Wigtownshire Ramblers-Damnaglaur

It's Saturday the 2nd of January 2010.I think i'll call the year 'Twenty Ten',since it's easy to say.
Looking outside the house,it's like an ice rink,i'm not sure whether to take the car out in this.
After scraping the ice off the car windows,i decided to risk a run down to the car park anyhow.After a couple of minor slides i got into Sainsbury's car park.(I went into Sainsbury after seeing someone's wheels spinning trying to get out of the Riverside carpark).Sainsbury's weren't yet open,so i set off.It took me a couple of attempts to get back up the hill,but now on firmer road i headed for the A75 bypass roundabout.Police blockade up...road closed.Was heading home,when i took a thought to look at the Barnkirk Road on to the A75.Maybe the police car coming towards me was a good sign.
The road's open and i'm heading along an extremely quiet A75 to Kiltersan where i'm joining a fellow rambler who's driving us to the walk start.

This is where i now take a shortcut,and cheat a little(That should be a lot).
An articulate and knowledgable fellow rambler who's also a member of the South Rhins Community has written this weeks press report.All passages in italics from this point on are hers.(She says it all better than i can anyway)

After early rain the ramblers were once again treated to a bright and clear day for their walk on Saturday.


In the tiny corner of Wigtownshire where there has been no snow, 22 walkers set off north from Damnaglaur on a mystery tour around Kirkmaiden.

At the hill fort by High Curghie a minor road to High Currochtrie was taken only to be abandoned after a hundred yards for muddy fields.
A view over to Artfield Fell Windfarm.
Not to be confused with Kirroughtree near Newton Stewart.Sounds the same.

The way soon became a farm track leading to Low Currochtrie where the road was once again followed along to Sandy Point and then along the Pulwhinrick Burn to Kilstay.
Hallyholm and Whitehill.
Galloway Hills View.

Just before joining the main Drummore road, a field gate led uphill to a large standing stone where the views across to the Galloway hills with their snowy tops was enjoyed. The Glen road was reached along by Low Curghie, one of the earliest Christian sites in Scotland .
This happy young lady extracted the sheet of ice from the trough for the ice fairies to skate on.Alas they'll only have small areas...it soon shattered as she dropped it.
There's a great variety of animals in the South Rhins.

Uphill again, the wooded glen made a pretty route which joined the Port Logan road once more at Curghie bridge opposite the fine Georgian house which used to be the Kirkmaiden Manse.
I didn't get a picture of the Manse,you'll have to make do with the Old Smiddy.


Soon the Old Covenanters Kirk, built in 1638, with its interesting monuments and gravestones was explored, and then the Old School road taken towards Drummore.
Time for a group photo.I'm in the one previous.
Memorials from the first world war,these are the headstones of those killed by the sinking of the Rio Verde by torpedo in 1918.For a really comprehensive set of pictures of these and other war graves in this churchyard look here.
Scottish War Graves Project

The views of Drummore from this road, with the tide in, the Galloway hills across Luce Bay , the Mull of Galloway lighthouse and the Isle of Man beyond were a constant panoramic companion on the downhill walk.

Kildonan road was uphill again with a handy seat half way from where there was a good view of Drummore harbour, built in the early 1800s to bring coal to the surrounding area and take farm produce away. The RAF took over the harbour in 1938 and built much of the surrounding sheds.

A short and welcome rest.

The ruins of Kildonan Croft, burnt down some years ago, were passed and the road regained at Several cottage from where the mixture of Shetland and Jacob sheep, along with a flock of geese at Bucky Knowe caused some interest.
How could you forget the turkey.Is this the one that got reprieved.

Now the appetites that had been stimulated were assuaged by a great buffet lunch provided at the house of the walk leader. A good start to the New Year!

Snowy South West Scotland

Here's a slideshow of just some of the pictures i've taken this last couple of weeks.

Bird Watching (Birds of the Glebe Part 2)

Birds feeding in my neighbours and my garden in Newton Stewart during Christmas week 2009. Thanks to Mobygratis for the music, Chords

Bird Watching (Birds of the Glebe Part 1)

Birds feeding in my neighbours and my garden in Newton Stewart during Christmas week 2009. Thanks to Mobygratis for the music, Chords

Wigtownshire Ramblers-Stroan Bridge,Loch Trool Circular-Boxing Day 2009

December the 26th 2009.It's boxing day.
Todays walk should be a return walk from Bruce's Stone to the White Laggan Bothy.I've my doubts !
It's started raining as i sit in my car at the Riverside in Newton Stewart.I've already seen two people fall on the icy pavements.
I'm joined by the sole fellow rambler from this area that i thought would be coming out today.
We head off up to Stroan Bridge by Glentrool.The roads are still very slippery.
Parking up by the bridge on the Water of Minnoch,we're the first to arrive.(I didn't really know this at the time,and began thinking that the others had already gone on up to Bruce's Stone.As it happened the walkers from Stranraer and the Rhins had arrived in Newton Stewart after we'd left.A communication problem.Luckily,i didn't do anything hasty, thanks to my fellow rambler calmly insisting we must be the first.)
Two four track cars eventually arrived,and the walk leader wisely decided the walk had better be changed.We'd go from here to Loch Trool.The rain's stopped.


We totalled nine walkers today.
We begin following the path south alongside the Water of Minnoch.By a strange coincidence,rambling friends from Glentrool had walked to Loch Trool yesterday(Christmas Day),and made a short video of their pictures and clips.So i've already had a sneak preview of much of todays walk.
The river looks like the landscape of an alien planet.
The goings fairly easy,and soon we're heading east along the Water of Trool.This stretch of course is part of the SUW (Southern Upland Way)
As we cross the new footbridge,it seems everyone's full of seasonal spirit and goodwill.We're a real happy bunch today.
Here we're awaiting our walk leader who's new plan is to lead from behind.
The trout are still active in this burn.Our group chairman and myself try drawing smiley faces on snow covered rocks.She says hers is Shrek,but i can't see the likeness!
I get barracked when i say that these two rocks will make a pretty picture.
Reaching Caldons,a short detour off the path leads to a Martyrs tomb.I seem to think i've blogged this before.This memorial commemorates six Covenanters surprised at prayer and immediately shot.
There's much been written about 'The Killing Times'.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY have reams of pages online.For a fairly comprehensive read look here.
Galloway Covenanters
Now we come to the Loch itself,with it's colourful winter coat on.
Time for me to take a panorama.

Panorama of LochTrool-Boxing Day 2009 on CleVR.com

Photo calls by a large rock at the loch edge (Thanks Scoop)...
...followed by lunch.

It looks as though it's thawed a little since yesterday.
After lunch we continue in a north easterly direction.

We'll rejoin the main tarmac road through the Kenmure Knowe plantation.
Is this the same Robin Ray?(No pun intended)
Now we head back west along the road to the upward path opposite the Caldons road.This will be the only climbing today.
Gaining height,there's a grand view of the hills to the east.
Soon we reach the bridge at the Spout Head waterfall.

It's another photo stop.Thanks again Scoop.
\It's less than a mile back as we pass the old sheep pens behind Stroan House.The snow's much thicker on this section.More of a trudge than a walk here.
Now we're back at Stroan Bridge,where the Water of Minnoch runs freely under lots of colourful ice.
Apart from myself,none of the ramblers know of the tunnel under the bridge,and once i've shown them the entrance,three of our walkers decide it's a good way to end the walk.As can be seen in the top right picture of this collage,one decidedly mischievous walker would give them a snow shower on their emergence from the tunnel.
It's been a very picturesque and fun walk today.

Seasonal Greetings

It's the 24th of December.
That's Christmas Eve in the Christian Calendar.
Our last shower of snow was yesterday,but it's likely to lie for a while.Our forecast is for another frosty night.
The birds are on the lookout for whatever food they can find.
It seems every kid,and older kids are out sledging.
The Galloway hills present a picturesque winter canvas.
While the Cree flows undisturbed through the town of Newton Stewart.(Although there are frozen sections in places)
Icicles hang everywhere.
The late afternoon mist creates an ethereal picture.
Gardens and windows are decorated festively.


Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious,
socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday,
practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices
of your choice with respect for the religious / secular persuasions and / or traditions of others,
or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset
of the generally accepted Gregorian calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice
of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great and without regard to the race,
creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wisher.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

1. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.

2. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.

3. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her / himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual:

application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole
discretion of the wisher.
No trees were harmed in the sending of this message.

The above is for the politically correct amongst blog readers

For the rest of my readers.

Seasons Greetings

A winters day

Sunday the 20th of December 2009.
I awoke to a wintry scene outside today.
Here's a few pictures from a little walk i took.
The sun's shining between the snow showers.
The snow plough's been busy.
More snow clouds over the Galloway Hills.
Over in Blairmount Park,families are playing in the snow.
The inevitable Robin always looks colourful against the snow.
Back in my garden,i've a few visitors.