The Stewartry Tour

Places of Interest - Castle Douglas Food Town; Sulwath Brewery, Carlingwark loch; Threave Castle and Garden;  Dalbeattie museum; Sandyhills beach; Mersehead RSPB Nature Reserve; John Paul Jones visitor centre; Sweetheart Abbey; Galloway Conservation Park; Galloway Hydros VC; David Coulthard museum; Kirkcudbright artsist town; Cardoness Castle; Cream o' Galloway ice cream farm; Kilt making centre; Mill on the Fleet.Tea Rooms, Pubs and Restaurants recommended. Places of Interest List.
Price -  

Day 1: Balcary and Rascarrel Circuit – 8 miles – Coast and Countryside.
You can begin this popular walk from the village of Auchencairn, with the Old Smugglers Inn an ideal food and drink stop at the end, or drive to Balcary Bay and start from there. The 8 miles circuit includes some walking on country roads to complete the circuit. A 7 miles off road circuit includes a section to Barlocco Bay and back – or combine both to make a 10 miles walk. The top quality Balcary Bay Hotel will also offer a more expensive refreshment stop.

Day 2: The Ross and Brighouse Bay - 9 miles – Coast and Countryside.
This walk is a combination of two coastal walks with a shop and holiday park/golf course restaurant available for a half way refreshment.
First start by doing the recently way-marked new walk to Ross Bay with several interesting characteristics. You begin by walking uphill through a field and over the hill to get glorious views over Ross Bay with Kirkcudbright Bay behind. After walking down to shore level to the Ross Dairy farm, a pleasant walk round the Bay to the other side takes you to a kissing gate leading uphill to the Meikle Ross. You soon reach the top to find spectacular views over to Little Ross island and lighthouse which is only ¼ mile offshore. The house on Little Ross is still occupied for part of the year and was once the site of a grizzly murder of a lighthouse keeper during the 1960's. Continuing round the rocky peninsula there are various spots to explore as you return to Brighouse Bay.The bay is a popular scenic area often used by the Scottish Colourist artist E.A. Hornell from Kirkcudbright in the early 1900’s as backdrop to his paintings. One side of the Bay is a holiday park and golf course. The walk follows the rocky shoreline along the edge of the Bay and then rises along beside the golf course with magnificent views across Wigtown Bay to The Machars region and the Isle of Man. After reaching Borness Point you leave the shoreline and head inland and gradually uphill to Cairniehill where the vistas are even more expansive. Passing through Cairniehill Farm, still on the way-marked route, you again arrive back at the Bay.

Day 3: The Minnoch and Loch Trool – 15 miles – Woodland River and Lochs.
The Minnoch is a little known walk popular with locals. It follows the River Minnoch upstream and links with the Southern Upland Way walking route near Stroan Bridge and Glentrool visitor centre. Beside this river a body was found in the Galloway set fictitious murder mystery book, The Five Red Herrings, the subject of  one of our themed walking tours! The Loch Trool section of this walk is another popular and stunningly beautiful area around Glentrool. It 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. After circuiting the loch and visiting the Forestry Commission Visitor Centre and tea room, the return route again joins part of the Southern Upland Way.

Day 4:  Around Clatteringshaws Loch – 10 miles – Moorland, Loch and Woodland.
The starting point for this walk is the Forestry Commission Visitor Centre at Clatteringshaws loch in the Galloway Forest Park. The walk follows a tarred road or forestry track all the way round the walk and provides panoramic views of the Galloway Hills. The first part is part of the National Cycle Route, then you join the Southern Upland Way walking route for a mile and a half before completing the circuit along the forestry road. The Visitor Centre has tea room for refreshments after your walk.