Walk 23 - Murray’s Monument and the Black Loch walking and hiking route
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Walk Instructions
Start: At a small car park at Grey Mare’s Tail
bridge on the A712 (the Queen’s Way) about
7 miles from Newton Stewart.
Refreshments: Café at Clatteringshaws Visitor
Centre about 5 miles further up the road.
A short but steep and interesting excursion
into Galloway Forest Park. This walk can be
combined with visits to other attractions such as
the Wild Goat Park and the Red Deer Park.
1. You can see the first objective, Murray’s
Monument, from the car park. Follow the waymarked
path steeply up the hillside to reach the monument.
2. The monument was erected in 1835 to
commemorate Alexander Murray, a local shepherd
boy who became professor of oriental languages
at Edinburgh University. Murray was born at
Dunkitterick Cottage, the ruins of which can be seen
across the valley.
Descend from the monument by the same path and
take the left-hand branch that leads across towards
a track along the edge of woodland. Follow this track
rightwards as it climbs to reach a forest road. This
section of path is shared by mountain bike trails
so be aware of the possibility of cyclists appearing
unexpectedly.
Follow the forest road to the right for around half a
mile to where the forest road crosses a bridge over
a small river. This road follows the route of the old
Edinburgh Road, used by pilgrims on their way to the
priory at Whithorn.
3. On the right side of the road at the bridge are
some dry-stone walls that used to be sheep folds.
Search around these walls and you will find some
carved granite heads. These are called “Quorum” and
were created by local artist Matt Baker as part of a
residency in Galloway Forest Park in 1997. There are
other examples of his works at the Clints of Dromore
about five miles to the south.
4. The Grey Mare’s Tail waterfalls can be seen up
in the woods a few hundred yards upstream of the
bridge. There are faint tracks by the east side of the
stream if you want to get a closer look.
You can extend the walk with a detour to or around
the Black Loch. Walk about quarter of a mile further
along the forest road and take a left turn on another
track that goes around the left side of the Black Loch.
5. As you reach the loch, you will see a slender conical
sculpture on the shore. This is known as “The Eye” and
was made from terracotta tiles by Colin Rose in 1997.
The Black Loch is an atmospheric place that reflects
the changing light on the surrounding hillsides. It is
also a good place to see mating toads in spring.
From the Eye, you can make a circuit of the loch by
following the forest track up until it bends round to
the left then there is a faint path that runs back down
the hillside past the far end of the loch to meet the
main forest road again.
Return to the sheep fold with the “Quorum” sculptures
and follow the path alongside the stream. After a couple
of hundred yards, the stream bends round to the right
and drops into a narrow gorge. The footpath climbs to
the left over a small ridge then drops steeply down the
far side to return you to your starting point. You can
detour from the path to get a closer look at the upper
waterfalls of Buck Loup on the way down this path.
While you are in the area, you may also like to visit
the Wild Goat Park and the Red Deer Range which are
a little further along the A712.
There is a short loop footpath to the ruins of
Dunkitterick Cottage from another car park on the
other side of the road just after the Goat Park.
It would be a great help to future walkers if
you could record any inaccuracies you come across
during this walk and report them to reception so that
appropriate amendments can be made. Thank you
for your help. Happy walking.
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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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