Black Hill of Knockgardner, Ayrshire
Date walked: 10/01/2024
Time taken: 5 hours
Distance: 14km
Ascent: 380m
Black Hill of Knockgardner.
Some recent forest track building has opened up new possibilities around Straiton. At the time of writing the tracks on this route appear on Open Street Map, but not on Ordnance Survey. I expect that will change. The GPX track map on here should help to make all clear.
I am going to describe this circular route in an anticlockwise direction but it could go either way.
Start and finish in the little car park at the Ayr end of Straiton. Our hill, Black Hill of Knockgardner, can be seen on the skyline to the south west. Initially follow the "Church Path" signs over the footbridge across the River Girvan,
Turn right along the farm access road, then left at the T junction and go uphill on the C-road for Xabout 300 hundred meters until the double gated entrance to the Dykes woods is found.
Follow the forest rack into the woods and parallel to the Cawin Burn. After passing the open fields around Dykes farm the track turns 90 degrees left, leaves the burn and trails uphill.
Ignore the two side tracks you pass and eventually hit the fence and dyke at the edge of the forest. A gate is about three hundred meters down to the left. You will have to climb the gate, but it's easy enough.
From the ruins of an ancient farmstead follow a series of cattle trods and farmers quad tracks to the summit. If the weather is OK it's a fine view.
Wander along the summit ridge on the tracks to reach the south west corner of the moor. There is an extremely decayed stile over the corner of the wall here but you would be safer to climb the dyke back into the forest at the low point you will see in the wall.
About a hundred meters into the wood you will find a deer hide. This marks the opening of a forest ride heading eastwards. A few meters into the ride a path develops, after about a kilometre the path becomes a gravel track, Keep following the track down hill and generally eastwards until eventually a tarmac road is reached near the house called Glenlinn.
A kilometre north of Glenlinn a gravel track between the house and cottage at Craigfad leads into the Bennan Wood and, eventually, back to Straiton.
Some recent forest track building has opened up new possibilities around Straiton. At the time of writing the tracks on this route appear on Open Street Map, but not on Ordnance Survey. I expect that will change. The GPX track map on here should help to make all clear.
I am going to describe this circular route in an anticlockwise direction but it could go either way.
Start and finish in the little car park at the Ayr end of Straiton. Our hill, Black Hill of Knockgardner, can be seen on the skyline to the south west. Initially follow the "Church Path" signs over the footbridge across the River Girvan,
Turn right along the farm access road, then left at the T junction and go uphill on the C-road for Xabout 300 hundred meters until the double gated entrance to the Dykes woods is found.
Follow the forest rack into the woods and parallel to the Cawin Burn. After passing the open fields around Dykes farm the track turns 90 degrees left, leaves the burn and trails uphill.
Ignore the two side tracks you pass and eventually hit the fence and dyke at the edge of the forest. A gate is about three hundred meters down to the left. You will have to climb the gate, but it's easy enough.
From the ruins of an ancient farmstead follow a series of cattle trods and farmers quad tracks to the summit. If the weather is OK it's a fine view.
Wander along the summit ridge on the tracks to reach the south west corner of the moor. There is an extremely decayed stile over the corner of the wall here but you would be safer to climb the dyke back into the forest at the low point you will see in the wall.
About a hundred meters into the wood you will find a deer hide. This marks the opening of a forest ride heading eastwards. A few meters into the ride a path develops, after about a kilometre the path becomes a gravel track, Keep following the track down hill and generally eastwards until eventually a tarmac road is reached near the house called Glenlinn.
A kilometre north of Glenlinn a gravel track between the house and cottage at Craigfad leads into the Bennan Wood and, eventually, back to Straiton.
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tinnishill
- Activity: Mountain Walker
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