Walk 1 - The Knockbrex Estate walking and hiking route
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Walk Instructions
Start: Coo Palace
Footwear: Trainers in dry weather, boots or wellingtons in wet weather
Terrain: Minor roads, farmland and rocky coast
This walk lets you explore the Knockbrex Estate and see other
examples of buildings associated with James Brown who was
responsible for the building of the Coo Palace. It also takes in
some interesting coastal scenery and visits an Iron Age fort.
The Borgue coast is designated as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest and is home to a variety of bird species. You may see
roe deer, hares, otters and grey seals in the area.
The walk can be split into two sections, suitable for a half-day
or summer evening excursion. There are also optional detours
to visit viewpoints at Kirkandrews and Knockbrex Hill.
1. From the Coo Palace warm up with a 1 kilometre walk eastwards
on the road, crossing the Pulwhirrin Burn at Roberton Bridge then
take the turn on the right to the village of Kirkandrews. The first
building on the left is the “wee kirk” built by James Brown in 1906.
It is open to the public on Sunday afternoons from Easter until the
end of September and for Sunday evening ecumenical services
at 7pm in July and August. James Brown is buried in front of the
kirk at the left side. There are memorials to other members of his
family on the right side.
2. At the far end of Kirkandrews village is the church yard which
is the site of the original Kirkandrews church. There was a church
at Kirkandrews before 1200 and it remained in use until 1670
when the parishes of Kirkandrews and Senwick were incorporated
into Borgue parish. The gravestones in the church yard date back
into the 1700s and the graveyard is still in use today. A notable
grave stone is that of the Covenanter Robert McWhae, who was
“barbarously shot to death” in 1685 for his beliefs. The stone itself
is a 19th century replica.
3. If you would like a panoramic view over the area, you can walk
up the track beyond Kirkandrews for a few hundred metres then
head rightwards through a gate across rough ground to reach
the summit of Barn Heugh which is marked by a large stone cairn
(See 3a on the map). You can access the beach at
Kirkandrews Bay by following the wall down to the shore at the end
of the village. The cairn at Barn Heugh is not easy to get to since
the field is overgrown and quite rough. This would be for the more
adventurous walkers.
To continue the walk from Kirkandrews, either cross the bay in front
of the village at low tide by taking the field after the row of houses
(you will see some boats moored by the bay) and continue round
the coast in front of Craig Cottage, or when the tide is higher, head
back towards the road at the end of Kirkandrews, turn left over the
Roberton Bridge and take the first gate on your left into the field
[please do not use the footbridge in Kirkandrews village as this
goes through a private garden]. (See 3b on the map)
You can always find tide times on
https://www.dgwgo.com/dumfries-galloway-tide-times/.
Pass to the right of Craig Cottage then down across the field to the
stony beach. At the top of the beach is a large granite boulder. This
is probably a glacial erratic, melted out of a retreating glacier in the
last Ice Age. At the right side of the bay is a gate in the fence and
this gives access through some gorse bushes into the next field at
the head of Dead Man’s Bay. From the right-hand side of the beach
(facing seaward) you can clamber over rocks or cut across the beach
at low tide to reach a grassy area. Stay near the edge of the bay to
avoid a boggy section. Skirt around the next rocky headland and you
will arrive at another beach where a small stream reaches the sea.
You can normally step across the stream at the point where it meets
the sandy beach. From this point you can see a gate in a fence in
the grassy area at the top of the beach. Go through this gate and
head upwards across the field to arrive at a small gate that leads into
the Iron Age fort of Castle Haven. It is also possible to stay on the
seaward side of the fence then to scramble down a small cliff and
ascend a flight of steps from the rocky beach up into the fort.
4. Castle Haven is an Iron Age fortified structure or “dun”. It was
partially restored in 1905 by James Brown and bears an inscribed
plaque on the north-east inside wall.
Exit Castle Haven on the landward side then turn leftwards
contouring across the field in the direction of the Coo Palace.
From Coo Palace, walk westwards and past the entrance to the first
galvanised gate on the left. Continue past this cattle shedding area
and along the road until Coo Palace is just out of sight. As the road
starts to sweep right there is a small layby on the left and another
galvanised gate that gives access to a track leading down towards
the sea. Follow the track alongside a fence then through
a wooded area to a gate. Pass through the gate and some gorse
and blackthorn bushes to emerge at a grassy area close to the sea.
5. You will now see the remains of the Knockbrex bathing house,
another of James Brown’s quirky buildings. In front of the bathing
house is a fine sandy beach that is that extends out to Barlocco
Island at low tide. There is an old slipway and a “smugglers’ cave”
at the north end of the beach. Follow the good track up through
woodland to emerge at an impressive stone seat that gives a
panoramic view over Ardwall Island, Wigtown Bay and the Galloway
Hills to the north. From the seat, leave the track and follow a smaller
waymarked footpath directly down a steep slope towards the sea,
turning right to contour above rocks and emerge onto the pasture
just above the shore line. Look out for a memorial to two of the
Knockbrex estate’s dogs just above the rocky shore. The path is
waymarked across the pasture heading past the old harbour
towards Knockbrex House.
6. Cross the causeway in front of Knockbrex House then follow the
footpath signs along the fence line just above the shore until you
reach the surfaced road at a gate and footpath sign.
7. At this point you can extend the walk along the road for a few
hundred metres to where the surfaced road ends and follow a good
path up to a viewpoint on top of Knockbrex Hill
(See 7 on the map).
8. To return to the Coo Palace, follow the minor road back towards
Borgue or you can turn left up a track just after the entrance to
Knockbrex House then follow a path looping through Doon Wood.
(See 8 on the map) At the far end of the wood you can
cut across a field track to Barlocco then down to the road close to
the Coo Palace entrance. This walk is for the more adventurous
walkers and involves scrambling over or under large trees which
have fallen on the path.
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Disclaimer: This route was correct at time of writing. However, alterations can happen if development or boundary changes occur, and there is no guarantee of permanent access. These walks have been published for use by site visitors on the understanding that neither HPB Management Limited nor any other person connected with Holiday Property Bond is responsible for the safety or wellbeing of those following the routes as described. It is walkers' own responsibility to be adequately prepared and equipped for the level of walk and the weather conditions and to assess the safety and accessibility of the walk.
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