This short waymarked walk lies in the heart of the Galloway Forest park. It climbs up to the impressive obelisk of the Murray Monument - with good views - before returning through the woods and past an attractive waterfall.
Waymarked paths, steep at times.
None to start.
Grey Mare's Tail car park (charge), A712.
The walk begins at the Grey Mare's Tail car park on the A712 which cuts through the Galloway Forest between Newton Stewart and New Galloway. Murray's Monument is in clear view from the car park; head up the path towards it, waymarked in red. There are good views looking back of the open craggy hillside - part of a Wild Goat park.
Before reaching the monument a path goes off downhill to the right. This is the continuation of the walk, but first complete the climb up to the memorial - taking care on a couple of rocky sections that can be slippery. The impressive memorial was built to commemorate Alexander Murray, raised as a shepherd boy in this area but who went on to become a professor of Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University. It offers grandstand views over this part of Galloway. Return to the path mentioned earlier and turn along this.
The path soon enters the forestry plantations; when it meets another at a t-junction turn right. This section is also part of the 7stanes network of mountain bike routes. Eventually a track is reached - turn right along this. Continue until just after crossing a concrete bridge - at this point the route turns right onto a path once more (red waymarker post). If you are interested in landscape art works then you could make a short detour by continuing ahead on the track to see a conical brick tower called Eye on the shores of the Black Loch before returning to this point and rejoining the walk.
The path leads to some old sheepfolds or fanks. Look carefully along the crumbling drystone walls - several carved stone heads have been placed here as part of an arts project. They look almost as natural a part of the surroundings as the old walls themselves. The path continues to the right, running along the banks of the burn.
Eventually the path veers left and climbs slightly before a view down to the road and the car park at the start of the walk is revealed. Continue down the grassy path to emerge on the main road beside the bridge. Cross this to return to the start. Before leaving the area, take a short walk up the path by this side of the burn for the best views of the Grey Mare's Tail - an attractive waterfall but not to be confused with the much bigger Grey Mare's Tail in the hills near Moffat.
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