Area: Galloway, Scotland
Galloway ticks a lot of boxes - mysterious, tough terrain, devoid of people. After a memorable short trip with Peter in 2018, I'd been keen to return and with a massively constrained window for a Scotland trip this year it seemed a good choice. Having effectively abandoned yesterday's Cader race, I had a reasonable amount of energy for this outing, which penetrates the wild interior from Forrest Lodge above Dalry. Forest tracks lead from the remote-feeling car park up past a lodge to the edge of Loch Harrow. Ahead, Corserine looms - an elongated plateau. A good path led up the side of a broad grassy cwm containing the Polk Burn to the vague ridge of Polmaddy Gairy and then the huge whaleback summit of Corserine on which it is difficult to determine the highest point. The weather was cool, with high cloud and little wind, although mist was descending over the Merrick and the Range of the Awful Hand further west: Galloway has fantastic names, as a result of its historical linguistic/cultural mix. The next section, along the Rhinns of Kells ridge, was very enjoyable. I cut the corner above Loch Dungeon and really enjoyed the views west over the wild heart of Galloway. We ran up the Merrick in 2018 so it was nice to look across to it. The terrain to the east is more rolling, culminating in the Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. I had the entire ridge to myself, saw nobody all day, and it was easy and enjoyable over the lonely summits of Millfire and Milldon. At the Lochans of Auchniebut I took an unwise shortcut before the summit of Meikle Millyea, direct down to Loch Dungeon. This was very unpleasant and craggy, dropping into a steep gorge at one point, necessitating evasive action, steeply down tussocks and bog to eventually gain the short of Loch Dungeon. This was a great spot, wild, the only sound coming from several sandpipers, mist rolling in over Corserine. I headed back via a complex route weaving round Loch Dungeon shores to Loch Minnoch. Then forest tracks above Mid Burn and McAdam Burn led back to Forrest Lodge and a short drive to Ayr.
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