I woke early and headed off just after 7am so that I could hopefully reach Bargrennan before the World Cup Final started at 4pm. The forecast said that it could rain about 1pm and this was about right, meaning the last couple of hours would be spent walking in light rain, I didn’t know it at the time but this would be the same time as I would wade through long grass, head high ferns and generally soggy narrow paths which sometimes just disappeared into thin air.
I left New Luce and walked along the road to soon reach the SUW and walked along it for a while. The skies were grey around me, the scenery would be limited today which would be a shame. The road continued for a while past a farm where it became a track before I left it to follow a grassy path, at least it was dry so far and so were my shoes, but not for long. The path wasn’t always easy to follow and it was a case sometimes of just heading towards the marker posts.
For many miles, I would be walking through wind farms, I lost count of the number of turbines I passed. The noise of the motors, the whooshing and occasionally banging would be in my ears for a long time. I walked round some of them before heading up a loose stony path between two woods which eventually took me up to the impressive Beehive Bothy, I had a short break inside it but I could have stayed much longer.
I set off again, first through a wet grassy field, passing the Laggangarn Standing Stones before it became a stony path climbing up to the summit of Craig Airie Fell which had a nearby picnic table. The guide book told me about the good views from there but not today. The stony path headed down quite steeply in places as I headed towards Loch Derry, on a track.
A lot of road walking followed but at least I was now away from the wind turbines and their noise. Eventually I came to a road and into the small Hamlet called Knowe, I think there are 3 houses in it. I had a break at the end of Knowe, I’m glad I did as things were going to get ugly.
I left the road and started following a faint path through trees and then open pasture, at times the ferns were head height and the path was quite overgrown in placed, I just headed towards waymarkers. I had cursed being on roads earlier but by now I was wishing that I was on one instead of wading through plants. Soon I got my wish as I reached a road, at which point the rain came on and the waterproofs were put on and I continued towards Glenruther and Ochiltree Hill.
Alas, the road walking was soon over and I started up a path heading up Ochiltree Hill, the views across at Loch Ochiltree would have been nice on a clear day, but not today. I soon reached the summit with it’s painted white trig point but didn’t stay long. The path now headed basically in a straight line although it was narrow in places or just disappeared at times through the high grass and ferns. By now my shoes were feeling quite heavy with the water. This area would be boggy underfoot after lots of rain but thankfully for me there hasn’t been much rain around recently.
I was starting to feel fed up by now trying to find paths and waymarker posts but eventually I headed downhill and onto a road. I didn’t have much further to go so I hoped I would be on this road all the way to Bargrennan, sadly though it didn’t. Just before a farm the waymarker pointed me into more grassy narrow paths, by now I could feel my socks were wet. Some cows were guarding a gate, they moved when they saw me approaching, I think they knew not to mess me around just now.
After a bit more soggy grass I headed down to the main road, crossed a bridge and saw a SUW sign pointing into woods, this will be where I start in the morning but a short walk to my accommodation still had to be done, where I took great delight getting out of my wet clothes and into a shower then dry clothes while I try to get the wet stuff dried for the morning. Even if it stops raining and stays dry tomorrow, the chances are that it will be wet underfoot. I only hope that tomorrow brings better weather and better, drier paths.
