Catching a bus to Dalbeattie, we prepared to walk back on the busy main road when we found an alternative route through Dalbeattie Forest. Dumfries and Galloway Council have a good list of their core path network on the council website which is useful throughout the coastal walk of the area. The forest path was accessed at Archard on the main road coming out of Dalbeattie, exiting at Barnbarroch, just outside Kippford. From Barnbarroch, it was a walk of about a mile, on pavement, back in to the village.
The first section from Dalbeattie to Kippford starts off flat and then rises in the middle to over three hundred feet, in the process offering wonderful views over the surrounding countryside. The two walks recorded here were walked on 17 / 18th June 2021.
In the early part of the walk there was a nice stone garden which Joanna Elizabeth loved, having a particular affinity to rocks of all shapes and sizes. The early part of the walk is low level and passes through alternate areas of shade and sunshine. What breeze there was gently soughed through the trees, leaving us to enjoy the increasing warmth of the day. On the foliage of one of the many shrubs on the forest floor, we spied two Large Red Damselflies getting very friendly. This variety is the most common of the red damselfly in Britain and is fairly wide-spread.
As we progressed there were a number of areas where there were signs of recent logging activity. Where the trees had been newly felled the landscape had that poor, grey, denuded look that forests have after the soil has been drained of goodness.
In saying that, there was a good point to the clearances in that they allowed a clear view over the Urr Water to the hills behind Parnackie on the opposite shore and north in the direction of Castle Douglas. Lying by the side of the path we found the remains of a small mole that had given up the ghost. There were no signs of any injury on the animal, so one presumes it died of natural causes. Towards the summit of the hill there was a nice little bench where we could stop, sit and take in the joy of the day..
Dalbeattie to Dundrennan - 14 Miles
18 June 2021
The route is far from the coast as we had moved inland over the last couple of days to access a crossing over the Urr Water. Today we were moving parallel to the Urr Water, with a hill range to our right that runs down from Dalbeattie to Orchardton Bay.
As we gained height, there were nice views south to the Solway Firth and across to the Silloth / Maryport area where we were walking last week. In a break to the low hills to our left and looking over to Hestan Island, the Cumbrian Mountains dominated the grey / blue skyline. Inland, it was a very agrarian landscape, rural and dominated by farming with sheep and cattle dotting the lower levels.
With patient endurance, we plodded our way on the main A710 road, to the small village of Aunchencairn. Going through the village we stopped at a picnic table in a local play park for lunch. Shortly after we sat down, we were joined by a delightful young French lady and her two children. Very soon we were lost in a child's perspective of the world as they investigated all our equipment and invited us in to their fantasy world of play and adventure. It was a delightful interlude in, to be honest, an otherwise boring morning.
At Stockmoss we left the main road to move on to a minor road for a quieter and more leisurely walk. We passed through the wonderfully wooded area of Heart Moss which offered dark, cool shade and a break from the heat of the day. The verges along part of the small road were a lovely contrast of deep pink and dark green between what I think was Common Geum and wild fern.
Dundrennan Abbey was managed by the Cistercian Order who were known for their development of farming practices and in which Orroland played a part. The Orroland Estate was released by the abbey in 1530 and moved in to private ownership. Such has been the state of affairs in various forms for some years. Some of the current buildings on the estate are rented as holiday accommodation.
Despite the road walking it had been a good day, with beautiful scenery in places and, towards the end, some nice, quiet walking. The weather has been kind to us this trip and that continued today with at times scorching heat.