Glen Trool: Buchan Hill - Loch Neldricken - Bruce's Stone

Tony Brotherton

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Glen Trool: Bruce's Stone – Buchan Hill – Craignine Rig - (Loch Enoch) - Loch Neldricken - Gairland Burn - Bruce's Stone

This wonderful walk presents a stunning panorama of mountains, hills, ridges, lochs, burns and waterfalls in the heart of the Galloway Forest Park. You climb Buchan Hill, small by comparison with many of its loftier neighbours though itself a mountain at 1,617ft; but due to its favoured central position amongst them, you will be rewarded with superb views from its summit: Benyellary and The Merrick, Mullwharchar, Loch Neldricken, the Rig o' the Jarkness, Loch Valley, Craiglee, Mulldonach, these and more besides are revealed in glorious succession to delight and divert the eye. Do be sure to choose a clear day for this most scenic of walks!

On this occasion I was for once accompanied. Robin Hamilton Esquire, the well-known Alpine and Himalayan trekker and ardent collector of Munros, but paying his very first visit to Galloway, kindly acted as my pack-animal and photographic model. We elected to include the extension to Loch Enoch.

Please be aware that after traversing the Craignine Rig (the ridge running northwards from Buchan Hill) the going gets tough. There is a path down to Loch Neldricken but it is easily missed and is in any case, narrow and rough. You must be prepared to cope with tussock-grass, heather and in season, bracken. The path running alongside the Gairland Burn is well-defined but rocky. Walking-poles are recommended.

Refreshments may be had at the Glentrool Visitor Centre at Stroan Bridge. (Update 2012: there is now a charge to park here). There are toilet facilities here and at the larger car park near Bruce's Stone.

This area is managed in partnership with Cree Valley Community Woodlands Trust (CVCWT) to create a Forest Habitat Network. Please see www.creevalley.com for further information.

For local weather forecasts and other relevant information and services go to www.gallowaymrt.org.uk for Galloway Mountain Rescue's excellent website.

Scotland - South Scotland - Dumfries and Galloway - Galloway Forest Park

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Great Views, Hills or Fells, Lake/Loch, Moor, Mountains, River, Waterfall, Wildlife, Woodland
8/24/2010 - Tim Thornton

We did this walk in Aug 2010 in fine weather, and the views were indeed spectacular. We were expecting the walk to be challenging but found it to be that and more. There are references to Craignine Rig in many of the waymark comments up to point 11, but this Rig is not named on the map filed with the walk details, nor was it named on our OS map of the area. Despite this the walk went very well until we reached point 12. We kept to the right of the wall but were unable to locate anything we could identify as a path. In a number of areas we were forced to move away from the wall by the terrain and found ourselves having to traverse an extended area of tussock grass (we later discovered this self-same walk in a publication dated 2000, it described this section as being through "ankle-wrenching tussock grass", and the walk itself as suitable for "experienced fell-walkers only"). From point 12 onwards most of the rest of the walk was very slow due to the wet ground and poorly-defined paths (we decided that "rough path" actually meant "no path", "well defined path" being one which was apparent from time to time!).