Doubling and doubling with laborious walk,
Who, that has gained at length the wished-for height,
This brief simple way side call can slight,
And rests not thankful?
Going north out of Creetown, just before the hamlet of Lennies, you turn off to your right to take up the old road. Once clear of the buildings of the town, there are nice rural views across the fields towards the River Cree, slowly winding its way towards Wigtown Bay. There are undulations in the early part of the road, but nothing that would cause major concern. As you gain height, there are nice views over the River Cree which also gives you an idea of dimensions of the river. The immediate vicinity takes on a much more rural perspective, over-grown verges with plenty of early summer wildflowers, forested slopes, green fields dotted with sheep and cattle.
At Graddock Bridge, the cycle route joins with an unnamed road, crossing over the Cairnsmore Burn, turning to the right for a road section to the Old Bridge of Palnure, where it in turn crosses the Palnure Burn. On the road section between the bridge and the outdoor centre just before Stronford, we were not passed by a single vehicle.
On a hot and sticky day we were more than happy to finish both the day and our adventure early. We had been on the road for three weeks. After lunch in a local cafe, we caught a bus back to Gretna where our car was parked and, after staying overnight, we drove back home the next day.