Wigtownshire Ramblers. Barr trails circular. September 2012

We fairly filled the car park today.

Leader explaining today's route.

A nice gentle climb to begin with.

A very misty eerie "Fairy Knowe" walk.

Lots of lichen on the trees.

Kirsties Cairn.(see text)

Not sure what the weaver is doing here to the Newton Stewart Blogger but he does not seem to be complaining!!

Group testing the weight limit of the bridge.

The teacher was our leader today.

Today Saturday September 8th I travelled to the South Ayrshire village of Barr to join my mother group for a 7 mile walk round the local trails. 17 walkers  met in the village square on a cloudy still morning to be briefed by none other than the teacher himself who was in his element explaining some of the local history to us all ,fair took him back to his working days when he told us all to shut up and listen  as questions would be asked later. (only kidding). Leaving the village we climbed up to the start of Changue Forest where we then went through a very misty path in an area known as  the Fairy Knowe with   wild mushrooms growing in on the forest floor also lots of lichen on the trees. Lunch was taken at Kirsties Cairn where the leader explained it was erected to a shepherd who perished whilst out in a snowstorm in the local hills in 1913.The next part of the walk took us up the devils path and over to a farm situated above the village,from here it was a lovely walk back to the start where tea and scones were served in the local hall. Thanks to today's leader for his all efforts it was very much appreciated by all members of the group. Nice to see some old friends again and for a fuller and more professional blog on todays walk please visit the infamous Newton Stewart Blogger where lots of wonderful photos and a few witticisms thrown in for good measure always makes for a very informative blog, also my thanks to all  for making it a memorable day and I look forward to seeing you all again in the near future.
The following is a wee experiment of pinching some copy from the well known blogger!!

WIGTOWNSHIRE RAMBLERS – 8 Sept 2012 – Barr Circular

On a pleasant morning, with the sun not quite succeeding in breaking through the clouds, seventeen ramblers met outside Barr village hall to commence a seven mile circular walk.

As in some other South Ayrshire villages and towns, a colourful leaflet has been produced, detailing several trails in the countryside around the village, and our walk was an amalgam of four of these trails.

The group greeted a young newcomer before crossing the Changue burn by the bridge in the centre of the village and heading up through the fields towards the forest. A forest trail was followed for about a mile before we made a sharp turn onto the Fairy Knowe trail. The walk leader had unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the group that “Knowe” was pronounced “nuff”. Fair enough, I suppose. The grassy path through the forest proved enchanting, with hundreds of red toadstools and lichen, displaying every shade of green imaginable, hanging from the branches.

Suddenly the trail opened out, with gorgeous views, myriad waterfalls and narrow wooden bridges as the track plunged and soared alongside, and across, several burns.

After a steep descent down about a hundred narrow wooden framed steps, a wider forest track was encountered leading up to our lunch spot at Kirstie's cairn. This was the signal for the sun to come out for a while. The cairn was erected to commemorate a young 19 year old shepherd who had died in a January blizzard in 1913.

After lunch we headed up the Devil's trail, a reasonably steep grassy track again lined with mushrooms and toadstools, mainly pink and red.

A sharp turn to the left took us down a long a steep and slippy path into another enchanting glen at the bottom of which we crossed a wee wooden bridge over the Changue burn. A short sharp uphill path took us back onto a forest track.

The group had to forego the opportunity to look for the Devil's footprints, and the marks of a Bible and a sword-drawn circle on the hill on the right. These marks were made during an altercation between the Devil and the Laird of Changue. One of the perils of living in the countryside, I suppose.

We headed down the trail back to the village, enjoying the spectacular views across the glen to forest and hills beyond.

Back at Barr, most of the group enjoyed the hospitality of the local hostelry, the King's Arms, before heading home.

A thoroughly enjoyable day out!

The next walk on Saturday the 15th of September is a 7 mile circular walk to the Fell of Barhullion.

Meet for car sharing at the Breastworks, Stranraer 9.15am, the Riverside, Newton Stewart 9.15am or the walk start at St Medan’s Beach Car Park (NX 366 394) at 10am. For further details or if going to the start please phone walk leader 01988 840268. New members are always welcome