I am a bit ashamed to say that this is me still catching up with Si and my walks – this one is one of our first from way back in October! As you may remember if you were in the UK – or can see if you’re elsewhere – it was unseasonably warm and green in October. So there’s no fooling anyone. Sigh.
My next few walks will mainly be from Dumfries and Galloway in southwest Scotland. Si and I spent a week there in October in a tiny holiday cottage in the middle of nowhere. We’re back to Dumfries and Galloway for a long weekend to celebrate Si’s mum’s 75th birthday shortly – but luckily you can’t get too much of a good thing! (I mean both birthday celebrations and Dumfries and Galloway.)
For our autumn visit, it was quiet, peaceful, and filled with brilliant walks like this one around the cliffs near the Isle of Whithorn.
The Isle of Whithorn, despite its misleading name, is a quaint wee seaside village. It once was an island, but a causeway was built in 1790. The village was first a port for pilgrims to make their way to the town of Whithorn, home of Scotland’s first saint St Ninian. But now it’s more known for being near the headland from the the cult film, The Wicker Man. (Worth watching to see a young Christopher Lloyd and much more.)
Before we started off, we had a quick visit to St Ninian’s Tearoom, which has huge picture windows overlooking the harbor and lots of tasty baked goods. The sugar gave us some energy and the view gave us the enthusiasm to get exploring!
We made our way out of the village and up along the cliffs, following the green and yellow footpath signs. It’s a stunning walk along the tops of the cliffs, although it does feel a bit precarious at points, particularly with a strong wind – which we certainly had.
Pictured above is one of those precarious bits I mentioned!
Even the warning sign had succumbed to the elements.
We skipped the tour of the many Wicker Man filming spots, as we’ve visited them another year on a different walk, but they’re well worth a visit as well.
Instead we headed over to the other side of the peninsula for a walk from the village of Monreith up to the summit of the Fell of Barhullion.
The first part of the walk skims along a beautiful coastline, as well as this sweet sculpture of an otter in celebration of local writer, Gavin Maxwell. The walk between the coast and the fell is unremarkable (except for being scared to death by two ear-shattering barking dogs). But the view from the top of fell is lovely.
There’s a cairn, and on a clear day, you can see the Isle of Man to the south, the Mull of Galloway to the West, as well as the Cumbrian coast and Lake District peaks. Apparently anyway. As you can see, it wasn’t a clear day for us – but it was still a lovely view.
To round off this blog: I can never resist taking a shot of a picturesque stone wall – one for my sis, who shares the (slight) obsession.
Both of these walks are the Pocket Mountain guide, Dumfries and Galloway: 40 Coast and Country Walks. The Isle of Whithorn walk is nine kilometres long, and you can park right in the village. The Monreith Walk is six kilometres long, and you can park at the public car park at the Back Bay of Monreith Village.
boots & brews 