Walk: Castle Loch circular

Dumfries & Galloway | Lochmaben | Half day walk | ★★

[Castle Loch]

Castle Loch is the largest of the trio of water bodies around the village of Lochmaben, Annandale. A stroll around its shores is a pleasant way to fill a couple of hours, with a new section of path opened a few years ago to complete the "missing link" in the circuit. The loch is a local nature reserve, with mute swans, grebes and willow tits present in summer. Cold weather brings even more wildfowl: pink footed and greylag geese and several species of duck overwinter here. A ruined castle occupies a peninsula on the southern side of the lake.

[Woodland path]

📌 Walk: Castle Loch circular ★★
▶ 6 km / 4 miles | ▲ 10 metres
Features: Castle Loch; Lochmaben Castle
Start / finish: Car park on A709 half a mile southeast of Lochmaben, G.R.: NY 090819 ///servicing.pool.mess

Route: Clockwise circuit of Castle Loch via Lochmaben Castle, with short detours to hides & viewpoints. Leaflet & map guide here.
Terrain: Level paths, boardwalks, tracks and quiet roads.
Wildlife today: Grey heron, lots of blue damselflies, dozens of swans, butterflies, ripe wild raspberries.
Weather today: Mostly sunny, some fair weather cloud and light breeze, 21ºC.

>> Lochmaben Castle ★★

[Valison Burn]

Route map


Route credit: Castle Loch Lochmaben Community Trust

Chronological photo guide

[Lochfield Cottage]

[Loch from near the start]

[Lochside path]

[Woodland track]

[Track junction at Lochside Plantation]

[Flora]

[Valison Burn]

[Valison Burn]

[Valison Burn]

[Boardwalk]

[Lochmaben Castle]

[Jetty at Lochmaben Castle]

[Loch views from near the castle]

[Castle Wood]

[Swans]

[Vendace Burn]

[Western shoreline]

[Western shoreline]

[Heron sculpture]

[Lochmaben]

[Castle Loch at Lochmaben]

[Annandale Sailing Club]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help: Public transport in Scotland

Image
This page gives a general overview of public transport options within Scotland. If you're planning to hire a car (or bring your own), please see our Driving in Scotland page. For help on travelling to Scotland, please see our Travelling to Scotland page.


Overview

Despite the odd grumble by locals, Scotland boasts an excellent public transport system, providing a greener alternative to travelling by private vehicle. A comprehensive network of train and bus routes connect all mainland towns and cities as well as many smaller villages, and by using a combination of these you can generally get wherever you want to go. Ferry and air services connect the islands dotted around the north and west coasts, though Skye is also served by buses via its road bridge. Many routes are scenic and a few - such as parts of the West Highland Line - offer vistas you can't get from the roadside. Town and city centres are generally compact enough to explore on foot.

Of course, getting around Scotland…
Read more

Whaligoe Steps

Image
Highland | Whaligoe | Historic stairway | ★★★★

The Whaligoe (Whale Geo) Steps aren't any old steps. They're an incredible feat of 18th or 19th century engineering, constructed to enable fisherman to descend an otherwise vertical cliff face to reach their boats in the sheltered inlet below. Volunteers have since kept them from falling into disrepair, but take your head for heights as you descend, remembering that you have to re-ascend them all (approximately one for every day of the year) on your return. Only after making the full trip to the bottom can you begin to appreciate what an amazing and unlikely fishing location this really was. There aren't any signposts showing the way - see below for some brief directions. Good to combine with the Cairn of Get, a short walk away.


Directions (a step-by-step guide, perhaps?)

When driving north through the few houses at Whaligoe on the A9, turn sharply right opposite the (left) signposted road for the Cairn of Get. The narrow road …
Read more

Stanley Mills

Image
Perth & Kinross | Stanley | Museum | ★★★★

Stanley Mills are a stunning surviving relic of the Industrial Revolution, now looked after by Historic Scotland after a turbulent history. Local entrepreneurs first chose this site by the River Tay for a cotton mill in 1786, building Stanley village nearby to house and cater for employees. The site often changed hands over the following decades and went out of business several times due to fires, a troubled economy and overseas overproduction. There were intervening successful periods though, and the mills only closed for good in 1989. Today many of the buildings house outstanding displays and interactive exhibits documenting the mill's past, and this is one of Historic Scotland's most engaging (and reasonably priced) attractions.


📌Stanley Mills★★★★
Millbank, half a mile east of Stanley village centre, G.R.: NO 114328 ///paddle.patrolled.splash
Open daily, April to October |£6 adult / £3.60 child / free for Historic Environment Sco…
Read more