Walkhighlands

Saturday 10th April 2010 - just me and the dogs

We had only done one hill to date in Galloway (Merrick) so we took the opportunity to explore the eastern side of the forest park.

Having read online reports we took the forest track heading WNW past Fore Bush. There are signs directing walkers to the hill - how could we go wrong? The turn-off from the main track is no longer a path but another forest track. This crosses the Folk Burn and what turned out to be the last sign is uprooted beside it. We continue along the track for another couple of hundred metres and it stops. Uh oh, no sign of a path. We continue N along one grassy firebreak and then W on a wider grassy firebreak to the forest edge. There is a stile, but it's half-rotten, shoogly and the top strand is barbed wire with a disintegrating bit of wood attached as protection. There is a goat skeleton nearby. I have a 48kg German Shepherd with me with no chance of me getting her over this. Where is the gate the reports mention? We resort to heading south for a bit until we find a gap under the fence that Honey can squeeze through.

Afterwards I look at Google Maps - the yellow is the track and we took the red route. Looking at the 1:25k OS get-a-map I think the blue route should have been the path we took.


Anyway crisis past and we head up the slopes of Polmaddy Gairy. We meet a couple of guys on the E cairn of Corserine before we head over to the trig point.

Click here for QuickTime panorama

Merrick


Arran


Lamachan Hill, Cairnsmore of Fleet and the Isle of Man


Lake District


Honey


We head SSE along the grassy ridge that goes by the name the Rhinns of Kells over Millfire, Milldown and up to Meikle Millyea. The dogs take the opportunity of a dunk in the Lochans of Auchniebut


Panorama from Meikle Millyea.


Tess has a belly slide


We spot a herd of feral goats near the top. We head down Meikle Lump and spot a high-grade crossing stile and gate at NX 53473 83805


We soon reach the forest track and head back to the car past the watch tower and down "Prof. Hans Heiberg Drive", with another dunk in the burn on the way.

Some great pics... and two magnificent dogs too. I have put this on the to do list!

great report honey, Auchniebut looks good enough to swim in.... although maybe not at this time of the year

Thanks - Honey (GSD) and Tess (Collie cross) just love getting out with me on the hills providing the day's not too long or too hot.

I'd neglected the Galloway hills till recently. There's some wild country down there and the views over the border are novel.

I thought I'd put this report up from earlier this year with the expansion of the Galloway routes and noting that there was a new forest track on the approach to Polmaddy Gairy.

With winter (and the accompanying shorter daylight hours and bad weather) approaching, I look forward to heading back to Galloway and the Borders. An enjoyable report and good pics .