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 ★★
Start / finish at car park on A709 half a mile southeast of Lochmaben, G.R.: NY 090819 ///servicing.pool.mess

▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 10 m | ⌚ Short walk | ⬤ Easy
Features: Castle Loch; Lochmaben Castle
Terrain: Level paths, boardwalks, tracks and quiet roads.

Route & map

Clockwise circuit of Castle Loch via Lochmaben Castle, with short detours to hides & viewpoints. Leaflet & map guide here.


Route credit: Castle Loch Lochmaben Community Trust

On our visit

Wildlife: Grey heron, lots of blue damselflies, dozens of swans, butterflies, ripe wild raspberries.
Weather: Mostly sunny, some fair weather cloud and light breeze, 21ºC.

Also on this walk

>> Lochmaben Castle ★★

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

Walk: Livingston's jaw-dropping waterfall

Image
West Lothian | Livingston | Short walk | ★★★
❕ Route currently impassable - see red text below

What springs to mind when someone mentions Livingston, West Lothian? Sprawling road junctions, retail parks, 1960s architecture... how about a splendid waterfall? Under a mile from the town's southernmost suburbs, the Camilty Water drops into a short but beautiful gorge sharply at odds with the gentleness of the surrounding farmland. Two substantial waterfalls and several smaller ones tumble into the depths; the largest is actually fed by a crumbling mill lade (the mill no longer exists) but this isn't obvious from below. Parking is limited, but the walk from the nearest road begins promisingly. The last few hundred metres of the route are however a bit sketchy: stepping stones across a side burn, and a very slippery slope to reach the best viewpoint - more details below.

Important

The house and gardens alongside the path are someone’s home, and although we have a so-called "right…
Read more

Loup of Fintry

Image
Stirling | Fintry | Waterfall | ★★★★

Winding through gently scenic nowhere land between the Campsie Fells and Fintry Hills, the Endrick Water unexpectedly takes an almighty 94-foot plunge into a side-on gorge. This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Scottish Lowlands (although Corra Linn and Grey Mare's Tail both come close), so why it's not better known is something of a mystery. Perhaps it's because the Carron Valley Reservoir upstream blocks much of the burn's catchment area, so waiting until after a period of local heavy rain is even more important than with other waterfalls. Nevertheless, this awesome cataract should be right at the top of your list.


Location & info

📌 Loup of Fintry ★★★★
By the B818 1 mi east of Carron Valley Reservoir dam, G.R.: NS 662862 ///breezy.operation.survived
Always open | Free

Anything else? There are informal laybys with space for about 5 cars in total on both sides of the road near Gallows Knowe, G.R.: NS 661864 ///than…
Read more

Campsie Glen waterfalls

Image
East Dunbartonshire | Clachan of Campsie | Waterfalls | ★★★★

In bygone years a path used to snake up the narrow gorge north of Clachan of Campsie. Rockfalls and warning signs now block the middle section, but short linear walks into the gorge from each end are still well worth it. A quick stroll from the bottom car park leads to the lower section of rapids. The upper car park on Crow Road is reached by a steep, 300 metre walk or a winding, 3 mile drive. Heading downhill from here (instead of uphill towards Cort-ma Law) accesses the middle of 3 more waterfalls. All are worth a visit following wet weather if you don't mind a bit of scrambling, but the bottom one of this trio deserves special praise - as you can walk behind it.


Location & info

📌 Campsie Glen Lower Falls ★★
On the Kirk Burn immediately north of Clachan of Campsie, G.R.: NS 610798 ///exploring.pirates.clipped
Always open | Free

Anything else? From the large car park at G.R.: NS 611796 ///quaking.spider.dislikes it…
Read more