Galloway Forest Park Walks
The Galloway Forest Park is the largest forest park in Britain, covering over 300 square miles of spectacular landscape. Forest, ancient woodland, moorland and lochs, all rising towards the rugged peaks of the granite Galloway Hills with panoramic views, are in abundance.
The Forestry Commission is doing a splendid job of opening out the forest for public use, including mountain bikers, cyclists, walkers and even car drivers with their forest drives.
Visitor centres with tea rooms at Glentrool, Kirroughtree and Clatteringshaws augment the natural aspects of the Park. Forest rangers have a programme of walks and tours with various themes in the summer months including red deer range tours. The wild goat park and the red kite feeding station operated by the RSPB are two of many features in and around the Park.
We thought it a good idea to put together some 4 day walks which cover many of the features of the Park, all of which have the ingredient of relative peace and quiet compared to many other popular and over-crowded walking and outdoor areas of the UK.
We mention places of interest nearby which you might also wish to visit.
Galloway Forest Park - Tour 1
Places of Interest - Cardoness Castle; Cream o' Galloway ice cream farm; Kilt making centre; Mill on the Fleet; Newton Stewart museum and cinema; Creetown Gem Rock museum; Wigtown Book Town nearby; Tea Rooms, Pubs and Restaurants recommended.
Places of Interest List.
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Stay at Gatehouse of Fleet and Newton Stewart
Day 1: Kenick Wood and Lochenbreck Loch - 1 mile to 5.5 mls - Forest and Loch.
Peace and tranquility are in abundance on this walk. From the sound of the winding stream to the smell of the bracken this walk will transport you from hustle and bustle of the modern world to nature at it's best in just a few short miles. There are two short and easy way-marked walks of 1.5 and 3 miles and a longer walk through the forest which emerges at Lochenbreck loch. Continue round the popular fishing loch on a rugged part before returning to the picnic spot. Laurieston pub is nearby and an ideal place to stop for lunch before possibly viewing the red kite feeding at the nearby farm.
Day 2: Cally Woods - 3 miles – Woodland.
This is a Forestry Commission walk with several extra distance options. The relatively easy paths lead you through the deciduous woods to the sumptuous Cally Palace Hotel - an accommodation option or a stop for tea during the walk. Walk beside the hotel’s 18 hole golf course and back into Gatehouse. For a longer walk you can continue via Sandgreen beach and Cream o' Galloway ice cream farm and visitor centre.
Day 3: Loch Trool - 5.5 miles - Lochside and Woodland.
This is another Forestry Commission location including a visitor centre and tea room. The popular and stunningly beautiful area around Glentrool could be said to be the most like the Scottish Highlands having craggy hillsides, a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, and tumbling waterfalls. with the highest mountain of the region, Merrick 843m nearby. Bruce’s Stone, beside Loch Trool commemorates a battle in 1307 when Robert the Bruce scored a victory over an English Army. The walk around the loch has an information board showing how the battle was won using the natural features of the area.
Day 4: Big Water of Fleet Viaduct - 4 miles – Moorland.
The start of this upland walk is beside the Moneypool Burn at the old Gatehouse railway station – unusually 6 miles from the town! Scottish Natural Heritage have created the area as a nature reserve and operate a working farm here. The walk follows the old disused railway line and has the majestic granite crag, The Clints of Dromore, as a backdrop. The striking viaduct is the focal point of this peaceful area which has picnic facilities and is popular with visitors. On the way back along a track on this circular walk, a small newly refurbished SNH visitor centre has been made in farm outbuilding. Here you can learn about the wildlife of the area.
Galloway Forest Park - Tour 2
Places of Interest - Catstrand Arts Visitor Centre, New Galloway; Clog making workshop; Red kite feeding station; Castle Douglas Food Town; Sulwath Brewery, Red deer range; Clatteringshaws loch; wild goat park and other ploaces mentioned in Tour 1 above. Tea Rooms, Pubs and Restaurants recommended. Places of Interest.
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Stay in The Glenkens and Newton Stewart
Day 1: Waterside Hill - 4.5 miles – Riverside; Moderate Hill.
With the riverside path including a suspension footbridge, a stretch on the Southern Upland Way cross-Scotland walking route including a nearby climb up Waterside Hill with its panoramic views from the top, before returning by a typical glen and the river again, this circular walk has lots of features to keep you interested. The Lochinvar Hotel is available for refreshment afer your walk.
Day 2: Murray’s Monument – ½ mile to 5 miles – Hill and Woodland.
The Murray’s Monument is a popular walk beside the A712 road. The surrounding area is full of natural beauty with a wild goat park and red deer range nearby. Although the monument walk is only ½ a mile, a detour gives you the option to walk a longer distance to the Old Edinburgh Road or further through the forest. The Grey Mare’s tail burn with dramatic waterfalls and nearby Black Loch sculpture all add to the spectacle.
The Forestry Commission’s Kirroughtree Visitor centre with walks and mountain-bike routes is becoming increasingly popular as a place to get back to nature. It has a beautiful setting with the Palnure Burn, forest and nearby Cairnsmore of Fleet hill, 711m adjacent. This forestry visitor centre with tea room gives several woodland walk options which are separate from the popular mountain bike trails. The Bruntis trail is 1.5 miles, The Viewpoint Trail is 2.5 miles and the Larg Hill Trail is 4 miles. A 3.5 miles easy flat tarred and forestry road route around the Palnure Burn is also a quiet route for a stroll. The Visitor Centre has a tea room.
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Cairnsmore of Fleet – 6 miles – Hill climb.
If you are used to walking up hills and would like a more difficult and alternative walk close to Kirroughtree, Cairnsmore of Fleet hill at 711 metres would fit the bill. You can actually walk from Kirroughtree so, for example, a parent with children can walk with the other ‘hill walker’ parent to the base of the walk and return to Kirroughtree to do easier walks or make use of the children’s play area, while waiting for the ‘hill walker’ to return. The 3 miles distance to the summit takes between 2 and 2.5 hours. Near the top is a cairn which commemorates military planes which crashed into the hillside in World War 2. You get fantastic views of Wigtown Bay, the Lake District, Isle of Man and the Galloway Hills to the north on a fine day.
Day 4: The Minnoch – 5 miles – Riverside and Woodland.
This is a little known walk popular with locals. It follows the River Minnoch upstream with the option of linking to Stroan Bridge and Glentrool visitor centre. It is at a spot beside this river that the body was found in the1930's fiction murder mystery book, The Five Red Herrings written by Dorothy L. Sayers, written and set in Galloway and the subject of one of our themed walking tours. The return route joins part of the well known Southern Upland Way cross Scotland walking route.