February Day Trip to Galloway
As we headed down the M77, the weather did not look as bad as forecast. A glimmer of hope! But by the time we passed through Straiton it became clear that this was misplaced. Beyond Stinchar Bridge, the road rises above 400m. Here we were in the cloud, it was raining and a strong wind blowing. Climbing our planned hill did not look appealing and we quickly agreed on plan B: a more sheltered lower-level walk along some of the many forestry tracks in the area.
We drove over the Nick of the Balloch and parked the car near Pinvalley (NX332951). Full waterproofs on, we set off eastwards down the track towards Aldinna and the River Stinchar valley. We crossed the river at Black Row, notable for a boat moored in a tiny pond. We followed the track along Linfern Loch Burn to a junction at NX366967 where we turned towards Eldrick Hill. A curiously shaped chirping contraption at the side of the track, hooked up to solar panels and a tall mast with anemometers, provided some extra interest. Was the regular loud chirp sound intended to keep walkers away? It seems that the site may well be home to a future windfarm. At NX375973, we turned north at a signboard for Linfern Loch. The track deteriorated rapidly and the last 300m or so to the loch are on a faint, uneven footpath through a forest clearing. The loch was lovely and we were soon hunting along the soggy shores for a good place to have our lunch. We managed to find a sheltered spot with a good view across the loch.
After lunch we retraced our steps back to where the Linfern Loch Burn flows into the River Stinchar. We decided to find the Stinchar Falls, marked on the map. At NX370962, we followed an overgrown track above the river upstream towards the falls. Bob found a route through the vegetation and we got a fairly good view of the impressive waterfall below. Across the river, a viewing platform had been installed. The 1:25k map shows a footpath leading steeply downhill from a forestry track to the south, although it was not visible from our vantage point. The viewing platform and the falls are a walk of about 3 to 4km from Stinchar Bridge, possibly waymarked. Several route descriptions can be found online.
Once we had made our way back to the forestry road through the undergrowth, we set off on the last 4km back to the car. The rain eased off, some brightness appeared and more of the surrounding hills emerged from the mist and cloud. Almost exactly 5 hours after setting off we were back at the car, having walked 17km with about 290m of ascent. On the way home, we stopped at the Kirkmichael Arms for some well-earned refreshments. Our route for the day was more or less made up as we went along, but provided a good walk in a sheltered valley with several interesting stops along way. We agreed that it had been a good day out exploring an unknown area, despite the rather dreich conditions.
Cornel Brozio
February Weekday Walk to The Fruin
The drive to Helensburgh wasn't pleasant with rain, surface water and spray making for difficult driving. However, when I arrived at the Hill House it was just light rain. James and Hamish arrived soon after and donning boots, gaiters and over trousers, we set off along the path of the Three Lochs Way. It is a good path going through some woodland before turning to go uphill with the forest on our left. On clearing the forest, we went through a gate and there was a track going up beside the fence.
We took the track which was very boggy, and as we ascended the light rain included some sleet. When we got to about 280m there was some snow on the ground. The track met up with another coming up between a wall and the forest which continued to the top of Tom na h-Airidh. By now we were in cloud so got no views. After a photo, we set off for the Fruin.
We followed a new fence (topped with barbed wire) again on boggy ground but eventually came to a gate that we could climb over. From there it was a short walk to the Fruin. The mist cleared a bit and we could make out a house in Glen Fruin, but it disappeared as the photos were taken.
We headed back, and the cloud started to lift so we could see the Luss hills. Once back at Tom na h-Airidh we got glimpses of views of the Clyde and Loch Lomond. We descended to the Three Lochs Way and by then the rain had stopped.
Arriving back at the Hill House car park, we got out of the boots and waterproofs and went into the café where we enjoyed a nice lunch. When we left the café, the sun had come out and we could see the hill we had climbed. It also meant a nicer drive home.
Bob MacDonald
