Butting up on to the edge of the village of Dundrennan is the military Kircudbright Training Area. There is through-access on the days when there is no firing, but activity is fairly constant on the ranges. There was no access on the day for us and we needed to think abut an alternative route.
The most straightforward option would be to follow the main road (A711) to Kirkcudbright, with the option of walking down the western edge of the range at North Milton, only to then come straight back up again as you hit Kirkcudbright Bay. But we had had enough of traffic dodging and so decided to take the country lanes at the back of Dundrennan, an inland route, coming in to Kirkcudbright from the east, as opposed to the south. While not a coastal route in any shape or form, we hoped for quieter minor roads; rolling, forested countryside and, a break from dodging cars. Taking the main road option the military area is between you and the coast anyway, apart from a relatively narrow strip on Kirkcudbright Bay. We were not disappointed by our choice, enjoying a quiet ramble through beautiful countryside in lovely sunshine.
There were no cars for most of this walk until we closed on Kirkcudbright and only the occasional cyclist or pedestrian to worry about. Tree-lined for much of the route, the play of light through the branches and the leaves of the trees created lovely areas of dappled light and shade, filled with twinkling shards of sparkle. While it was most definitely road walking, it was delightful road walking, with moments of great solitude and beauty as we meandered silently in the close heat of the day. When my wife and walk together we can be silent for mile after mile. Not because we have fallen out but because talk seems to stain the quiet.
Just before Bombie, we stopped by the bridge over the Gribdae Burn just to take in the speak of the place, to sit by the bridge and 'feel' the zeitgeist of the day. Too often we have too many miles in the day to actual stop and enjoy the walk, so it was nice to take it while we could. From the Gribdae, we had a short climb to start on the approaches to the town of Kirkcudbright where, after a quick lunch in our hotel, we set off for the longer walk of the day.
As it was we walked on the minor unnamed road coming out of Ross Bay to a junction with another minor road coming up from Brighouse Bay, where we will start tomorrow. The route follows this minor road to a junction with the B727 and here the traffic was more frequent. Setting off there were some nice views of Ross Bay and the surrounding countryside along the way. The road was quiet enough at this point with few cars, enabling us to meander side-by-side, admiring the bucolic views. Probably because of the remoteness of the minor road there were nice verges and hedgerows here, filled with summer wild flowers and birds.
Looking towards the coast we were quite taken by the a dark cathedral-like archway in Senwick Wood that seemed to invite you to investigate the darkness beyond. Perhaps a portal to another universe? The occasional glimpses of the sea when they appeared only served to increase the yearning to actually be walking by the water's edge, making for a frustrating afternoon.
On the horizon, to the right in the photographs, the lighthouse on the island of Little Ross can be clearly seen. It is over sixty feet high, built in 1843 by Allan Stephenson. The lighthouse acquired some infamy in 1960 following the murder of one of the lighthouse keepers by his colleague who was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged. The sentence was later commuted to a life sentence in prison.
With the tide going out, the dark, steep, muddy slopes of the riverbank are exposed. Above the height of the river there are thick reed beds, tall grasses and wild flowers growing here in abundance, albeit the land can be boggy, particularly when the tide has just gone out. With the wet sands exposed there were numerous flocks of wading birds partaking of the feast that low tides expose. As well as the birds, fallow deer like to lie up in the long grasses during the day and we were fortunate enough to catch sight of one and follow its runs and leaps as it made its way back to more private places.