Killantringan Lighthouse was designed by engineer David Alan Stevenson and entered service in 1900. The lighthouse sits to the north of Portpatrick and overlooks the Irish Sea and is a category B listed building with Historic Environment Scotland. It is currently privately owned after being decomissioned in 2005. This beautiful lighthouse is a dramatic part of the Dumfries & Galloway …
Stairhaven Coastal Circuit
One of the true hidden gems in Dumfries & Galloway is the tiny village of Stairhaven, which lies on the north-west side of the Whithorn peninsula. Even Google Maps seems to struggle with it, focusing instead on the nearby hamlet of Auchenmalg. Heading south on the A747 towards Port William and the Isle of Whithorn, a tiny sign on the …
Benniguinea and Black Hill of Dee via Clatteringshaws Loch
One of the most popular tourist spots in the Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries & Galloway is Clatteringshaws Loch, which is a large freshwater reservoir-loch that has a large carpark and visitor centre. The loch offers beautiful views to the Merrick ridge and Corserine and the Rhinns of Kells and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve driven …
Brighouse Bay Circular
Hidden to the south-west of Kirkcudbright is one of my favourite beaches and circular walks in Dumfries & Galloway: the Brighouse Bay circular. If you follow the A75 and look for the turn for Kirkcudbright you will see signs for the B727 which will take you to the pretty little village of Borgue. From here head south to ‘Brighouse Bay’. …
Criffel via New Abbey
I’d been looking for a nice summer walk, something for a warm day that would still get me a good day out and would give nice views. A quick bit of Googling later and I discovered a little hill in Dumfries & Galloway that I’d never heard of: Criffel. Perhaps you haven’t heard of it either. The hill sits overlooking …
Loch Venachar Circular Walk
I recently met up with a friend of mine, who is also a keen walker, in the hills above Callander at Loch Venachar in the beautiful Lomond & Trossachs region of Scotland. We’d decided we didn’t fancy a mountain day but rather favoured a ‘distance-walk’ and had settled on the Loch Venachar Circular. This circuit starts at the Glen Finlgas …
A Guide to the Corbetts of the Southern Uplands
The Southern Uplands of Scotland is the southernmost geographic area of the country, it’s the section that borders England and it contains seven beautiful Corbetts that you really ought to climb. Being Corbetts, these hills all vary between 2,500ft – 2,999ft and differ greatly in the views they offer and difficulty of hike they pose. Whether you are looking to …
Clatteringshaws Loch to the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct
One of the walks I’ve always wanted to do for the blog is visiting the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct that sits in the hills above Creetown and south of Clatteringshaws Loch in Dumfries & Galloway. Part of the now defunct Portpatrick railway that ran through Dumfries & Galloway, the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct was built in 1861 and …
Cairnsmore of Carsphairn
Cairnsmore of Carsphairn is the most northerly of the Dumfries & Galloway Corbett’s, sitting to the north-east of the little village of Carsphairn on the A713 road that links Castle Douglas and Ayr. A lovely hill that I’ve bagged before, it has been absent from the blog for far too long and has been on my to-do list since the …
Fly Fishing Loch Valley & Loch Neldricken Above Glen Trool
Glen Trool is one of my favourite places in Dumfries & Galloway (and the south of Scotland in general), offering easy access to a wild, remote-feeling glen while being just a 20 minute drive from the bustling town of Newton Stewart. With copious free parking, walks of all difficulties and lengths and offerings of sweeping views over Loch Trool and …