Scoops Reports 2012 – Below Cairnsmore - 22 December 2012

22 December 2012 – Below Cairnsmore  Report by Richard Kay

I did not want to get up, especially as the wind was howling and the rain was lashing against our windows.  Also, I was sure that the walk would be cancelled!  However, I got up as though I was going to be walking and packed my lunch before trying to phone Richard with my mobile phone(our land line being out of order) – only succeeding in leaving a message on his answer phone.  I phoned Cath who said she was all ready to go and would be doing so unless I heard of a cancellation but when I got through to Jim he said that we would be walking, even if it was an alternative!  Cath was here about 8.15am and she drove me to the Cairnsmore car park where we met Richard and Jim.  Duncan arrived a bit later.  So there were just 5 of us!  

The weather on Saturday morning was atrocious with heavy rain and a cold, gusting south easterly wind.  The numbers were depleted by a mixture of pre-Christmas preparations and the weather so only five members assembled at the car park near the Cairnsmore viaduct.  After a short discussion the group decided not to attempt the planned walk which would have involved a long walk over exposed moorland towards the Door of Cairnsmore.  Instead they decided on a less ambitious walk through the forests on the lower slopes of the Cairnsmore.
The group set off up the traditional summit path until they had crossed the first section of recently replanted forest.  On passing the dyke they turned into the forest out of the wind and rain and followed a brashed track through the trees which climbed gently towards the forest road.  It was rather dark under the trees but the wind had disappeared and the rain was confined to a few drips from the forest canopy.
I kept my camera in my rucksack for a while, only getting it out when I was desperate to take a photo, and then I kept it under my jacket for easier access.  I was amazed to find later that I had taken 84 photos, some of which had an ‘atmospheric’ misting over part of them – caused by dampness getting in between two lenses!  However, some of them came out reasonably well.
A short climb brought the group out onto the forest road just below an area of Larch which had been felled as part of the control measures for the Phytophthera disease.  They passed the piles of logs at the roadside and crossed the Cairnsmore burn which roared through its culvert below the road.  Here they emerged onto open land and once again felt the force of the wind and rain.  Misty views towards the Cree valley were admired briefly then the group crossed quickly to the northern section of the forest.
The forest road wound northwards through the trees.  Along the way they were fascinated by the moss and fungi which grew on the roadside banks and old logs.  They obviously appreciated the dank conditions. Despite the rain, I was taken with the colours of the fallen leaves and, having removed a lense from my camera and therefore the misting, I was able to get some photos of the lichen and fungus in various places.
 Two more areas of felled Larch were passed and the group soon reached the top of Jock’s Brae.  Here they turned off the forest road and followed an old track down into the valley of the Knock Burn.  Once they crossed the burn they found a sheltered area under large spruce trees for lunch.
Before then Richard had aided our blood sugar levels to rise by dishing out jelly babies!  We perched on a moss covered dyke which had seen better days and the rain found its way through this opening between the trees to fall on us, our sandwiches and our drinks!  However, we were suitably revived when we set off again.
After a leisurely lunch the ramblers continued along the grassy track and eventually reached the end of the wood and emerged once again into the wind and rain.  A short passage across the field led them to an old track which descended through the older woods towards Bargaly Farmhouse.  However, the group turned off the track and walked between some old beech trees which had grown into fantastic shapes and were festooned with moss and bracket fungi.  After passing these trees they walked through Larch and Spruce woods seeking an old track which led down to Bardrochwood.  Eventually they found a track which connected a series of old charcoal burners’ platforms and they reached the valley road just before the Mill Burn bridge.  Across the burn they could see an unusual elongated motte with one sheep proudly surveying the countryside from its summit.
Richard was in constant communication with Andrea who wanted us to make sure we did not get back to their house before 3pm!  We joked about going round in circles to make up the time but actually the walk was timed brilliantly.  However, following one such phone call when Richard gave an estimated time for the end of our walk to Andrea, who was out walking with Irene and Isobel, she, thinking our arrival would be earlier than anticipated, cut short their walk by half!
After crossing the bridge they turned off the road and followed the farm track past the steading and up the long slope up to the Machars Hill.  After viewing the motte there, a more traditional round one this time, they followed the tractor tracks across the fields to Strathmaddie farm.  They descended to the road again and were soon back at the cars, a somewhat dedraggled but cheerful bunch.  We got the all clear from Andrea as we got back to the cars and then were held up while Jim hunted, in panic, for his car keys.  He checked everywhere over and over before finding them in the lining of his over trousers.  He had a small hole in his pocket through which the keys had fallen, down to the bottom of his trousers – what a relief for us all!
Another group, who had declined the more strenuous walk, met at the secretary’s house and took a short walk around Doonhill Wood and Blairmount Park in Newton Stewart where they followed the paths which had recently been upgraded by the Cree Valley Community Woodland Trust.  They particularly admired the boardwalk and dipping platform which had been constructed around Blairmount Pond.  They were disappointed to find that the swans had emigrated for warmer, or drier, climes.  After the walks both groups met up back at the secretary’s house for the traditional pre-Christmas mulled wine and mince pies.
I could only manage a piece cheese on toast later while we watched the first part of ‘Strictly’.  The second part came later in the evening - I had expected Kimberly to win but the trophy went to Louis Smith (gymnast who got a silver medal in the Olympics) after his amazing show dance!  Jim was pleased with that result.

Scoops Reports 2012 - 29 April Cairnsmore by the Door

29 April Cairnsmore by the Door  Report by Richard Kay

A small group of 12 ramblers, including 3 visitors from the Biggar Ramblers group, assembled at the Cairnsmore Car Park near Palnure on a bright and blustery morning with the intention of climbing the Cairnsmore of Fleet via the Door.  Cath, Thomas, Frances, Rachel and Alex met the other walkers at Palnure – Richard (leading), Mary, Leslie, Forbes and visiting Ramblers from Biggar – Pam, John and another, whose name I forget – for the start of quite a memorable walk!  I enjoyed the company of our visitors who may often have wished that they had opted for the lesser challenge, by far, of the Isle of Whithorn to Garlieston which most of their group were doing today! They had climbed the Merrick on the previous day.
They set off up the track towards Cairnsmore House with the trees showing signs of spring growth and a few bluebells showing colour amongst the undergrowth.  The route followed the traditional path until they reached the track at Cairnsmore farm.  Here they turned right towards the keeper’s cottage and then took the track eastwards above the Graddoch Burn.  The track continued to climb above the burn which it then crossed by a small stone bridge and emerged into an open field. Here the track was less well defined but the group followed the edge of the wood towards a gate which gave onto open moorland.  A few lambs scampered after their mothers but otherwise the cold wind kept most wildlife hidden.
 On the moor the track was once again well defined.  It had been a well made track with large boulders marking the edges and a cobbled infill but rain and farm traffic had reduced it to a stony scar across the moor.  The group continued steadily upwards and soon reached the top of Knocktim Hill.  They paused to admire the view westwards over Wigtown Bay and the Machars.  The Isle of Man and the Mull of Galloway were just visible in the haze.  The cold easterly wind was funnelled through the gap between the hills and the walkers donned their coats and gloves and pressed on.
Beyond Knocktim the track became wet and peaty for a short distance but the good stone track resumed as they approached the main hill.  The map indicated that the track finished at a branch of the Culcronchie Burn but the ramblers found that it continued over the moor towards the Door of Cairnsmore.
As the group approached the cliffs of the Door they turned from the track and started to tackle the main hill.  They picked a route between the rocks and boggy patches trying to follow the areas of well burnt heather where the going was easier.  The route was sheltered from the cold wind by the hill above them and they climbed steadily, pausing frequently to admire the view and to get their breath back.  Higher up the hill the slope eased off but the ferocious wind increased and threatened to blow them back down.
I found the going reasonably easy until just before lunch when the wind was searing!
Once the plateau was reached a short struggle against the wind led them to the cairn on the south summit of the Cairnsmore.  They paused briefly to admire the view eastwards and then pressed on to find some shelter for lunch.  They found a small hollow below some rocks and gratefully sat down to enjoy their meal.
Lunch was a little late owing to the determination of reaching the right spot and I was really hungry, despite having some Jelly Babies earlier!  Richard seemed quite content to stay in the hollow we had found but my feet were freezing and I could not even wander very far from the group when I crouched down for a private moment – Mary had gone further and got colder!
After lunch they descended to the Nick of Clashneach where they crossed the old dyke and started to follow an old fence line above the cliffs.  There were fine views of the Clints of the Spout cliffs on the east side of the Cairnsmore, once the home of eagles, and over the peat hags and forests towards Loch Grannoch.  The dry weather meant that the Spout of the Clints waterfall was no more than a damp trickle down the rocks.  The wind was particularly fierce and the group had to battle to maintain their balance.  Some of the smaller members felt in danger of being blown away – no prizes for guessing to whom he referred!  From there the views became even more photogenic and it was so frustrating having fingers which were too cold to function properly and the inability to stand up to take reasonable photos.  I was amazed at how well the photos I DID manage to take actually turned out.  I would have taken far more than the 88 I downloaded later today if it had not been so windy!
The group climbed steadily over the summit plateau and soon reached the shelter of the old cottage near the cairn.
We plodded across the summit plateau with determination, eventually reaching the memorial to the airmen, the trig point and taking shelter for a short while in the remains of a cottage which I had always just thought of as a more recent construction built specifically for walkers’ temporary use!
After a brief pause the group emerged into the wind again and, after pausing to examine the airmen’s memorial, set off down the traditional path back towards the car park.
I did detour a few times as we went down, to avoid the joint jarring of the stony pathway but this became more difficult further down although, thankfully, the path became ‘softer’ through the woods.  It was lovely to emerge from there onto open land and then to take the rhododendron lined path through a smaller wooded area, onto the road which took us back to our cars.
As they descended they soon reached the welcome shelter of the trees and a steady descent took them back to the car.  The day was concluded with excellent tea and cakes at the Stables tea room in Palnure.

Scoops Reports 2011 - 8 January 2011 Cairnsmore

Wigtownshire Ramblers 8 January 2011 Cairnsmore

Fourteen Ramblers (Cath, Frances, Isobel, Marilyn, Florence, Leslie, Kate (Cath’s granddaughter), Jim, Richard, Allan, Jack, Peter, John and Richard Knott with his two dogs) assembled in the Riverside Car Park in Newton Stewart on a bright and frosty morning. In view of the icy conditions it was decided to abandon the intended route through the hills above Loch Trool. Instead they decided to climb the Cairnsmore of Fleet along the traditional path. They soon set off up the road through Cairnsmore Estate and across the fields to the woods. By this time a light cap of cloud had formed around the summit which loomed above them. The going was firm with a shallow layer of powdery snow which in places hid sheets of slippery ice. They continued upwards through the forest and paused to admire the view. This included a snow shower sweeping in from the north-west over the moors of Wigtownshire. The shower arrived as they continued up the path so they tightened their waterproof clothing and continued upwards. The shower proved short-lived and cleared as they climbed the steeper slopes of Crammery Hill. Unfortunately, the cloud on the summit was creeping lower down the slopes and as they emerged above the forest visibility up the hill was restricted to a hundred metres or so. However, the view over the Cree Estuary was fine and it was interesting to see that there was no snow on the low land around the river. The concealed ice below the snow on the path was becoming more of a problem and after three walkers had slipped over simultaneously it was decided to go no further up the hill. They returned down the path to the forest road where they enjoyed lunch in glorious sunshine around the Lady Pilkington memorial bench. Here they met four younger and more intrepid walkers who continued upwards intent on reaching the summit. After lunch the group decided to extend the walk by using the lower level routes through the forest. So they set off northwards down the forest road. They reached the “T” junction which afforded good views over the lower Cree and Wigtownshire and continued northwards along the forest road as far as the Mill Burn. After crossing the burn and admiring the natural ice sculptures along the watersides they took the sign posted path downhill parallel to the burn. At the lower end of the forest they took a short diversion up a rough track to examine the old water intake from the Mill Burn which at one time supplied water to the houses and farms around Palnure and the lower lying land across the Cree towards Wigtown. There were some more modern fittings which may still supply local houses but it is thought that most now receive water from Penwhirn. There was considerable discussion about the name of the burn as there is no obvious evidence of a mill building anywhere along its course. They proceeded out of the forest and across the farmland following the rough track. They forded the Mill Burn, which fortunately was not running high, and continued to the road which led down to Bardrochwood. Here they turned back up the hill and crossed Machars Hill towards the Motte which still stands proudly above a tiny burn. The group turned away from the road and crossed a couple of fields and woods, following a rough track, before descending to Strathmaddie Farm. They passed a small, largely silted up mill pond above the farm and viewed a substantial mill building which, though roofless, seemed to be undergoing some restoration. The group descended to the valley road and soon reached the cars. The timing was impeccable as the sky had now clouded over and further snow or rain was promised. Finding the Old Stables Tea Room closed Jim, Richard, Florence, Leslie, Katie, Cath, Isobel, Marilyn, Frances and Richard Knott went into Newton Stewart where they enjoyed drinks and cakes in Cinnamon – the scones were good!