Walk 8 - Gatehouse of Fleet and Anwoth walking and hiking route
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Walk Instructions
Start: At the main car park in Gatehouse of Fleet
(GR 599562)
Footwear: Trainers in dry weather, boots in wet weather
Refreshments: Cafes and pubs in Gatehouse
Terrain: Footpaths with some steep sections
Discover the history of Gatehouse of Fleet and the
neighbouring village of Anwoth along with some
magnificent views over Wigtown Bay and the
surrounding countryside.
Warning: The last section of path into Anwoth
can get very boggy after wet weather. In these
conditions it is probably best to return to Gatehouse
from Rutherford’s Monument.
1. From the car park, follow the High Street over the
bridge and continue along Fleet Street past the Ship
Hotel. Where the road bends round to the left you can
go through a gap in the hedge and a gate into the
National Trust Venniehill site.
2. Venniehill is a species rich wildflower meadow on a
south facing slope overlooking Gatehouse of Fleet and
the surrounding countryside. There is a footpath which
takes you to a walled viewpoint near the top of the hill.
The viewpoint has an information board that shows
points of interest around the Gatehouse area.
From the gate at the entrance to Venniehill, follow the
minor road with a footpath sign to Anwoth. The road
bends to the left and climbs a steep little hill. At the
top of the hill there is another footpath sign for
Rutherford’s Monument on the left. Go through an iron
gate between gardens to reach a stone stile leading to
a moorland path.
Follow the waymarker posts through the rough,
undulating landscape. You will soon come to a path
junction where there is a sign for Trusty’s Hill pointing
leftwards. Follow this track along a small valley then
steeply upwards to reach the vitrified Iron Age fort and
Pictish carved stones protected by an iron cage.
3. Pictish stones are rare in south west Scotland being
more usually found in the north east of the country.
The carvings include a double disc, a sea monster and
a sword. At the bottom left of the stone is a head with
horns or antennae. This is thought to be a 19th century
addition.
The fort on top of Trusty’s Hill was excavated and
surveyed in 2012 and found to have been mainly
occupied between the 5th and 7th centuries.
Retrace your steps back down to the path junction and
continue towards Anwoth. You will soon reach another
path junction where there is a sign pointing leftwards
towards Rutherford’s Monument. The first section of this
path is often boggy but can be avoided by taking tracks
higher up the slope on the right.
4. Rutherford’s Monument commemorates Samuel
Rutherford who was Minister in the parish of Anwoth
from 1627-1639 and later Professor of Divinity at St
Andrew’s university. The monument is a 55 foot high
granite obelisk that was erected in 1842. Just to the north there is a smaller monument in the form of a cairn.
This commemorates all of the ministers of Anwoth and
Girthon parishes up to the year 2000.
From Rutherford’s Monument you have a panoramic
view over Wigtown Bay and the Fleet estuary.
Retrace your steps to the path junction and continue
down the steep hillside into Anwoth. The last section
can be very boggy. You emerge onto the minor road at
Anwoth next to the Old Kirk.
5. There has been a church here since the 12th century
but the walls that you see now are the remains of a
church that was built between 1620 and 1627. It was
dismantled in the 1820s when the new church was built
a few hundred yards further along the road.
The churchyard has some impressive tombs and
gravestones. There is also a memorial to local
Covenanter John Bell who was killed at Kirconnell Moor
in 1685.
Anwoth Old Kirk and the adjacent school house were
used as filming locations for the 1973 cult film “The
Wicker Man”.
6. From Anwoth follow the quiet road through farmland
back to Gatehouse. As you enter Gatehouse follow the
Cycle Route 7 signs through residential streets and a
small park then cross a footbridge over the river to the
Mill on The Fleet visitor centre and café.
Please help future walkers by notifying us of any errors in
the walk description or any suggestions for improving the
directions.
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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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