This spring brings mixed news. Good news first.
Work has begun on the Long-Distance Path on the west coast of The Rhins of Galloway which is the first stage of the Dumfries and Galloway’s ambition to have a coastal path all the way from Gretna to Cairnryan, all 200 (roughly) miles of our coastline. There are some pictures of these first beginnings on our Facebook page. This section is about 70 miles long and links up with Stranraer’s Rotary Club’s Mull of Galloway Trail to make a 90-mile way starting and finishing in Stranraer. It should take about 5 days to complete. On a clear day views of The Lake District, The Isle of Man, the Irish coast and hills, Ailsa Craig and the Mull of Kintyre. There’s even a suggestion that Snowdon can sometimes be seen. Maybe that’s a myth.
The path will be challenging as you make your way across the grain of the rock formations which represent 500 million years of geology, with perhaps a side trip to see the highest cliffs on the Solway. Thanks to the efforts of Dumfries and Galloway’s Countryside Team all the funding amounting to about £1.2m. and permissions are in place. It’s a big undertaking. The plan is to involve young people and volunteers to research all the natural features of the way: Plants, wildlife, history, archaeology, geology, and its stories so not surprisingly it is not expected to be finished until 2021 (weather permitting). If you can’t wait to get started, be aware that there are still plenty of gates to erect and no guiding signs so be prepared for a hard walk.
Newton Stewart Walking Festival is taking bookings again this year in May so check out their website. A day walk on The Rhins coast is scheduled so walkers might get a taster of what this Coastal Path offers.
I’m reading a book by Robert Macfarlane about walking called The Old Ways (published by Penguin).
The Reviewer, David Sexton writing in the Evening Standard wrote Following the tracks, holloways, drove roads and sea paths that form part of a vast ancient network of routes criss-crossing the British Isles and beyond, Robert Macfarlane discovers a lost world-a landscape of the feet and the mind, of pilgrimage and ritual of stories and ghosts; above all, of the places and journeys which inspire and inhabit our imaginations.
Recommended reading, I suggest, for all who walk.
Now for the bad news, I’m afraid.
Due to budgetary restraints Dumfries and Galloway Council have had to make substantial savings. A really difficult decision has been taken to pare back the Countryside workforce. A sad day for those concerned and a disappointing one for Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor Access Trust. However, things happen but how one deals with them is the real test. All of us who walk, cycle, sail and horse ride will have to put our thinking caps on and stiffen our resolve to keep the momentum up to achieve an access infrastructure which will provide the multiplicity of benefits to people’s lives and an economic resource for this region. We have a little leeway, the funds (over £6m) the current team has brought in will, hopefully, last while their projects are undertaken. So, expect more on this topic as the months go by.
