October Blooms

Here's a bit of late colour from South West Scotland.

1. Field Bindweed

2.Geranium Pulchrum

Wigtownshire Ramblers Garlieston to Innerwell October 2011

Saturday the 8th of October 2011.

Todays walk is one that's been done by the ramblers before,but somehow it's the first time I've done it with them.

I've been here quite a few times though and here's the links to my previous visits.

Woodland and Shore

Good Friday Nature Walk

A walk round eggerness point

We're a group of sixteen as we leave Garlieston.
We've two guest walkers today.Recently moved to Newton Stewart and potential members we welcome them to our friendly group.

It was raining when we left Newton Stewart,but although dull it's dry for the start of the walk.
We're taking the path north to Innerwell around Eggerness point.

Over the bay there's not a soul around the jetty today,back in July it was swarming with people.
The only thing I can find out about Culderry House is that it's listed as a Country House and that there was a theft earlier this year from an outhouse of 100 old vinyl records.

There's a variety of sea birds in Garlieston bay today,but I've a sneaking suspicion that this one isn't quite real.

A short walk along the beach gets us onto the Eggerness road.
My thanks to Scoop for a few of today's pictures.

Loose cows on the road were dealt with by Cabby and we were again on our way.
Our route takes us through a section of wood and a couple of field edges.There's quite a number of signs telling us to stick to the path.

A gate leads us back into another stretch of woods that will continue along to Innerwell.
Just through this gate I remind the walk leader of the Mulberry Harbour remnants down below us.
Now this just shows how bad my memory is.I told the group we'd find four 'Beetles' down here.
When we got down I remembered there were only two......

..............looking at this picture it looks like there's only one, but looking back in my archives Beetles, there are three.Que sera sera !


A walk through the woods where we saw the remnants of the drystane walls at Castle Point took us past Pikehorn, Beggs Hole, Shorewood Belts and Jultock Point. I've no information of how any of these were named.


Reaching Innerwell we lunched on the rocky shoreline.Apparently the fishery here is no longer functional,but a little way up the coast we could see fishing nets out in the bay.

Published in 1846 and written by Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland  has this passage in it.
A salmon-fishery is carried on at Port-Innerwell, which produces an annual rental of £200 to the proprietors; and herrings, mackerel, cod, and various other kinds of fish, are also taken here in abundance. Herrings were likewise found some few years since off Garliestown, and many of the inhabitants engaged in the fishery; but from recent want of success, it has been almost discontinued.
I guess the Stationmaster was correct in his assumption it hadn't been in use for some time. 

The sea was very calm with very little activity.We had the company of one solo Oyster-catcher.Visibility on the other side of Wigtown Bay  was almost non existent.

It was soon time to be heading back.We'll retrace our steps.There must be a way to make this a circular walk without upsetting landowners.We'll work on it.

One of the above photographs has been doctored.
Answers on a postcard please to the Psychiatric unit, c/o The Chrichton,Dumfries.

A diving bird was one of a few distractions on the return.

Back on the tarmac,one of the two steers is still on the road.We've been lucky to have kept dry all this time but now it's becoming a little drizzly.

Back along the beach we can view a large flock of seabirds out in the bay.

Back in the village we pass the weir where the old oatmeal mill once stood.
See here Garlieston
My last picture of the day was of Madame Chairperson and an invalid scooter,but I'll spare her blushes by not including it.
A pleasant enough walk today.

Seven Links Blog Challenge

I've been bequeathed a blog challenge from A Daft Scots Lass , a lovely blogger I follow.

Go visit but be prepared for strong language.Reading A Daft Scots Lass and Not So Simply Single inspired me to set up the Irreverent Glebe.


1.My most beautiful post.
This has to be one from 2009 when I went Island Hopping on Scotland's west coast.
In the last week of June heading into July in 2009 I headed off to explore a few of our west coast jewels.
I had the only two weeks in the year that were rain free.
My blog posts during the trip were probably a bit of a hotch potch, but I later put a string of the pictures together accompanied by music by Moby and created an eight and a half minute video.
 Westward Bound -A Pictorial Tour Of Western Scotland

2.My most popular post.
Generally speaking my walks with the Wigtownshire Ramblers are always the most viewed as my fellow walkers like to remember where they've been.
However it seems my most popular blog has nothing to do with my brilliant photography or filming.
It's an account of an operation I had in the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh in 2009.
My Depressive Lumbar Laminectomy 

3.My most controversial post.
I guess I don't do controversial so I'm not sure what I'll put in here.
I suppose I could have started a controversy with this post but no one took the bait.
It's doubtful whether many readers in other countries will have heard of this programme.
What it is, is a soap opera set in London revolving around a group of saddo's who frequent a pub known as the Queen Vic.
I've occasionally had to endure this being on the T.V .On these occasions I never saw a smile or heard a laugh.Surely the most dire thing ever on British TV, and the saddest of all is that it gets such high viewing figures.
East Enders

4.My most helpful post.
A lot of people and bloggers probably don't that there are various methods of viewing on Blogger.
Mosaic,Flipcard,Sidebar,Snapshot and Timeline.
If you're looking for a particular post, one or other of these methods could help you find it.
Blog Viewing Methods 

5. A post whose success surprised me.
I'm a fairly prolific poster of mainly photographs and video.
I haven't many followers which isn't a problem to me.Don't get me wrong I like to think that I'm entertaining some of you good people out there but to me my blog is also a diary and record.
I've been on blogs where the authors follow hundreds of other blogs.If I went along that path I'd be on this computer more than I am and that's already too much.That said my posts are usually in double figures rather than three.
On a vacation this post stood out on my viewing figures with hundreds more hits than other posts on the same trip.I had one comment on this post from 'anonymous' wishing to exchange links.I've a feeling he was stealing my pictures.  
 Tintern Abbey

6. A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved.
It's a video clip featuring my eldest daughter and my two eldest grandkids.Go on ! Have a laugh 
Fun and Frolics on Druchtag Motehill

7. The post that I am most proud of.

I'm proud that of a number of my posts have been linked because their content has had historic reference such as Cairngarroch Bay. I'm also pleased to see some of my stuff linked to wildlife sites like the Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park.

The majority of my posts though are my walks with the Wigtownshire Ramblers and the post I'm most proud of is a Ramblers post.

It was the first walk I'd devised myself and one that ended up on the Newton Stewart Walking Festival  

Wigtownshire Ramblers - Newton Stewart

I think I'm now supposed to ask another seven bloggers to take up this challenge.

Well I'm not sure if the following good folk will have the time to take up the challenge.I wont blame them if they don't.Some are very busy people. 

Here's a very prolific thirty something.

Better oot than in

Alex and Bob, Scotland's unofficial tourist board

Blue Sky Scotland

From the heart of Montana comes Tammie,an amazing photographer

Spirit Helpers

Sandy's from my part of the world.He's also a tea drinking folk musician.

Witterings

Another near neighbor is Ruthie, an exceptional craftperson, artist, weaver of myths and all things magical. 

5preciousthings

The travel adventures of one cool cat

Sinbad and I on the loose

I doubt you'll get the challenge taken up by Colin Campbell who administers this site,but you'll see some of the most beautiful pictures you've ever seen in your life.

Scotland in the Gloaming

Wigtownshire Ramblers Castle Kennedy Circular October 2011

It's Saturday the 1st of October.

It's dry in Newton Stewart, but very wet in Castle Kennedy.

I've written the walk report so it'll follow the pictures.

Lots of herons to be seen today.

I believe top left is or was the Factor's house

Picking snowdrops illegal!

I guess we all know someone with one of those.

The Sheuchan Burn created by the Black and Tongue (Top Picture) burns

Tongue Glen

Cullurpattie

Balker

Lunch Break

Inquisitive calves

Jackdaw

Here's an interesting sign we saw.

The next picture was after we'd passed.

Ha ha

Lodge House

Strange Fungi

Shetland Pony

Approaching White Loch

Lochinch Castle

Inch Parish Church ruins

WW2 Military Camp Ruins

Wigtownshire Ramblers Walk Report

A very wet morning saw eleven ramblers meet at the Castle Kennedy Gardens car park for the walk.

A warm welcome was given to visiting walkers from Stirling and Edinburgh.

The walk began by crossing the tree lined canal connecting the White and Black Lochs. A heron was spotted standing patiently on the bank where the canal leads into White Loch. A little further on a second one was seen on the aptly named Heron Isle on Black Loch.

Passing through Broad Wood a red squirrel was seen scampering up a tree. A notice proclaimed "It is Illegal to remove snowdrops from the wilds" 

After walking a few hundred metres along the New Luce road, the group now took the road north leading to Sheuchan and Meikle Tongue. After a while the tarmac road turned to farm track.

It was thought that the double barbed wire fence along here was for hedge planting.

It continued to rain with only occasional respite. The confluence of the Black and Tongue burns meet at Tongue bridge to become the Sheuchan Burn. Threatening to burst its banks, the Sheuchan was a white water avalanche.

At a fork in the track the route turned along the western edge of Tongue Glen.

The original route was to include the radio telephone mast above Balker Wood, but after consultation the walk leader decided to omit it as the views would be non existent in the rain and mist.

Emerging from the woods the rooftops of Lochinch Castle came into view. 

Another heron stood at the edge of a flooded section of a field.

The track was followed through Cullurpattie and onto Balker farm. A fine detached house was pointed out as being the residence of Davina Katherine Bowes-Lyon, Duchess of Stair.

At Balker, lunch was enjoyed under cover in a farm shed. Adorable Friesian calves were in a nearby byre.

After lunch the group now headed south. Shortly after crossing Balker bridge they took a path through Hamilton wood, the leaves on the trees now adopting their autumn colour. Now and again a resting pheasant would be disturbed.

Reaching a quaint lodge house, the route now followed a field of maize waving in the breeze. Shetland ponies grazing in the next field came up to the fence to make the acquaintance of the walkers.

On reaching the tarmac road leading to Lochinch, the castle could be seen across White loch. A short distance along this road brought the group to the ruins of the old parish church of Inch, which was explored. The Stair family name of Dalrymple was predominant on the headstones and wall plaques. The church and nearby school were closed in 1861.

Continuing on, the walkers now entered Macgill and Douglas woods where there are extensive ruins of the WW2 military camp. After a short exploration and with no let up in the weather it was decided to hastily finish the walk.

Back on tarmac the group were soon back at the walk start. After abandoning wet clothing they made their way to the sanctuary of the tea room.

Welcome tea, coffee and various cakes and scones concluded a wet but interesting day. 

The next walk, on Saturday the 8th of October will be a ‘Woodland Coastal’ walk of 8 miles from Garlieston to Innerwell and back.

Meet at the Riverside car park Newton Stewart at 9.30 am,the Breastworks, Stranraer at 9.00 am for car sharing, or at the walk start at Garlieston Village Hall (NX 478 462) at 10.00am.

New members are always welcome, for more information or if going to the walk start, contact the walk leader on 01988 840268