Head from the crumbling ruins of a 16th century castle across the fields to reach a secluded bay, once used for panning salt from the sea.
Bog Factor
Muddy tracks and fields. The route passes through open pasture and grazings.
Beside track near Galdenoch Castle.
None to start.
NW975633
A sign has been put up prohibiting parking at the parking shown on OS maps at the castle at the start. There is no alternative so currently it isn't possible to do this walk if arriving by car.
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The track to Galdenoch Castle leaves the B738 around 500m from the junction with the B7043 from Leswalt. It is signed for Galdenoch Castle Lodge. Do not drive as far as the Castle Ruins (the parking on Ordnance Survey maps doesn't exist) - instead parking with care next to the track where it passes through the woods and before it crosses a bridge, 200m short of the castle. Begin by walking along the track to the castle, which is ruined but still impressive, and dates back to 1547. Turn sharp left opposite the castle along the track which forks off behind the lodge.
The track leads to a single bungalow; pass to the right of this and continue through the gate beyond, into a large grassy field. Keep along the right edge of the field until you reach a landrover track (there's a waymarker here for the way back!); turn left and follow this. It passes through a gap in a fence and then curves gently right. There's a junction just beofre a small lochan - turn right through a gate to pass along the right side of the lochan, where there is a private barbecue hut. Continue to reach a group of gates and go through the middle one ahead into a field.
There are often grazing cattle in this area. Keep the fence on your left, following faint signs of an old grassy track, soon passing through another gate. Go through this, then when there's a gate in the fence on your left, pass through to continue, now with the fence on your right. At the far corner of the fence continue ahead across grass towards the coast until reaching the back of the bay, then keep around to the right. Eventually a clear track leads downhill to the left to reach the bay, passing a second barbecue hut. Though the beach is mostly shingle, this is an attractive spot with views across the Ireland, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Its name derives from the salt pans by the shore - depressions which were used to evaporate seawater for salt. To the right are some jagged rocks and a crumbling ruin - the remains of an ancient fort. Once you have explored enough, the return walk is back the same way.
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