. It won him high acclaim, particularly in the U.S. “ASIAN DRUMS II” came next and was followed by “UBUD” and “UBUD DUA” which he produced with his own band. He has composed sound tracks for NHK TV programs such as “Nihonjin Harukana Tabi” (Japanese on Distant Travels), “Ningen Dokyumento (Human Document)” and “Toukuni Arite Nipponjin” (Japanese in Distant Lands). In 2005 at the Aichi Expo, he directed the music for Kansai Yamamoto’s opening act “TOBUZO” (Let’s Fly! Festival of Life) In 2006, he was in charge of the music for the film, “Toki o Kakeru Shojo” (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) released in the summer of 2006. In 2007, he worked as the music director for the Kansai Yamamoto’s KANSAI SUPER SHOW “TAIYO NO FUNE” (The Sun Ship)

Bladnoch Colours

Monday the 12th of August and it's such a nice day i'm taking myself to the upper reaches of the Bladnoch.
I've a long standing project of this beautiful river that i may finish sometime.
There's many a stretch i've not even looked at yet.
Just below Loch Maberry the source of the Bladnoch,quietly and serenely sits Drumshalloch Loch.
Back when Loch Maberry castle was occupied i imagine the lords and ladies would wander around here.
It's a place to feel at one with nature.
Now this compilation of two pictures of the same view is the result of me trying a setting known as 'Colour Enhance'.
The top section is 'Colour Enhance' and the bottom section is 'Auto'.
Those people who know me,know i have a red/green deficiency (Deuteranopia),commonly called colour blindness,so perhaps i'll get some feedback on this.
To me the more natural looking picture is the one taken on the 'Auto' setting,although had i only seen the top section,i'd have had no problem with that either.
The next three pictures i've compiled the same.

Top 'Auto' - Bottom 'Enhance'
If you look at this picture full size,look for the smiley face with it's tongue sticking out that's appeared.This place is enchanted!

Top 'Enhance' - Bottom 'Auto'

Top 'Auto' - Bottom 'Enhance'
Any feedback appreciated.

I took this picture about one second too late-the 'Wee Folk' had just disappeared into the long grass to the right.
Isn't Autumn lovely.

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Barhobble

It's Saturday the 10th of October 2009.
Todays walk is virtually a repeat of the walk we did on the 8th of August.
Here's the shortcut to that blog.
Walk from Chapel Finian
The only difference from that walk will be the final section,where we'll walk back to our start point rather than cars ferrying drivers back to the start.

There's a turnout of twenty one walkers today.Our canine friend Curly is in attendance.There's one or two less regular walkers.The weather's a bit misty and overcast.Corwall point is again the start.

A steady climb gets us up onto Low Moor and along to Corwall.It's a bit hazy to get good pictures.

There's quite a number of Hut Circles,Cairns and Field Systems on these moors,but we never seem to have the time to investigate.I'll have to get myself up here for a leisurely look round.

Copied and pasted from the last blog.
We continue in northerly direction until we reach the B7005 to Wigtown.
Here we follow the road east and past Culshabbin before turning back southwards via a farm track at the old schoolhouse.
Someone's been keeping the grass mowed at the old schoolhouse.It needs some work to keep it habitable though.
We're quite a colourful group today,one particular male walker being beautifully co-ordinated in red.
From Culshabbin we're heading south via Gallows Hill(Wouldn't i just love to have £1 sterling for every Gallows Hill there are).This is an inscribed stone to someones pet.I didn't have time to decipher it.
Approaching Airylick and Elrig House we encounter a squabbling family of ducks.

Circling Elrig house now.Last time i put a link to Gavin Maxwells Wikipedia Page...
...then there's this book.
This is the personal story of Gavin Maxwell's boyhood, most of which he spent at the House of Elrig, a lonely, windswept house on the moorlands of Galloway. This is the house which, together with the influence of his relations, shaped his interest in living creatures and his love of wild country and wilderness.

Bully had his ladies and babies close by.His glare was becoming more pronounced as I dallied to get a picture.I prudently moved on as a fellow walker suggested he'd probably be able to scale the drystane dyke.

We reach Barhobble...
...i put this picture up the last time,so i'm repeating myself now.It's just in case anyone is interested in the layout of this 'Medieval and Dark Age' church,they can click and enlarge the picture to read it.
Over in Elrig House grounds the 'Gunnera'or gunnera manicata grows big.
This is an ideal spot for lunch,the ruins make ideal benches.
Look out!there's a mad rambler on the loose.
On the move again.We're heading South West via Airyolland and Changue...

...an interesting item i've found concerns the names of fields we're crossing.this is a passage from a Roots Web page.

From: FrancesABlack@aol.com
Subject: [WIG LIST] Old Map Airyolland
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:50:40 EDT

It is interesting what you find clearing cupboards! Found an old map of Airyolland farm, Port William which at that time was rented by my grandfather Robert Skimming. The map had been traced in 1915 and the farm had been surveyed in the autumn of 1889 by James Christison. What I found interesting were the names of the fields! Some of the names: High Liquorice, Laigh Liquorice, Back Feg, Delfin, Hanging Fauld, Lady Creichan, Spout and Clays Bog to name a few. Wonder where the names came from! There were some obviously named ones such as five acre, six acre, bog, and rough field which were self explanatory!
Frances


It's at this point our route changes from the previous walk.
As Luce bay starts to reflect a little sunlight...
...we're heading northwards towards Chippermore Farm...
...where the trees are shaped by the predominant wind coming up from the bay.
It's all downhill and tarmac back to the cars now.Again this has been quite a pleasant walk,and as usual in the best of company.And although it's been quite dull for much of the walk,it stayed fair today.

Canal and River Boats

From my trip to Wales and England late September 2009.
Pictures and clips from the River Severn and the Llangolen,Keadby and Chesterfield Canals.
Additional film and pictures from my good friend Celticsam3.

Little Millyea

Wednesday the 7th of October

Went on a recce with four fellow walkers today.
Little Millyea and Meikle Millyea were the intended targets.
Forestry operations stopped us from getting to our preferred start point,so we ended up walking the extra mile and a half each way from Craigencallie.
Once over the Black Water of Dee we headed up Darou through the disused quarry.The going today was boggy and tussocky.As well as the buzzard we came across a couple of fallow deer,red grouse,ravens and an abandoned birds nest complete with mottled eggs.
It was a cloudy and cold day for much of the time.Before beginning climbing we'd noticed a low cloud base,and as we ascended Little Millyea we appeared to reach it.
Reaching the summit of Little Millyea,i managed this picture on my ten second delay function.
The late start and the heavy going persuaded us to forget Meikle Millyea today,and find a reasonable descent.
We settled on a forest ride down to the forest road.
This provided us with much hilarity due to many slippy falls and lower limbs vanishing down boggy holes.
Finally reaching 'Terra Firma' we'd roughly two and a half miles back to Craigencallie.
Regardless of ground conditions i enjoyed this walk.Great fun.
This is probably not a suitable walk for the ramblers at this time of year.
Best be rescheduled for the summer.

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Glenluce Stairhaven

It's Saturday the 3rd of October,and i'm back walking with the Ramblers after my sojourn south.
We're a small group today.A few walkers are away in the Yorkshire Dales,and the weather forecast's probably put others off.Eight of us meet in the centre of Glenluce.
It's mainly tarmac roads today,so i intend to try and break in my new half price casual walking boots from Cotton Traders.
Leaving Glenluce we head south across the Lady Burn and the A75 onto the unclassified road towards South Milton.It's quite windy,but the rain's staying away for the moment.
Here we're on part of the 'Pilgrims Way'.

This from Electricscotland.
Glenluce to Whithorn. 40km/25 miles
This route, developed by the Whithorn Pilgrimage Trust, follows tracks and quiet roads from the ancient abbey in Glenluce southwards to Whithorn, where St Ninian began his task of preaching Christianity to the Scots. It is waymarked with a Celtic cross symbol.

On reaching Milton Bridge crossing the Barnsallie burn we take a short break,which calls for a photo.
Most of this area is dominated by fields of cattle and sheep,and this particular scene created a discussion.All the sheep in this field were lying down.Why? Answers on a postcard please to the Sheep Behavioral Forum care of Shepherds Incorporated.
It's still fair as we reach Stairhaven.
Luce Bay is a picture of White Horses and seaspray.The local authority operative in charge of the toilet facilities here had only just closed them for the winter season five minutes earlier.Pleas for 'Just a wee pee' were ignored.What a jobsworth!.
It's too windy to stop for lunch,so we continue on to find somewhere sheltered.
We're on the road that runs alongside the river Luce,and eventually find a footpath which takes us down to the wooded area alongside the Wigtownshire County Golf Club.This local canine enjoyed the company and someone to play with.Our timing couldn't have been better to find shelter as a shower passes over.
There's a few tidy residences along this way...handy for the golf course as well.It must have been a medal day on the course,it's the only reason i can see for there to be so many golfers out there.
We're getting close to Glenluce now.None of the ramblers with farming connections gave a satisfactory answer to the question of breed of the cows in this collage.
Now we're in the underpass of the A75,where there's some fairly tasteful graffiti.
A steady walk back through Glenluce...
...where this lady awaits.It looks like her apartment needs some renovation.
A quiet easy walk today.Just about right for me today.