Thursday 14th July 2011 Took the train from London to Carlisle. Then on to to Glasson on the Solway Coast to spend the evening with Mark Messenger who runs "The Highland Laddie Inn". Highly recommended and serves the freshest possible salmon as they are netted only a few hundred yards from its kitchen and served on the same day whenever possible! We went out "haaf netting" for the salmon and sea trout. Have a listen here to how we got on! I had a wonderful evening with Mark and a couple of other fishermen. We didn't catch anything tonight, but he had three beautiful fish the night before. Well worth booking a fishing experience with him as it is something you will always remember.
Friday 15th July 2011 On up to Gretna across the Scottish border where I had left off on the previous leg. A frustrating day as the path along the shore ran out and the mud defeated me, so I was forced to turn back. Need to get rid of some of my kit as my rucksack is too heavy. Some of the food will be evicted first and picked up later along the coastline when I need it most. Stayed the night in Annan.
Saturday 16th July 2011 Walked from Annan to Glencaple. Booked a hotel tonight and arranged for the contents of my rucksack to be sent ahead. Bliss! I felt like I was walking on air! Crossed the River Annan which was in spate after heavy rain and then back down its other bank to the coast. Had to push my way along the edge of a field of crops. Then across a make-shift log bridge. Through Powfoot and quiet lanes. Weather raining with thunder. Saw a tornado starting to form near me amidst the most incredible black clouds, bu it dissipated before it could get going. Phew! But amazing to watch. Via "Brow Well" where Robbie Burns drank its water. Then into Glencaple on the banks of the River Nith. Stayed at "The Nith Hotel". Sunny evening and a lovely sunset.
Sunday 17th July 2011 Filled in a couple of miles of coastline I had to miss out last night and then spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing at the hotel! Very heavy rain.
Monday 18th July 2011 Walked from Glencaple to Dumfries where I met all of the team at Alzheimer Scotland. Was offered accommodation for the night with Ailsa Black and her partner Alan in Carsethorn. Ailsa works for Alzheimer Scotland and is also an established artist. Alan is also an artist, graphic designer and photographer. So walked the 13 miles from Dumfries to Carsethorn wearing my new Alzheimer Scotland cap and various branding to promote the charity. Ailsa kindly took the contents of my rucksack home with her to speed up my progress over the remaining miles of walking that afternoon. Lots of rain and deep puddles being emptied over me as I walked beside the road! Ailsa and Alan's house is in a delightful spot looking out across the Solway Firth. I decided to offload a few items of kit to lighten the load for this leg of the walk. Ailsa and Alan agreed to store them for me and forward them to me further along the Scottish as and when required.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 A fair bit of road walking (which I think sets the tone for the next few weeks). Saw a bench overlooking a beautiful view around lunchtime... it was in someone's garden. They said I was welcome to eat my lunch there and, what's more, they gave me a donation! A bit of steep coastal path walking late afternoon. Then down into the beautiful seaside village of Rockliffe. Stayed the night as guests of David and Frances Henderson in their beautiful house and enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Thursday 14th July 2011 Took the train from London to Carlisle. Then on to Glasson on the Solway Coast to spend the evening with Mark Messenger who runs "The Highland Laddie Inn". Highly recommended and serves the freshest possible salmon as they are netted only a few hundred yards from its kitchen and served on the same day whenever possible! We went out "haaf netting" for the salmon and sea trout. Have a listen here to how we got on! I had a wonderful evening with Mark and a couple of other fishermen. We didn't catch anything tonight, but he had three beautiful fish the night before. Well worth booking a fishing experience with him as it is something you will always remember.
Friday 15th July 2011 On up to Gretna across the Scottish border where I had left off on the previous leg. A frustrating day as the path along the shore ran out and the mud defeated me, so I was forced to turn back. Need to get rid of some of my kit as my rucksack is too heavy. Some of the food will be evicted first and picked up later along the coastline when I need it most. Stayed the night in Annan.
Saturday 16th July 2011 Walked from Annan to Glencaple. Booked a hotel tonight and arranged for the contents of my rucksack to be sent ahead. Bliss! I felt like I was walking on air! Crossed the River Annan which was in spate after heavy rain and then back down its other bank to the coast. Had to push my way along the edge of a field of crops. Then across a make-shift log bridge. Through Powfoot and quiet lanes. Weather raining with thunder. Saw a tornado starting to form near me amidst the most incredible black clouds, but it dissipated before it could get going. Phew! But amazing to watch. Via "Brow Well" where Robbie Burns drank its water. Then into Glencaple on the banks of the River Nith. Stayed at "The Nith Hotel". Sunny evening and a lovely sunset.
Sunday 17th July 2011 Filled in a couple of miles of coastline I had to miss out last night and then spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing at the hotel! Very heavy rain.
Monday 18th July 2011 Walked from Glencaple to Dumfries where I met all of the team at Alzheimer Scotland. Was offered accommodation for the night with Ailsa Black and her partner Alan in Carsethorn. Ailsa works for Alzheimer Scotland and is also an established artist. Alan is also an artist, graphic designer and photographer. So walked the 13 miles from Dumfries to Carsethorn wearing my new Alzheimer Scotland cap and various branding to promote the charity. Ailsa kindly took the contents of my rucksack home with her to speed up my progress over the remaining miles of walking that afternoon. Lots of rain and deep puddles being emptied over me as I walked beside the road! Ailsa and Alan's house is in a delightful spot looking out across the Solway Firth. I decided to offload a few items of kit to lighten the load for this leg of the walk. Ailsa and Alan agreed to store them for me and forward them to me further along the Scottish as and when required.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 A fair bit of road walking (which I think sets the tone for the next few weeks). Saw a bench overlooking a beautiful view around lunchtime... it was in someone's garden. They said I was welcome to eat my lunch there and, what's more, they gave me a donation! A bit of steep coastal path walking late afternoon. Then down into the beautiful seaside village of Rockliffe. Stayed the night as guests of David and Frances Henderson in their beautiful house and enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Wednesday 20th July 2011 Spent the morning pottering about at David and Frances Henderson’s house. There were a few workmen around the house and Frances had a whip round for the collection box! Then David walked with me to Kippford and the “Solway Yacht Club”. As we walked up to the club house I was piped in by one of its members playing his bagpipes from the balcony. Bagpipes always bring a tear to my eye. What a lovely welcome. I was given lunch and had the opportunity to chat to the members who were interested in finding out more about my walk. After lunch, I was given a send off from the pontoon in a small boat with David and a club member called Julian up “Urr Water” where I was dropped off on a muddy bank at Palnackie. From there I waved them off and headed along the A711 to “Auchencair”. As I plodded along a quiet road leading to Balcary Bay a car driven by a friendly woman pulled up alongside and she asked me about my walk. After a brief conversation she invited me to join her and her husband for dinner at their house further along the road and offered me a bed for the night! Wow! When I arrived at the entrance to their beautiful country house I was taken aback by both its size and the beauty of its extensive grounds. Pieter was mowing the lawns around the house by towing a large set of cutters behind his Land Rover! Over dinner I learnt that Pieter and Sue were farmers whose family had lived in the house for many years and previous generations before them. Pieter’s brother Jamie runs “The Wickerman Festival”… more of that later on! During the night a bat visited me in the bedroom and made regular exploratory sorties in the airspace over my head, but he was gone by the time I woke up in the morning. I am grateful to Pieter and Sue for their welcoming hospitality and generosity in their stunning home.
Thursday 21st July 2011 Today was a lesson in Scottish coastal walking! Having consulted the map and been offered local guidance, I set off along the proposed coastal “path”. After seven tortuous miles hacking my way through jungle, climbing over four stone walls (two covered in barbed wire) I found myself “trapped” by a river valley in the corner of a field planted in head-height crops. It was impossible to continue. Bruised, cut and generally exhausted, I worked my way round the edge of the field and onto a farm track which led me through a network of tracks and lanes until I got to a main road… one mile from my start point five hours earlier! Resting over my packed lunch, I realised that much of the off road coastal walking was going to provide me with days of tortuous progress, and that if I wasn’t careful, would slow down my daily progress to a crawl. I decided that from now on, unless I was completely assured that a “coastal path” really was viable to use, I would stick to the roads. On the way towards Kircudbright I passed “The Wickerman Festival” and decided I would return on Saturday. For the next three nights I would be staying at the lovely “Anchorlee” B&B run by Alistair and Olive Grant.
Friday 22nd July 2011 A rest day. Had a walk round Kirkudbright, admiring its architecture and fleet of four fishing vessels! I spent a good part of the afternoon sleeping, before joining my hosts ad their friends for a drink on their veranda and watching the annual ”Ride of the Marches” going past on the road.
Saturday 23rd July 2011 I spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the music at “The Wickerman Festival”, and managed to grab one of its co-founders “Jamie Gilroy” for a chat. Click here to listen. It is a lovely music festival and well worth a visit. It takes place every August at East Kirkcarswell Farm near Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, and attracts around 20,000 visitors over the week-end.
Sunday 24th August 2011 Having stayed the night in Olive and Alistair’s camper van, I enjoyed a restful Sunday following the festivities the night before!
Monday 25th July 2011 17.4 miles (Satmap!). A fine, sunny day. Left Olive and Alistair Grant’s lovely B&B “Anchorlee” and walked along the banks of the River Dee. Reached “Gatehouse of Fleet” in the evening and stayed at the “Murray Arms Hotel”.
Tuesday 26th July 2011 Walked from “Gatehouse of Fleet” following a track over some quite wild terrain (the first in a while) and then along the route of an old military road across more wild and open hillside. Lots of biting horseflies. Weather very hot. Lovely bridges over streams and small rivers. Late afternoon saw me walking along a very attractive cycle route and I saw my second red squirrel of the entire walk. A lovely landscape opening up. Got to “Creebridge” on the edge of “Newton Stewart” and stayed at the lovely “Creebridge House Hotel”.
Wednesday 27th July 2011 Newton Stewart to Garlieston (18.8 miles – Satmap!). Sunny all day. Down the A714 and then along a B-road through Badroch and then the A746 through Kirkinner to Garlieston, a lovely seaside village basking in sunshine overlooking Garlieston Bay.
Thursday 28th July 2011 Energy low today. Only managed a few miles before I decided to call it a day in “Isle of Whithorn”. Booked a room at the “Steam Packet Inn” and slept for the rest of the day.
Friday 29th July 2011 Isle of Whithorn to Port William. Hot day. More walking along quiet roads. Went via the “Gavin Maxwell” memorial and saw my first otter… albeit a bronze sculpture! Then down and along the beach which was a welcome change of environment fro the tarmac of the road. Once at Monreith, I re-joined the A747 and flew into Port William and checked in at “Hawthorn House” B&B.
Saturday 30th July 2011 I packed up my kith in the morning and was collected by Alan and Ailsa who drove us into Stranraer for the opening of the new day care centre there. John Russell MP was there to lend his support and we had our picture taken for the local paper. I had the honour and pleasure of drawing the tickets for the raffle. From there, I was given a lift back to Port William where they were enjoying a fete.
Sunday 31st July 2011 An overcast and drizzly day. Port William to Glenluce (14.6 miles Satmap) along very quiet roads.
Friday 15th July 2011 On up to Gretna across the Scottish border where I had left off on the previous leg. A frustrating day as the path along the shore ran out and the mud defeated me, so I was forced to turn back. Need to get rid of some of my kit as my rucksack is too heavy. Some of the food will be evicted first and picked up later along the coastline when I need it most. Stayed the night in Annan.
Saturday 16th July 2011 Walked from Annan to Glencaple. Booked a hotel tonight and arranged for the contents of my rucksack to be sent ahead. Bliss! I felt like I was walking on air! Crossed the River Annan which was in spate after heavy rain and then back down its other bank to the coast. Had to push my way along the edge of a field of crops. Then across a make-shift log bridge. Through Powfoot and quiet lanes. Weather raining with thunder. Saw a tornado starting to form near me amidst the most incredible black clouds, bu it dissipated before it could get going. Phew! But amazing to watch. Via "Brow Well" where Robbie Burns drank its water. Then into Glencaple on the banks of the River Nith. Stayed at "The Nith Hotel". Sunny evening and a lovely sunset.
Sunday 17th July 2011 Filled in a couple of miles of coastline I had to miss out last night and then spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing at the hotel! Very heavy rain.
Monday 18th July 2011 Walked from Glencaple to Dumfries where I met all of the team at Alzheimer Scotland. Was offered accommodation for the night with Ailsa Black and her partner Alan in Carsethorn. Ailsa works for Alzheimer Scotland and is also an established artist. Alan is also an artist, graphic designer and photographer. So walked the 13 miles from Dumfries to Carsethorn wearing my new Alzheimer Scotland cap and various branding to promote the charity. Ailsa kindly took the contents of my rucksack home with her to speed up my progress over the remaining miles of walking that afternoon. Lots of rain and deep puddles being emptied over me as I walked beside the road! Ailsa and Alan's house is in a delightful spot looking out across the Solway Firth. I decided to offload a few items of kit to lighten the load for this leg of the walk. Ailsa and Alan agreed to store them for me and forward them to me further along the Scottish as and when required.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 A fair bit of road walking (which I think sets the tone for the next few weeks). Saw a bench overlooking a beautiful view around lunchtime... it was in someone's garden. They said I was welcome to eat my lunch there and, what's more, they gave me a donation! A bit of steep coastal path walking late afternoon. Then down into the beautiful seaside village of Rockliffe. Stayed the night as guests of David and Frances Henderson in their beautiful house and enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Thursday 14th July 2011 Took the train from London to Carlisle. Then on to Glasson on the Solway Coast to spend the evening with Mark Messenger who runs "The Highland Laddie Inn". Highly recommended and serves the freshest possible salmon as they are netted only a few hundred yards from its kitchen and served on the same day whenever possible! We went out "haaf netting" for the salmon and sea trout. Have a listen here to how we got on! I had a wonderful evening with Mark and a couple of other fishermen. We didn't catch anything tonight, but he had three beautiful fish the night before. Well worth booking a fishing experience with him as it is something you will always remember.
Friday 15th July 2011 On up to Gretna across the Scottish border where I had left off on the previous leg. A frustrating day as the path along the shore ran out and the mud defeated me, so I was forced to turn back. Need to get rid of some of my kit as my rucksack is too heavy. Some of the food will be evicted first and picked up later along the coastline when I need it most. Stayed the night in Annan.
Saturday 16th July 2011 Walked from Annan to Glencaple. Booked a hotel tonight and arranged for the contents of my rucksack to be sent ahead. Bliss! I felt like I was walking on air! Crossed the River Annan which was in spate after heavy rain and then back down its other bank to the coast. Had to push my way along the edge of a field of crops. Then across a make-shift log bridge. Through Powfoot and quiet lanes. Weather raining with thunder. Saw a tornado starting to form near me amidst the most incredible black clouds, but it dissipated before it could get going. Phew! But amazing to watch. Via "Brow Well" where Robbie Burns drank its water. Then into Glencaple on the banks of the River Nith. Stayed at "The Nith Hotel". Sunny evening and a lovely sunset.
Sunday 17th July 2011 Filled in a couple of miles of coastline I had to miss out last night and then spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing at the hotel! Very heavy rain.
Monday 18th July 2011 Walked from Glencaple to Dumfries where I met all of the team at Alzheimer Scotland. Was offered accommodation for the night with Ailsa Black and her partner Alan in Carsethorn. Ailsa works for Alzheimer Scotland and is also an established artist. Alan is also an artist, graphic designer and photographer. So walked the 13 miles from Dumfries to Carsethorn wearing my new Alzheimer Scotland cap and various branding to promote the charity. Ailsa kindly took the contents of my rucksack home with her to speed up my progress over the remaining miles of walking that afternoon. Lots of rain and deep puddles being emptied over me as I walked beside the road! Ailsa and Alan's house is in a delightful spot looking out across the Solway Firth. I decided to offload a few items of kit to lighten the load for this leg of the walk. Ailsa and Alan agreed to store them for me and forward them to me further along the Scottish as and when required.
Tuesday 19th July 2011 A fair bit of road walking (which I think sets the tone for the next few weeks). Saw a bench overlooking a beautiful view around lunchtime... it was in someone's garden. They said I was welcome to eat my lunch there and, what's more, they gave me a donation! A bit of steep coastal path walking late afternoon. Then down into the beautiful seaside village of Rockliffe. Stayed the night as guests of David and Frances Henderson in their beautiful house and enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Wednesday 20th July 2011 Spent the morning pottering about at David and Frances Henderson’s house. There were a few workmen around the house and Frances had a whip round for the collection box! Then David walked with me to Kippford and the “Solway Yacht Club”. As we walked up to the club house I was piped in by one of its members playing his bagpipes from the balcony. Bagpipes always bring a tear to my eye. What a lovely welcome. I was given lunch and had the opportunity to chat to the members who were interested in finding out more about my walk. After lunch, I was given a send off from the pontoon in a small boat with David and a club member called Julian up “Urr Water” where I was dropped off on a muddy bank at Palnackie. From there I waved them off and headed along the A711 to “Auchencair”. As I plodded along a quiet road leading to Balcary Bay a car driven by a friendly woman pulled up alongside and she asked me about my walk. After a brief conversation she invited me to join her and her husband for dinner at their house further along the road and offered me a bed for the night! Wow! When I arrived at the entrance to their beautiful country house I was taken aback by both its size and the beauty of its extensive grounds. Pieter was mowing the lawns around the house by towing a large set of cutters behind his Land Rover! Over dinner I learnt that Pieter and Sue were farmers whose family had lived in the house for many years and previous generations before them. Pieter’s brother Jamie runs “The Wickerman Festival”… more of that later on! During the night a bat visited me in the bedroom and made regular exploratory sorties in the airspace over my head, but he was gone by the time I woke up in the morning. I am grateful to Pieter and Sue for their welcoming hospitality and generosity in their stunning home.
Thursday 21st July 2011 Today was a lesson in Scottish coastal walking! Having consulted the map and been offered local guidance, I set off along the proposed coastal “path”. After seven tortuous miles hacking my way through jungle, climbing over four stone walls (two covered in barbed wire) I found myself “trapped” by a river valley in the corner of a field planted in head-height crops. It was impossible to continue. Bruised, cut and generally exhausted, I worked my way round the edge of the field and onto a farm track which led me through a network of tracks and lanes until I got to a main road… one mile from my start point five hours earlier! Resting over my packed lunch, I realised that much of the off road coastal walking was going to provide me with days of tortuous progress, and that if I wasn’t careful, would slow down my daily progress to a crawl. I decided that from now on, unless I was completely assured that a “coastal path” really was viable to use, I would stick to the roads. On the way towards Kircudbright I passed “The Wickerman Festival” and decided I would return on Saturday. For the next three nights I would be staying at the lovely “Anchorlee” B&B run by Alistair and Olive Grant.
Friday 22nd July 2011 A rest day. Had a walk round Kirkudbright, admiring its architecture and fleet of four fishing vessels! I spent a good part of the afternoon sleeping, before joining my hosts ad their friends for a drink on their veranda and watching the annual ”Ride of the Marches” going past on the road.
Saturday 23rd July 2011 I spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the music at “The Wickerman Festival”, and managed to grab one of its co-founders “Jamie Gilroy” for a chat. Click here to listen. It is a lovely music festival and well worth a visit. It takes place every August at East Kirkcarswell Farm near Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, and attracts around 20,000 visitors over the week-end.
Sunday 24th August 2011 Having stayed the night in Olive and Alistair’s camper van, I enjoyed a restful Sunday following the festivities the night before!
Monday 25th July 2011 17.4 miles (Satmap!). A fine, sunny day. Left Olive and Alistair Grant’s lovely B&B “Anchorlee” and walked along the banks of the River Dee. Reached “Gatehouse of Fleet” in the evening and stayed at the “Murray Arms Hotel”.
Tuesday 26th July 2011 Walked from “Gatehouse of Fleet” following a track over some quite wild terrain (the first in a while) and then along the route of an old military road across more wild and open hillside. Lots of biting horseflies. Weather very hot. Lovely bridges over streams and small rivers. Late afternoon saw me walking along a very attractive cycle route and I saw my second red squirrel of the entire walk. A lovely landscape opening up. Got to “Creebridge” on the edge of “Newton Stewart” and stayed at the lovely “Creebridge House Hotel”.
Wednesday 27th July 2011 Newton Stewart to Garlieston (18.8 miles – Satmap!). Sunny all day. Down the A714 and then along a B-road through Badroch and then the A746 through Kirkinner to Garlieston, a lovely seaside village basking in sunshine overlooking Garlieston Bay.
Thursday 28th July 2011 Energy low today. Only managed a few miles before I decided to call it a day in “Isle of Whithorn”. Booked a room at the “Steam Packet Inn” and slept for the rest of the day.
Friday 29th July 2011 Isle of Whithorn to Port William. Hot day. More walking along quiet roads. Went via the “Gavin Maxwell” memorial and saw my first otter… albeit a bronze sculpture! Then down and along the beach which was a welcome change of environment fro the tarmac of the road. Once at Monreith, I re-joined the A747 and flew into Port William and checked in at “Hawthorn House” B&B.
Saturday 30th July 2011 I packed up my kith in the morning and was collected by Alan and Ailsa who drove us into Stranraer for the opening of the new day care centre there. John Russell MP was there to lend his support and we had our picture taken for the local paper. I had the honour and pleasure of drawing the tickets for the raffle. From there, I was given a lift back to Port William where they were enjoying a fete.
Sunday 31st July 2011 An overcast and drizzly day. Port William to Glenluce (14.6 miles Satmap) along very quiet roads.