magazine autumn 2012 magazine autumn 2012 Scotland Roslin Glen, Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries 13/08/2012 12:01 Route 01 Route 02 master G Distance 9½km/6 miles G Time 2½hrs G Type Countryside master G Distance 16km/10 miles G Time 5hrs G Type Forest and hill NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL

feature p66 Plan your walk Plan your walk SEE G

G Glasgow Dunfermine DUMFRIES & G G Haddington GALLOWAY

ROSLIN GLEN GALLOWAY FOREST PARK

MIDLOTHIAN G Belfast G Lake

G Galashiels Disctrict G Peebles G Isle of Man G Blackpool

WHERE: Circular walk WHERE: Figure-of-eight through Roslin Glen and route combining two along the River North Esk walks in the heart of the PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: in Midlothian. KEITH FERGUS PHOTOGRAPHY: Galloway Forest Park that START/END: Roslin Glen Just a few miles from Edinburgh’s 1. START From Roslin Glen car circumnavigates Loch Trool. Galloway Forest Park is often what the time of day. The second car park (NT273628). hustle and bustle is the peaceful park (NT273628), turn R onto the START/END: Glentrool described as the Highlands of half of the walk circumnavigates TERRAIN: Woodland and setting of Roslin Glen. Less than B7003 and follow the pavement Visitor Centre (NX372786). the Lowlands. But while its rocky Loch Trool, which is fl anked on riverside paths and tracks, a century ago the glen was the to the entrance gate of Roslin TERRAIN: Excellent paths slopes, high hills and remote glens three sides by rocky hills. cycle track, pavement and site of heavy industry, including Glen (NT268627). Go through the throughout. share some Highland attributes, it quiet roads. bleaching and gunpowder mills, gate onto a broad track, which MAPS: OS Explorer 318; has a character of its own. This is 1. START From the visitor centre MAPS: OS Explorer 344 but today it contains only a few travels through fi ne woodland Landranger 77. a landscape in which John Buchan (NX372786), cross the wooden and 345; Landranger 66. relics of its manufacturing past. above the River North Esk. Pass GETTING THERE: set The 39 Steps and remains one bridge and turn L uphill past the GETTING THERE: Regular As well as these industrial by several remains of the glen’s Stagecoach bus service that is ripe for adventure. Slightly old toilet block and red squirrel Lothian Buses service 15, remains, this picturesque walk old mills and continue until the 500 between Dumfries kinder than the Highlands, its sculpture, following the yellow from Edinburgh to Roslin, also passes the stunning Rosslyn track eventually drops down to and Stranraer stops at charm lies in the ease with which trail markers. After a short stops just a short walk Chapel – built in the 15th century cross over a stone bridge beside Newton Stewart, from you can penetrate deeply into distance you meet with a forestry from the start (✆ 0871 200 and made famous the world over one of the old gunpowder where six daily buses run to the hills and still retain a sense of road. Go straight over and 2233, www.traveline by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci mills. Cross over a second bridge Glentrool village provided wilderness. Sparsely populated, continue on the path ahead. The scotland.com). Code. Tourists aside, present-day (NT266621), where a path passes by King of Kirkcowan the forest park has also been path bends R through a gap in a EATING & DRINKING: Roslin Glen is a beautiful, peaceful by a weir, and then climb two (✆ 0871 200 2233, designated the UK’s only Dark stone wall, before coming to a The Original Rosslyn Hotel, woodland gorge cut in two by fl ights of steep steps to go www.travelinescotland. Sky Park. Free from much of the junction with a broad forestry Main Street, Roslin (✆ 0131 the gorgeous River North Esk. through a gate. Another fl ight com). Parking at the visitor light pollution that affl icts most road. Turn L along it uphill. At 440 2384, www.theoriginal Beech, oak and sycamores provide of steps then descends to gain centre costs £3 per day. of the UK, Galloway Forest is the the top of the hill, follow the hotel.co.uk). an incredible canopy of colours a cycle track (NT267619). EATING & DRINKING: best place to come and admire the forestry road round to the R and SLEEPING: The Laird & Dog during autumn, and a broad Glentrool Visitor Centre night sky – the Milky Way is often downhill, where it bends round Inn, 5 High Street, Lasswade selection of wildfl owers – such 2. Turn L and walk northeast has a café; House o’Hill, clearly visible. Recent upgrading to the L, and continue to a dead (✆ 0131 663 9219, www. as wood anemone, wood sorrel along the track (which is part Bargrennan (✆ 01671 work on paths in the park has had end to pick up a gravel path. lairdanddoginn.co.uk). and wild garlic – fl ourish during of the old Peebles to Edinburgh 840243; www.houseohill. the fortunate side effect of making After a slight rise, the path twists VISITOR INFORMATION: spring and summer. Wildlife is railway line), enveloped by co.uk); Granny’s Kitchen, the navigating straightforward downhill through a stand of tall

Penicuik TIC, Edinburgh also plentiful throughout the more delightful woodland. 1 Arthur St, Newton should a night-time stargazing pines. There are good views from L

Crystal Visitor Centre, walk: look out for red squirrel, Approaching the village of Stewart (✆ 01671 401567). L adventure appeal to you. But the here towards the head of the dipper and kingfi sher in particular. Rosewell, the woodland gives views are impressive, no matter valley and the high summits. ▼ ▼ 55-56 WALK36 ROUTEMASTER_scotland.indd 1 55-56 WALK36 ROUTEMASTER_scotland.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 5 4

3

2 4 5 START FINISH 1

Map not to scale. Representation of 6 OS Explorer MAP 318 1:25,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk START FINISH road beyond the car park and in 1307 in which Robert the 1 3 continued... over the bridge. Continue Bruce and his makeshift army around the gate marked ‘No of 300 ambushed and defeated sLEEpInG: B&B at Minnigaff unauthorised vehicles’. Here, an English force of 1,500 cavalry. SYHA hostel, Newton you swap the yellow trail for The English were lured into the Stewart (✆ 01671 402 211, the green trail and follow the narrowest part of the glen, where Map not to scale. www.syha.org.uk); House route that’s also marked as the they were bombarded by rocks. Representation of o’Hill (see over). Southern Upland Way. Veer OS Landranger MAP 66 VIsItOR InfORmatIOn: 1:50,000 off to the L and follow an old 4. From the car park, take the 2 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Glentrool Visitor Centre, tarmacked road that enters the narrow road west, following the Stroan Bridge (✆ 01671 Glentrool Oakwoods. When the north side of the loch (although 840302, www.forestry.gov. road forks, veer L and, when it is rarely in view). About a mile Trail (NT290633) and carefully underneath a bridge, go through uk/scotland). the woodland opens up, veer further on, take the indicated continued... re-cross the A6094, before another gate onto a single-track GUIDEBOOKs: Walking the L again. Here, there is plenty of path off to the L to regain the turning L into a road signposted road and follow this past the Galloway Hills by Paddy visible sky to look up at as the edge of the loch. At the end of Eastfield (✆ 01968 673846, for Polton. Follow the pavement Mountmarle monument Dillon (£12.95, Cicerone, path crosses a grassy meadow the loch, follow the Water of www.edinburgh.org). past Hawthornden Lodge to (commemorating the Battle of ISBN 978 1852841683); and then a bridge. The path Trool for a short distance to GUIDEBOOKs: Edinburgh: arrive at a minor road on the Roslin in 1303) and onto Manse Pathfinder Dumfries and follows a broad unsurfaced road emerge into a car park. 40 Town and Country Walks L signposted for Polton Village Road. Walk along a pavement Galloway: Walks by Brian and then splits at a spreading by Kerry Nelson (£6.99, (NT292642). into the pretty village of Roslin Conduit (£11.99, Crimson, oak, where you go R to follow 5. From the car park, go round Pocket Mountains, at Penicuik Road. Turn L here ISBN 978 0711749924); a gravel path that eventually to the L and through the gate ISBN 978 0955082214). 4. Continue along the road and, onto Chapel Loan (NT273633). Dumfries and Galloway: descends to the lochside. Follow marked ‘No unauthorised LOcaL RamBLERs GROUp: just before a gate, bear R onto 40 Coast & Country Walks the path to the end of the loch. vehicles’ for the second time. Midlothian Walkers (www. a narrow path. Follow this as it 6. Descend Chapel Loan by by J Fallis (£6.99, Pocket This time follow the yellow lothian-borders-ramblers. descends past Springfield Mill (open daily, Mountains, ISBN 978 3. There’s a short, steep section markers and go to the R into org.uk/groups/midl.html). into Polton. Turn L, cross a bridge except 24th, 25th, 31st December 1907025037). at the end of the loch before a gravel area with a large over the River North Esk and and 1st January), then turn R LOcaL RamBLERs GROUp: the path descends to a point. interpretation board at its way to lovely countryside and then continue for a few metres and follow a lane down to a Dumfries and District Where the Southern Upland centre. Continue on the path, there are some superb views of to a gate on the L signposted cemetery. Bear L onto a path Ramblers (✆ 01387 263754, Way leads off to the R, go L which veers L and closely follows the high, rolling Pentland Hills. for ‘Roslin’ (NT288649). and follow this to a fork. Turn R www.dumfriesramblers.com). and cross the Glenhead Burn. the Water of Trool – both out in Keep on the track as it bears R (a path straight ahead here leads Continue to an unsurfaced the open and through attractive to reach the A6094 (NT285629). 5. Once through the gate, a to Roslin Castle, which has an road and turn L. Follow the native woodland. Continue well-maintained woodland path interesting history) and drop 2. After a surprisingly long and road through well-established across the river to the opposite 3. Cross the road and turn L, climbs steeply up two flights of down some steps back into winding downhill, you emerge oak woods and over a stone bank and follow the path for a following a track over Gorton steps then soon turns L onto a woodland (NT275628). A bridge at the minor road that leads to bridge. Climb steeply to Bruce’s short distance to another bridge Road and continuing by the spectacular path, where steep then crosses the River North Esk Glentrool. Cross the road, go Stone and a car park, from over Water of Minnoch. Cross outskirts of Rosewell and slopes drop away on both sides. to a fork. Turn R, then R again L and take the path on your R, where the views over the it to return to the visitor centre. alongside the A6094. Just after a The path undulates its way at the next fork and walk along

09/08/2012 17:31 signed as the start of the Loch loch are excellent. The stone Route description by cemetery, bear L from the main through the woodland and the path back to the car park. Trool trail. Follow this rough commemorates a battle Paul Lamarra track at a signpost for Tyne Esk then along a track. After passing Route devised by Keith Fergus