Waterfalls,Mountain Bikers,Goats and Alexander Murray

It's Friday the 23rd of September.I'd been for a short tryout walk yesterday to see if I'm mending enough to walk with the ramblers on Saturday.Felt pretty rough after a few miles and went home.

What a difference a day makes.I'm still getting rough twinges in my bad knee,but the painkillers help.

I took myself up the Queensway ,parked up at Talnotry and walked down to the Palnure.

There's been quite a bit of wet weather so there was plenty of water in the Palnure.

A short way on I came to McMoab.See here
Kirroughtree 7stanes mountain biking scotland

As I climbed up to take a few pictures I saw a group of Mountain Bikers heading towards the slab.

One of the group by the name of Paul was only one of two who braved the final roll off,and he did it twice.

I'm not sure that these pictures do it justice,it's quite a drop.The other guy to come down was glad he did it for the 'Rush' it gave him.Another member of the group said he'd rather have a part of his anatomy tightened in a vice than come over the top.

A few decided to take a break and pictures.

Hope you all enjoyed the trail guys.

I took the forest track to the east from McMoab.It travels parallel to the Palnure.
Across on Craigdews Crag a couple of  big ravens flew off.

Behind me stands Murray's Monument.

The forest track comes to an end and the last section to Dunkitterick Cottage is a scramble through a section of forest.

There's a comprehensive write up about Alexander Murray on Electric Scotland.
See here Significant Scots

For the son of a shepherd with very little opportunity for learning he achieved much.In his day the main thoroughfare,the Old Edinburgh Road was the other side of Craigdews Crag and only smugglers and law breakers would pass by Dunkitterick.His real education began when one such person recognizing his intelligence dropped off some books for him.
Sadly he died of consumption at the age of 37.

Now I head back to the Queensway and recross the Palnure.

A short walk back along the Queensway brings me to the Wild Goat Park.There's roughly between 60 and 70 in this controlled park,but there are hundreds more all around the Galloway Hills.

I watched for a while as King Billy stood no nonsense from the herd or other males.


I took some video,here's a short clip.

Now I'm climbing up to Murrays Monument and the knee seems to be holding up.

I wonder how many man hours went into building this back in 1835.

Now,rather than go back down the road I came up I make my way down through the trees to the west of the monument.

Reaching the Well Burn of Talnotry it's a short walk back to my car.
I might well walk tomorrow (Saturday)

The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock and other outings

The lack of posts on the Glebe this last week has been due to the blog author resting up and feeling miserable.The problem started last Thursday evening when out for a walk I stepped on a fallen branch which twisted under me.I felt an initial pain,but it seemed to go off quickly.How wrong I was.Upon waking in the morning I was in agony.

The upshot is I was destined to spend the weekend on the settee with a painful ankle and an even more painful knee which meant no walk with the Wigtownshire Ramblers.

Sunday I managed a little walk.Monday a bit more and now it's Tuesday I can report I'm on the mend.

The ankle no longer hurts and the knee is less painful (It still hurts a little climbing the stairs,but nothing like it did)

Now I've got the sympathy vote I'll upload some pictures from recent outings.

A couple of weeks ago I was due to climb a hill with my fellow rambler from Cumnock.

Due to the inclement weather we decided instead to head for Kilmarnock and the Dick Institute.

Passing through Mauchline on the way I took a photo of the tower below.

Robert Burns worked and lived in Mauchline for a number of years and was where he met and married Jean Armour.

This is the National Burns Memorial Tower

Burns Mauchline

I must pay a visit sometime.

On then to Kilmarnock and  the Dick Institute

We were disappointed to find that much of it was closed as the galleries were undergoing renovations.
The upstairs museum was open though and I took a number of pictures which are featured below.

The Dick Institute

I aplogise for the lack of details in the above photographs but it's well worth a vist.

This is the result of stitching four pictures together.

Opposite the institute is the this war memorial.

This from wikipedia

The Kilmarnock War Memorial is a war memorial located in Kilmarnock and built in 1927 to remember everyone who fought in the First World War. The building is accessible to the public, although it is locked. The key is available from the Dick Institute situated nearby. The walks are covered with those names of the people who fell in the First World War. Later additions were made adding the names of those Kilmarnock residents who gave their lives in World War II.

Inside there is a figure cast in bronze, ‘The Victor’, whose head is bowed in silent contemplation of the cost of war

Monday visit to Glentrool

What is it with spiders and wing mirrors.

There's a new feature up at Bruce's Stone

This one's readable with a click.

I took a couple of panoramas of Loch Trool this being the best.

Panorama of Loch Trool from Bruce's Stone on CleVR.com

This panorama is also on full screen on Panogio  HERE
A visit to Caldons saw work beginning on the restoration of the big house and contractors laying stone along the Water of Trool path.They're obviously expecting more tourists next year.


It's now Tuesday and I'll try my leg out on the coast.The following pictures are from below Carsluith Castle.

There's more shells than you can shake a stick at here.

I guess this is an Oystercatcher

Seclusion

How clear is the water in this pool

Looks like a Shag and a couple of seagulls

Remnants of boat mooring posts

A sandy beach.The birds don't get disturbed a lot.

I turned this piece of old masonry back the way I found it.That's a big family of snails.

View over to Wigtown

Looks like a typical Red Admiral

I didn't walk too far today.I fancy walking from here to Auchenlarie sometime though.It looks very interesting.

A run up past Bagbie to take a picture of the standing stone was enough walking for me today.
The ankle has stood up well but my knee's still troublesome.I might rest tomorrow.