Walking Forum
Regions - Trip reports, destination advice, recommended routes, etc. => Scotland => Topic started by: April on 20:36:43, 13/10/20
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We drove to the Galloway Hills for an overnighter on Sunday. We parked in between Loch Dee and Clatteringshaws Loch at Craigencallie House in a layby. The road to get there is a single track road from the A712 with very few passing places and we had a four by four with trailer coming toward us. I reversed, slowly. I hate reversing, I just can't do it and eventually the driver lost patience because I was taking ages so he pulled off onto the rough ground to let me pass him :-[ The road is very rough in places too so I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point. We walked along the forest road toward Loch Dee. It was a bit breezy but we had nice views.
On the forest road
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Craignaw and Dungeon Hill
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Curleywee and Mulldonach are the hills in this shot with a peep of Loch Dee
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Loch Dee
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White Laggan bothy
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We had our lunch next to the bothy, pleased when the sun came out because it was chilly in the breeze. We chatted to a nice young couple who'd spent the night in the bothy because their tent malfunctioned. It is quite clean inside for a bothy but stunk of smoke. We found the path marked on the map leading from the bothy up to Loup of Laggan.
Looking back at our route up from the bothy
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The path was very wet and rough in places but not bad for Scotland!
The slopes of Curleywee to our right
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I told you the path was wet
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We were heading up to the col then turning left up the ridge. We thought the route may be pathless but we followed a quad bike track or a trod for most of the way.
Looking back at Curleywee
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The view southward with the Isle of Man just visible
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On the way up the ridge
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It was an interesting way up, all ups and downs and twists and turns. There were trods and quad bike tracks going off in a few directions but me managed to choose the right ones to keep us going where we wanted to go.
A peep of Loch Dee with the Rhinns of Kells behind
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Black Loch
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Lamachan Hill and Curleywee
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It felt very wild and remote up here, what a wonderful place
White Lochan of Drigmorn
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Millfore
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We were going to pitch somewhere on this ridge, to the south of it so we could get a good sunset view.
Curleywee again but this time with Merrick, Craiglee and Craignaw in view
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Fuffock is the name of the pool of water on Drigmorn Hill
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This was taken from the ridge above Red Gairy.
Cairn on the south end of the Millfore ridge above Red Gairy
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Larg Hill, Lamachan Hill and Curleywee from the same spot
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Curleywee, Benyellary, Merrick, Craiglee and Craignaw
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It was almost 4 oclock and we started looking for a pitch. It was a bit breezy but we decided to pitch in the wind so we could look at the lovely views. We found a spot, got some water to filter from a nearby pool then got the tent up while it filtered.
The MSR above Red Gairy
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Sunshine on Millfore
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We would do the summit tomorrow but we knew it may be clagged in and possibly raining. We were surprised when 4 people turned up, fellow wild campers who pitched on the ridge about a 5 minutes walk away from where we were. They'd said hello as they passed our tent. Nice blokes and they joined us to watch the sunset as we had the best viewing point.
Zooming in on the Isle of Man
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The sunset
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Not that great to be honest, this was the best shot before the sun disappeared behind cloud
For Henry, a zoomed in shot of the view of the Mournes from our pitch
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We had a restless night sleep because it started raining heavily and the wind buffeted the tent most of the night. We awoke to clag like we expected and neither of us relished the descent back to the car in the clag, rain and wind. I'd planned what I thought would be a quick way down, on the ridge from Millfore summit to Kirkloch then the forest road back to Craigencallie. We said good morning to one of the campers as we passed by on our way to Millfore summit.
On Millfore summit
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We didn't hang around. We were very wet already with the wind driving the rain at us. I had meant to take a compass bearing for the route we were taking from Millmore summit when we were still in the tent but I'd not. Long story short, I ended up leading us in the wrong direction twice, only spotted when I checked on Viewranger on my tablet. This made the route a bit longer and led us through more rough ground than we needed to. My tablet was in my pack safe from the rain and looking at it meant taking my pack off and it seemed to take ages each time. I have ordered a waterproof case for it for the next time I'm too lazy to navigate properly :-[ We eventually reached the forest road 2 hours and 45 minutes after we set off from the tent. It should have taken an hour and twenty minutes. We stopped for a quick bite to eat sitting by the side of the forest road. We were soaked to the skin and just wanted to get back to the car as quickly as possible to get the wet things off so it was a very quick lunch stop.
On the forest road to Craigencallie
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Day 1 was Craigencallie - White Laggan - Loup of Laggan - Black Loch - White Lochan of Drigmorn - pitch above Red Gairy
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The walk started 0.2 miles before I remembered to start recording the route!
Day 2 was Pitch - Millfore summit - Kirkloch - forest road - Craigencallie
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We had really enjoyed the first day but the second day was pretty grim with the weather.
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April, really love the shot of the Mournes O0 As soon as I seen it I thought 'that looks very like the Mournes' before reading your description :) From left to right: Chimney, Donard, Commedagh, Corragh, Slievenaglogh, Bernagh, Meelmore, Pigeon, Slievemoughanmore and Eagle :)
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Lovely pics Ape O0
The view from the tent was awesome
Thanks for a great and err challenging weekend ;D
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But surely super navigator man knew the right way? ;D
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Lovely pics April - fantastic views, love the "View southward.." and the White Lochan - looks stunning country.
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Some great pictures there April, and the view of the Mourne Mountains is remarkable. I will have to visit the Galloway hills sometime soon - not sure what I think about all the forestry plantations in the area, mind you.
PS - it looks as if beefy is fishing in Fuffock :D
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Lovely pictures - as always! I've found myself muttering "Fuffock" on a number of wet and claggy walks in the past :)
Talking of reversing, I'm not a fan either but had to do about 200m between stone walls last week when I met a lorry on the Duddon Bridge - Ulpha road until I could find a place wide enough. Not fun.
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From left to right: Chimney, Donard, Commedagh, Corragh, Slievenaglogh, Bernagh, Meelmore, Pigeon, Slievemoughanmore and Eagle :)
Thank you for naming them henry and I'm pleased you liked the shot :)
Thanks for a great and err challenging weekend ;D
Day 1 great, day 2 not great ;D
But surely super navigator man knew the right way? ;D
Karl wasn't with us :D
and the White Lochan - looks stunning country.
Scotland is a nice place and there is a lot of it :)
I will have to visit the Galloway hills sometime soon - not sure what I think about all the forestry plantations in the area, mind you.
They are felling a lot of it and leaving the awful tree graveyard behind after they have finished. The forest roads make for easier paths, that is one good thing about them!
I've found myself muttering "Fuffock" on a number of wet and claggy walks in the past :)
We did have a giggle at the name :)
Aye I hate reversing down a narrow road for a long distance, if I veer off my brain just can't work out which way I should turn the wheel to straighten up ;D
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Great Stuff guys O0 You are showing me up though, I have been meaning to go and explore D and G for years but have been too lazy to actually do it :-[ ;D
PS - it looks as if beefy is fishing in Fuffock :D
We had the pointing pillock now we have the fishing Fuffock ;D
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Fluffing more like...
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I have been meaning to go and explore D and G for years but have been too lazy to actually do it :-[ ;D
We had the pointing pillock now we have the fishing Fuffock ;D
;D You are welcome to come along with us as always Karl :) I could do with someone to blame for poor navigation :D
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Lovely pics April.
Shame the weather didn't hold for the whole weekend but I suppose if it was always gorgeous we wouldn't appreciate it as much.
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Thanks Ridge :)
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Thanks April for your Galloway trip reports. They take me back to the days when this area was my stamping ground. I've great memories of spending nights in some of the bothies you mention.....White Laggan, Culsharg, Back Hill O' Bush. You mentioned Craigencallie; I had a great Burns Supper evening there in the bothy which is now long gone. You would have walked past it, or the remains of it in your walk in near Clatteringhaws Loch. I hope you will visit areas a bit further west and explore hills such as Moorbrock, Kirrieoch, Shalloch n' Minnoch.....you won't be disappointed!
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Fab photos of the wilderness.
Thanks for sharing.
Giving me goosebumps to get out again...if only
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Thanks sparnel and IanyZen O0
Sparnel, we will be exploring more of the Galloway Hills and the rest of Scotland, there is a lot of it to explore!
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Great TR April.
I don't think you were navigationally challenged. Admit it, you intentionally drawing an elephant's head with your track recording :D